Frequently Asked Questions - Solomon Islands
General Questions about
Emperor Divers Solomon Islands
For your financial security, when you pay by credit card, all monies are held in a client account until your holiday takes place. Total peace of mind.
No, we do not pass on any credit card fees when you make a booking with us. The price you see is the price you pay.
Emperor Solomon Islands accepts payment by Visa and MasterCard on our liveaboards. However, all prices will be in US Dollars so please check with your bank for any international charges and exchange rates.
All guests are required to sign a self-declaration medical on check in and before any activity such as, but not limited to, diving, snorkelling, swimming, etc. A sample can be found here.
If you are taking part in a PADI course, you are required to a sign a diver medical prior to starting the course.
In both cases, if you have, or think you have, any of the medical conditions listed you will need signed clearance from a doctor valid within 12 months of your planned liveaboard or diving holiday. Where doctor’s clearance is needed, we ask you to arrange this before arrival where possible and to bring it with you to avoid any delays, additional costs or even missing the trip.
For students under the age of 18, all paperwork needs to be signed by a parent or guardian.
Emperor Divers will not be responsible for any financial loss incurred by issues beyond our control such as, but not limited to, weather, ‘Act of God’ or changes made by the local authorities. It is a condition of your booking with Emperor Divers that you purchase comprehensive dive and travel insurance cover specific to your booking and to bring proof of this with you to show the guides when you check in.
You are responsible to check that these include:
- Dive Injury Insurance: covering all risks, costs and expenses likely to be incurred as a result of a diving injury, including but not limited to re-compression chamber treats, air evacuation, and loss or damage to possessions. This insurance should cover all scuba diving or water sports activities that you are likely to undertake during your trip, and
- Medical Evacuation Insurance: covering all risks, costs and expenses likely to arise from a diving or non-diving injury requiring your evacuation to a place of specialist care, including but not limited to low altitude air evacuation; specialist treatment and direct; and indirect losses; and
- Comprehensive Travel Insurance: valid at the time of booking to cover any pre-departure cancellations should you have to cancel your trip for an insured reason such as illness or serious accident, any changes or cancellation to your travel plans, loss or damage to your luggage and contents.
You must be satisfied that your insurance fully covers all your personal requirements including pre-existing medical conditions, cancellation charges, medical expenses and repatriation in the event of accident or illness, diving injuries and medical evacuation.
Should diving insurance not be obtained prior to your departure, it can be arranged on arrival with Dive Assist. Pricing information can be found on the relevant product price list, or contact us at [email protected].
If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, Emperor will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.
Located just a few degrees below the equator, the climate is tropical all year around – although it is moderated by the sea air. Being tropical it is generally sunny with frequent but short bursts of rain. Humidity can be high, particularly inland, but is significantly lower on the smaller islands and aboard ship. We do not operate in January and February when it tends to rain the most, instead we use this time for maintenance and well-deserved crew holidays.
The diversity of diving in the Solomon Islands is incredible – and that goes for the marine life, too. It has some of the healthiest hard corals in the world, sheer walls covered in huge fans, magical caves and cuts with spectacular light beams, an unimaginable array of colourful tropical fish, tornados of schooling fish, sharks, tunas, trevallies and mackerel hunting shoals of fusiliers. There is also an amazing diversity of macro life and cuttlefish, octopus, a mardi gras of nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, coral hermit crabs and crocodile fish are just a few of the things seen on nearly every trip.
As qualified divers you are expected to be able to dive to a standard as per the certification and experience requirements outlined. You are responsible for your own and your buddy’s safety during the dive and to plan your dive and dive your plan by using a personal dive computer. You must begin, execute and end the dive with your dive buddy.
Should you be a single diver, a buddy will be allocated in resort or onboard.
If you are a PADI or SSI diver, don’t worry, we can check their computer database online.
Yes, providing you prove you’re a diver. We may require you to do a check dive or scuba review before your arrival or on your first day depending on your level, how many dives you think you have and when your last dive was.
Depends what level you are, how many dives you’ve got and when you last dived.
For safety reasons, Emperor advises divers to follow their agency recommendation, many agencies recommend a Scuba Review if it has been longer than six months since your last dive.
If you are looking to join a liveaboard you will need to arrange this beforehand or at home before joining your liveaboard in the Maldives.
All our guests, regardless of their qualification or experience will participate in a check dive on their first dive at a local/sheltered dive site and our experienced guides will give advice and feedback to ensure you get the very best experience from your trip.
Questions about
Emperor Solomon Islands Liveaboards
Boarding time on the first day is normally around 4pm. Disembarkation is around 8am on the last day. All of our departures are designed to work with the incoming and outgoing flights so in general overnights are not required. On the last day you generally have a few hours to look around town before we transfer you back to the airport, many people opt to do one of the interesting World War 2 history tours of Honiara and Guadalcanal. Of course, not all flights from all ports of entry arrive and depart on our charter dates so depending on when you choose to fly overnights may be required.
We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the vessel, or if your flight is earlier than the boarding time to a nearby hotel where you can relax.
Yes. Our policy is to offer a transfer to and from the airport if you are arriving/departing within three days of the trip.
Yes. At Honiara International Airport (HIR), taxis and mini-buses can be found immediately outside the main entrance.
Yes, we collect all passengers from their hotels and take them to the boarding point at 4pm on departure day.
Solomon Islands Entry Requirements
For the latest entry requirements and visa information for the Solomon Islands check out this page on the Solomon Airlines website. There are currently no Covid vaccination requirements for the country.
Flying from North America:
Flying via Nadi, Fiji is the most direct route although Brisbane, Australia is also a good option. The main departure city from North America is Los Angeles but there are also flights from San Francisco, Hawaii and other North American cities. Please note that due to the international date line it is necessary to book flights that depart 2 days before the desired arrival date.
Flying from Everywhere Else:
From most destinations flying via Brisbane is the best option although Air Niugini do have options between Singapore and Honiara via Port Moresby. There are also connections from Auckland via Port Vila (Vanuatu) to Honiara.
Please see our blog (story and link to be created) for more information regarding airlines and flight details.
We offer unlimited diving, with the dive day built around five daily dives.
Most of the dives are done using our tenders (called tinnies in the Solomons) which offer a shuttle back and forth to the dive site picking up guests where they surface and running them back to the boat straight away. The exit and entries for the tinnies are very easy and guests with mobility issues find them very manageable. Our crew load and unload diver’s equipment and fill tanks so there is nothing for our guests to do other than to turn up and dive!
The diving in the Solomons is generally very easy as the currents are mild, the water warm and calm and the visibility great but we would require that all guests must be Open Water Diver or equivalent.
During a 7-night trip we visit the Russell Islands, Mary Island and the Florida Islands to dive the stunning reefs of these areas. We also visit a village to see custom singing and dancing and to see traditional life. On a 9-night or longer trip we also visit the Marovo Lagoon area of the Western Province. We offer 4 day dives and a night dive and there is no fixed itinerary.
In adverse weather conditions the guides and captain of the boat will have the final decision about which dive sites to visit to ensure that the safety of guests, staff and boats is not compromised in any way. If in the unfortunate and unlikely event that dives are missed, or dive sites are not reached due to weather conditions or other unforeseeable changes, Emperor Maldives will not offer a refund or compensation.
Certain courses are available on board but need to be pre-booked. Contact our reservations team to find out more.
There will be a maximum of 20 guests on board.
There can be up to four guides on the boat depending on the number of guests.
This can vary depending on which staff are on board but English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese are normally spoken by our team.
The ‘tinnies’ have ample storage space for your equipment and there is a spares box on board. We suggest that you bring the following:
Mask, snorkel, fins, boots, wetsuit, regulator, BCD, SMB (with a minimum of 5 metres of line to deploy during the safety stop) and a dive computer with spare batteries and a torch for any night dives. The average water temperature is 29°C and we recommend a 3mm shortie or wetsuit.
Equipment is available for rent from Emperor Solomon Islands and we ask that you pre-book your equipment before you arrive to avoid disappointment. We need to know normal sizes, height, weight and shoe sizes to prepare the correctly sized equipment for you.
All divers are required to use a dive computer and SMB for every dive and a torch each for night dives throughout their safari experience for safety reasons. Please bring your own or ask us what is available on board.
The conditions, combined with the great service provided by Bilikiki’s dive crew, mean the diving will be some of the easiest, most amazing diving you will ever do! Most sites can be suitable for novices but any exceptions will be flagged up by our team.
There is fantastic snorkelling in the Solomon Islands and most dive sites have amazing things to see in the shallows. Snorkellers are more than welcome to join our regular dive trips, the conditions among the islands and our easy-to-use tender service means that the snorkelling is not only spectacular but also very easy.
No bookings for children under 12 years of age will be accepted.
The meals on board are usually buffet style with a variety of local and international dishes to suit everyone. For any special dietary requests, such as vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian etc or any allergies, please inform us prior to arrival. We source items locally so occasionally there can be issues on sourcing certain products due to availability.
We have Starlink onboard which offers reasonably fast and reliable internet during the whole trip. Bandwidth is somewhat limited though so please try to limit streaming and downloads to sensible amounts. There is no charge for using it.
Alcohol is available to purchase on board; a local beer is around USD 5 and local wines start from USD 25. Guests are welcome to bring their own duty-free alcohol onboard.
General Solomon Islands Questions
For foreign nationals, your passport must have at least 6 months of validity beyond your intended stay.
If passengers are first time visitors or business travellers please note:
- Check Visa requirements depending on your country
- Apply for Visitor or Business Visa (if applicable)
Vaccination against measles is required for entry into the Solomon Islands. Most people are vaccinated as children against the measles. Proof of vaccination is not required on entry.
The best vaccines for you depend on your age, medical conditions and country of origin so you should consult with a local healthcare provider to determine the best vaccines for you. Among those recommended are yellow fever, hepatitis A, tetanus, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) and rabies.
A sales tax is applied to purchases from the bar and onboard shop. These are included in your final bill. Any port, park or fuel taxes are included under our No Hidden Extras guarantee.
The Solomon Islands is on time zone SBT (Solomon Islands Time) which is GMT +11 hours.
The currency is the Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD). The exchange rate is approximately £1 (11SBD), $1(8SBD) and €1 (9SBD). Please note these exchange rates are approximate and subject to change.
It is best to have Solomon Islands Dollars. Please note that in the Solomons, MasterCard and American Express are often not accepted.
Power throughout the ship is 240 V 50 cycle, using Australia style 3-prong outlets. The dedicated charging room also has plenty of American style 110 V 60 cycle outlets for charging cameras, strobes, dive lights, etc. These outlets are only for charging purposes so if you intend to use hairdryers, shavers, etc. you will need to bring adapters.
Solomon Islands Liveaboard
Emperor Bilikiki was the first full-service liveaboard in the Solomon Islands and remains one of the very few to dive this fascinating part of the world.