Christmas Island (Kiribati)

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There were no postings to Pedda's request for information about Kiribati in 2002. Has anyone been there in 2003 or 2004 to report on the diving and infrastructure? I am interested in going in January 2005. I am concerned about rainy weather that time of year, if you know anything about weather.

Supposedly, the hotel pretty basic. I spoke to a fisherman last year and he said the bone fishing was awesome.
 
I know a boat captain who dove Christmas Island around Xmas 2002, and he said the diving was the best he'd ever done anywhere in the world. Shoals of fish and pelagics, untouched reefs, and very little population pressure. He said that the one dive shop was closing down though b/c of very slow business, which I believe is due to the little traffic the island gets. Aloha Airlines flies charters there once a week and often the plane is mostly empty. The few passengers in it are fishermen who pay lots of money to fish some of the most unspoiled waters in the world.

I've been obsessed with going to Christmas Island after reading and re-reading Thurston Clarke's "Equator: A Journey", where the author travels eastward along the equator starting in South America. One of his last stops is Christmas Island, and he does a nice job at mixing history, the clash of island culture with the outside world, and descriptions of the innate beauty of the island. I highly recommend this book before you go. It's out of print, but it's a classic among followers of travel writing and you can still get copies on Amazon.com.

I almost made it there two years ago. Planning the trip is difficult and expensive -- you often have to go through one of a few travel agencies that have connections there. Visas you get at the airport in Honolulu before you board the flight. Christmas Island is one day ahead of Honolulu, even though they're both roughly on the same longitude, and it lies three hours by jet directly south of Honolulu.

If you go, make sure to post a trip report so others like me can live vicariously through someone who is so fortunate to have made it there. Good luck with your trip.
 
It's a island with lots of history. It used to belong to Singapore and the government decide to sell it to Australia.
 
sleepyhead:
It's a island with lots of history. It used to belong to Singapore and the government decide to sell it to Australia.

sleepyhead,

I think they are talking about a different Christmas Island - the one that is 3 hours south of Hawaii and is now a part of the Republic of Kiribati.

It was used by the Brit's and then the US for atmospheric nuclear tests prior to implementing the atmospheric nuclear test ban.

It is the largest coral atoll in the world with an area of 248 square miles of which 125 square miles is land and remainder lagoon. We did not find the diving to be all that interesting. Did 12 dives in 6 days so we only saw a small portion of what was available but was not impressed.

We went there once for a week. A week is actually the only option because the flight goes only once a week.

The "hotel" was originally an "Officer's Quarters" built back during the nuclear testing days. Very "basic" accomodations when we were there in '95. Fisherman vastly outnumbered the divers. Food wasn't bad (almost 100% of the food comes in by boat or plane so don't expect lots of fresh veggies) and they always had cold beer.

We went in February and it was the hottest place I have ever visited. Stay well covered - I actually got sunburned through a long sleeve white cotton T-shirt.

Rickg
 
I am going to Christmas Island (Kiribati) in early January 2005. I will post a report when I return.
 
the Nai'a liveaboard out of Fiji has made some special trips there.

http://www.naia.com.fj/amelia/index.html

from the web site

"NAI'A will return to Nikumaroro, a remote atoll in equatorial Kiribati, in August and September 2001 for the third TIGHAR Expedition with NAI'A in the controversial quest to uncover the sacred remains of lost aviator and icon, Amelia Earhart. NAI'A first carried the TIGHAR team to Nikumaroro in February/March 1997 for the most extensive and, as it turned out, most courageous expedition up until then."


also
http://www.naia.com.fj/phoenix/index.html
from the website

"Who'd have thought an adventurous dive trip into unknown territory would have captured so many hearts and minds? The Phoenix Rising Expedition to the Phoenix Archipelago in Kiribati in 2000 was such a monumental success from both the marine science standpoint and thanks to the sheer abundance and beauty of the coral reef and fish communities, that we headed back there in June and July 2002.

The New England Aquarium, Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, and the National Geographic Society conducted a multi-disciplinary scientific expedition to the remote Phoenix Islands in the South Pacific country of Kiribati. The expedition helped to shed light on the condition of the pre-human oceans and the impacts of human activity. These rarely visited and mostly uninhabited islands are uniquely positioned to answer questions about the diversity and condition of marine life in environments unexploited by the growing human population."
 
Ssssssh! Could we kinda keep this on the down low? It's my dream place. You guys are okay, but if everyone finds out about it all the good hammocks will be taken. Ckerl, maybe you could post a trip report that says it sucks when you get back, eh? :wink:
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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