Live-Aboard Advice and Suggestions Request

I am on my way to the South Pacific, most likely in April or May, for a 1-2 month Dive/snorkel/travel trip. My destinations have not been solidified but so far I'm thinking: Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, PNG and maybe the Solomon Islands for a one week live-abord dive trip. I have no budget restrictions. Can anyone make any suggestions for live-aboards for a 1 week dive trip? Where and why do you suggest where you have suggested? Anything I need to know or should know about diving in that part of the world? Are any of the places I mentioned so similar that i may eliminate some? If so, which? Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Bk Traveler

Hi Traveler

This is a little generic but may help you make a choice or two.

In Fiji I'd suggest you pick the Yasawa or Mamanuca Island groups on the western side of the country. There are a choice of liveaboards available, so you should find one to suit. There are plenty of fine sites there and you should get some great dives - the manta rays are a highight.

In Tonga, Vava'u is the place to go although you'd be too early for the whale migration. There's still plenty of choice for diving or snorkelling in a pristine environment, although I suspect it would mostly be from land bases.

While I love Samoa as a country to visit, it's not one of the South Pacific's top dive destinations. Also the southern side of the country, which had most of the good beaches and reefs, was hit by a tsunami late last year and I'm not sure what sort of conditions prevail there at the moment. I do know the damage was severe and a lot of the villages suffered considerably, both in terms of structural damage and loss of life.

The Cook Islands may also be worth thinking about - plenty of good diving there but again mainly from land bases.

Of the other countries on your list, the Solomons has one liveaboard option that I know of - Bilikiki Cruises which is advertising several departures within your stated timeframe. If wrecks are your thing, check to see if Iron Bottom Sound (WWII wrecks) is on the schedule.

I have a divemaster friend who swears by eastern PNG as one of the top dive regions in the South Pacific, but I've not been there. Still, it been given a good plug to me and it's a place on my list of 'must sees'. Most of the diving in this area is land-based but you won't have to battle crowds.

In many parts of the Pacific liveaboards are hard to find, as the demand is not all that great - due in part to the long distances between islands, even in the same country, and also because most of the best sites are necessarily close to shore. There's a lot of seriously deep water in between!

I'd suggest you look at completing your travels in Fiji/Tonga/Samoa/Cooks before moving on to the other countries, as it will be easier to move between those islands than crossing and recrossing the stretch of water north of NZ. You'll probably have to stage through NZ or Australia on your way from one set to the other.

Your timeframe should see good weather - the start of the dry season throughout the region.

Whatever you decide, have fun.