FAQs

Our Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most common questions about diving, snorkelling, and visiting Gizo to help you plan your perfect adventure.

When is the best time to come to Gizo?

The weather is relatively mild all year round, with a gentle south east trade wind that prevails from April to October. There is no distinctive monsoonal "wet season", and it is rare to get more than 2-3 days of rain in a row at any given time. We haven't missed a day of diving because of weather in 40 years! Without a doubt the month of November has the least amount of wind and can be muggy.

Is it possible to mix cultural activities with diving?

Yes, there are a number of cultural activities that we can co-ordinate with dives and/or snorkelling excursions. Travellers enjoy safe, trouble free, memorable holidays in the "Happy Isles" as they once were known.

Pack for a purpose.

In the villages, the older population appreciate old, but still useful reading (magnifying) glasses. Pencils and colouring books, school items, soccer and volley balls for the young ones, and those old t-shirts in the cupboard are great for bartering. Ladies in the villages appreciate bras.

What is the night life like in Gizo?

Most nights are quiet around town, however there are two local water holes, PT109 across from the dive shop, and Gizo Hotel. Each place does offer a dance one night a week, where you can go and enjoy some disco music, and mingle with locals and other guests. Grabbing a beer and sitting on the dive boat jetty is a favorite for logging dives and swapping stories.

What can I expect to see when I am diving at Gizo?

Gizo has everything - A reasonably intact Japanese WWII transport ship Wrecks, four WWII fighter planes, walls, shallow beautiful pristine reefs, big fish action with the currents, and all the little critters for the macro enthusiast.

What sort of dive boats do you have?

We operate three 7.5m "Ray" boats and one 7m utility boat. They are powered by twin 60HP engines and have covers to protect you from the tropical sun. Each boats maximum number of dive guests is 8 and O2 is provided on all dive boats.

Where is Gizo located?

Gizo is the capital of the Western Solomons and it's harbour is located at 8.06 deg South & 156.5 deg East.

Is malaria really a problem?

Malaria is probably the most over rated tropical disease in the Solomon Islands. Repellent is highly recommended at dusk and dawn. People do not have problems if they protect themselves, and treatment is readily available. Medical attention is available if needed at the local hospital.

I'm a non diver - what can I do?

There are a number of very nice walks along the coast, or village tours near-by. If you are a snorkeller, we will drop you off at a nice island prior to the divers going to a site. Perhaps a morning of bird watching appeals or finding a good book and kick back and relax at FATBOYS resort and restaurant. For those who are interested in WW11 history, tours by boat can be arranged. Surfing is a great water alternative.

How many dives in a day can I do?

Most enthusiastic divers will do 2-3 dives a day.

A normal days operation would be to do one dive in the morning, a surface interval on a nice secluded beach with a picnic or BBQ lunch which is included in the daily dive price, followed by an afternoon dive pending changes in currents on the next dive site . Many people like to snorkel during the surface interval.

What restaurants are in town ?

For breakfast there are stands that sell fresh buns, and cooked eggs. Swinging through the open air market and picking up some fruit is a favorite morning meal by many travelers here. For Lunch there are 4 or 5 cafes or takeaway establishments that offer a variety of meals of fish and chips, sea food meals, and local cooking. These however are often closed for dinner.

When looking for dinner, the Gizo Hotel is always open. PT109 offers a nice dinner at the best price, and will cater to large groups but you need to book . The resorts restaurants will accommodate a lunch or dinner but it is best to let them know as you will need boat transfers.

What is the normal visibility and range of temperatures?

Visibility on an "average" is about 20M - 24M (70' - 80') year round with long periods even greater. The air temp rarely gets over 32C and the water temp is 29C year round - no wet suits required!

What does a typical day of diving entail?

Well this depends on your groups itineraries. Since we operate small boats we can cater to your needs. However a typical day of diving starts at 9 am at the dive shop where the staff will set up your gear and load it on the boat. Set off on a short trip to your morning dive followed by a lunch break on one of our gorgeous islands, where the staff makes a picnic lunch of fish, fresh fruits, and basic salads (Will cater for other dietary needs). After an hour or two of snorkeling, relaxing or exploring the islands, divers set off on their second dive, and return to town around 3 pm.

What is the best way of getting there?

From the United States, most people come through Nadi Fiji, with Fiji Airways. You can check your bags all the way through to Honiara (HIR) on a weekly flight from Los Angeles (LAX). Coming from Australia, the main port of access is Brisbane (BNE), with regular flights direct to Honiara (HIR), with Solomon Airlines. The most efficient route to Gizo is on Fridays, travelling from Brisbane to Munda, then a 10 minute domestic flight to Gizo. For travellers coming through Port Moresby in PNG, Air Niugini flies to Honiara. Solomon Airlines also has flights to Honiara from Port Vila and Auckland . Schedules are being amended as services are increased. Check out www.flysolomons.com

How Can I find Accommodation?

We will be happy to find you accommodation and book it for you. The most popular island resorts found online are Imagination Island, Fatboys Resort and Oravae Cottage. Gizo township accomodations include the Gizo Hotel, Rekona Lodge and Gizo Lodge. We also have a few guest houses for the more budget minded. For those needing longer term stays, we can book one of the two bedroom self contained Seabreeze Apartments.

Great Diving and dive sites. Kerrie was extremely helpful with booking dives and my local mate Bradley was a great dive master to dive with for 3 days. Great dives on Tao Maru, Secret spot, Grand Central, Hellcat and others. - Michael

The dive centre at Gizo is great. Kerrie is a wonderful person to chat with and the local dive-masters are incredibly talented and inspirational. To big shout out to Bradley and Craig. I dived 16 times after an absence of diving for 10 years, and have a new lease on appreciating diving again. - GREYGALAH

Dived with Dannie, Kerrie and the team for two days - outstanding service and memorable dive sites. The Toa Maru is incredibly intact and a fascinating dive. - Bill

Had another fantastic trip to the Solomons with Dive Gizo, enjoying incredible diving among beautiful fish and WWII wrecks. The highlight was the friendly, knowledgeable staff—especially Rueben, whose attitude made the experience memorable. Looking forward to returning! - Jason

Dive Gizo is an excellent and safe dive operator, easily arranged in advance while staying at Fatboys Resort. The boat was in great condition, and the dive master led at a relaxed pace. Highlights included a fascinating Japanese wreck dive and a vibrant coral dive at Grand Central Station, plus a relaxing lunch on Njari Island. The staff were friendly and helpful throughout. - LukeDFW

Well established Dive Operator, with friendly, helpful staff. The relaxed daily schedule with a long surface interval on some remote island, eating the delicious supplied lunch, was awesome. Clearly much more to see than we managed in our 3 days of 2-tank diving, but Eagle Rays, Ghost pipefish, Pygmy Seahorses, Cuttlefish, Grey Reefsharks, Spotted Rays were stars amongst the usual reef creatures. Some great wrecks too. Thanks Danny/Aaron/David & Bradley - David

Very professional experience at Dive Ghizo. Needed a refresher as last dive was long time ago. Rahul the dive instructor was very professional and knowledgeable, he made me comfortable straight away. The whole crew was really nice. Would definitely recommend anyone to dive with those guys. Kerrie has been here for almost 40 years, and she was very helpful and responsive helping me out to organise my trip to the Ghizo, with advice and informations. Keep the good work! - Alexandre

We dived with Dive Gizo for a whole week. The staff was amazing specially Raul and Craig. Tao Mari and Gran Central was the highlight of week. The snacks between dives were dripping. Would definitely dive with them again if I return to Solomon. - Renata

Great diving, we did 2 days x4 dives. We had one of the best days ever diving to Toa Maru wreck dive and Grand Central which had a number of sharks. Both days we chilled having lunch on a desert island soaking up the rays, with a fantastic bbq cooked for us on one of the days! Highly recommended :) - Jack