peterjmaerz
Guest
My 14 night trip on the Spirit of Solomons in November, 2005 could not have been better. Heres my report:
TRAVEL: I used Delta Sky Miles, so I went where they sent me: Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta. Atlanta to Seoul (15 ½ hours!). Seoul to Brisbane (10 hrs) Brissy to Honiara (3 hrs). The ATL to ICN and ICN to BNE flights were on Korean Air: great leg room, deep seatback recline and an army of painted-doll flight attendants in suits, hair buns and stiff scarves attended to our every need, including at least two full meals. No problem at all with Solomon Air and none of the airlines gave me any grief for my two large duffels or 20-pound carry-on backpack.
Brisbane, by the way, is a fantastic city. Clean, ultra-modern, beautiful with lots of green space, a nice river running through it and great museums. Definitely worth exploring for at least a day.
SPIRIT OF SOLOMONS: I found the boat to be very comfortable and excellent in its layout.
DIVE DECK: Just behind the bow, the covered dive staging area is quite roomy, with the standard tank holders-on-benches and a large plastic basket beneath for fins, mask, lights, etc. A two-tiered, ribbed, rubber-matted table serves as a camera staging area and towel/miscellaneous storage.
SALON: Just aft, through a hatch, is the salon with two very large, rubber coated tables, two extensive charging stations (120 and 240 volts) and walls lines with reference books. Each diver was offered the use of a plastic basket in which to keep camera/battery/computer supplies. The room was used exclusively for laptop downloading and camera maintenance. One large guest room opens out into the salon.
DINING AREA: At the rear of the boats middle deck is a large, covered dining area with tables for 6, each outfitted with plastic stack chairs. The open sides are fitted with roll-down plastic sheets for inclement or windy weather. This is a delightful area for eating or just hanging out and reading. It was never too hot, almost always fully in the shade and featured two very popular hammocks for snoozing at the stern.
BELOW: The remainder of the cabins is below deck. Mine was one of the four single-occupancy cabins, all the way forward. My heart froze when I walked in the door. The curving and sloping hull of the bow of the ship formed the outer wall, leaving about 18 inches of space between it and the bunk beds. Theres about two feet of space between the foot of the beds and the wall opposite and three feet between the door and the curved wall. Not to worry. Theres ample storage (for soft luggage) under the beds. Two open shelves run between the bunks and the hull wall. A fairly deep closet/cabinet rounds out the storage space with enough room (and hangers) to stow a dozen shirts/slacks or more. Then, of course, theres the bunk youre not sleeping in for additional storage. I was quite comfortable, though the bunk, with its raised borders, was a snug fit for my 6-foot-plus frame!
DIVE PROCEDURE:
SCHEDULE: 7:00am-breakfast, 8:00am-Dive 1, 11:00am-Dive 2, 12:30pm lunch, 2:00pm-dive 3, 5:00pm-dive 4, 7:00pm Dinner, 8:30 or later-night dive.
RULES: Nitrox users need to analyze their tank before each dive and record the information on a clipboard, along with max depth after the dive. No restrictions on diving. No baby sitting. Some dove deep, some shallow. I sometimes closely followed the dive masters, sometimes buddied up and often dove totally alone. No time limits. I usually dove well over an hour and on a number of occasions, 90 minutes or more. A board with two rows of hooks, one for on board and the other row for diving holds tags with each divers name and tank number.
BRIEFINGS: An extensive, detailed chalkboard briefing is offered before each dive, with every conceivable contingency accounted for and detailed notes on what to find and where to find it.
ENTRY/EXIT: Divers gear carried to tinnies (sturdy aluminum dinghys). Divers cameras carefully carried on board. Divers board the tinnies. Once underway, one of the divemasters helps each diver into her/his gear. At the site, no more than a couple of minutes away from the mother ship, divers sit up on the gunwales. Once all are ready, the divemaster or tinnie driver gives a count and, on three, all backroll into the water. This usually, though not always, avoided collisions on the surface.
Two tinnies are always in the water, with one always hovering about the dive site. Every time I surfaced, except once, the tinny was within seconds of my position and the driver expertly positioned the boat just out of reach before cutting the prop and lowering a sturdy ladder. Fins are handed up, but not gear (unless so desiredno one did so on our trip). The ladder is a bit challenging, with no substantial handhold topside on the right side, but the learning curve is shallow. Divers are helped to their seats and their tanks slotted in the benches for the ride back to the boat. Once there, divers exit, leaving the crew to haul the gear back on board the spirit and fill tanks for the next dive.
Oh, that once, was when I followed an incorrect compass heading to shore from a wreck and ended up around the other side of an island. It only took about 10 minutes for them to come looking for me. All divers are offered the use of large, 8-foot-high safety sausages.
STAFF:
Grant and Sonia, boat managers and dive masters are a wonder. Either, or, in most cases, both of them dive every dive, finding lots of goodies and video-taping the dive. Their enthusiasm is very evident. At the end of a dive theyd be as excited as we were, if not more, at the things wed found. They also have a really great camaraderie with the rest of the crew and treat them as equals rather than employees.
All crewmembers, while somewhat shy, are super nice and constantly on the lookout for anything they can possibly do to enhance your comfort, safety or pleasure. Chef Wilson was amazing: every meal was creative, substantial and very tasty, ranging from fish burgers to lobster tails, with excellent soups, side dishes and, always, fresh green salad. On many evenings, hed motor out on a tinny and return a short time later with a huge wahoo or tuna which would, in minutes, find its way to the buffet table as sashimi. (Cookies and popcorn available after the in between dives).
TRAVEL: I used Delta Sky Miles, so I went where they sent me: Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta. Atlanta to Seoul (15 ½ hours!). Seoul to Brisbane (10 hrs) Brissy to Honiara (3 hrs). The ATL to ICN and ICN to BNE flights were on Korean Air: great leg room, deep seatback recline and an army of painted-doll flight attendants in suits, hair buns and stiff scarves attended to our every need, including at least two full meals. No problem at all with Solomon Air and none of the airlines gave me any grief for my two large duffels or 20-pound carry-on backpack.
Brisbane, by the way, is a fantastic city. Clean, ultra-modern, beautiful with lots of green space, a nice river running through it and great museums. Definitely worth exploring for at least a day.
SPIRIT OF SOLOMONS: I found the boat to be very comfortable and excellent in its layout.
DIVE DECK: Just behind the bow, the covered dive staging area is quite roomy, with the standard tank holders-on-benches and a large plastic basket beneath for fins, mask, lights, etc. A two-tiered, ribbed, rubber-matted table serves as a camera staging area and towel/miscellaneous storage.
SALON: Just aft, through a hatch, is the salon with two very large, rubber coated tables, two extensive charging stations (120 and 240 volts) and walls lines with reference books. Each diver was offered the use of a plastic basket in which to keep camera/battery/computer supplies. The room was used exclusively for laptop downloading and camera maintenance. One large guest room opens out into the salon.
DINING AREA: At the rear of the boats middle deck is a large, covered dining area with tables for 6, each outfitted with plastic stack chairs. The open sides are fitted with roll-down plastic sheets for inclement or windy weather. This is a delightful area for eating or just hanging out and reading. It was never too hot, almost always fully in the shade and featured two very popular hammocks for snoozing at the stern.
BELOW: The remainder of the cabins is below deck. Mine was one of the four single-occupancy cabins, all the way forward. My heart froze when I walked in the door. The curving and sloping hull of the bow of the ship formed the outer wall, leaving about 18 inches of space between it and the bunk beds. Theres about two feet of space between the foot of the beds and the wall opposite and three feet between the door and the curved wall. Not to worry. Theres ample storage (for soft luggage) under the beds. Two open shelves run between the bunks and the hull wall. A fairly deep closet/cabinet rounds out the storage space with enough room (and hangers) to stow a dozen shirts/slacks or more. Then, of course, theres the bunk youre not sleeping in for additional storage. I was quite comfortable, though the bunk, with its raised borders, was a snug fit for my 6-foot-plus frame!
DIVE PROCEDURE:
SCHEDULE: 7:00am-breakfast, 8:00am-Dive 1, 11:00am-Dive 2, 12:30pm lunch, 2:00pm-dive 3, 5:00pm-dive 4, 7:00pm Dinner, 8:30 or later-night dive.
RULES: Nitrox users need to analyze their tank before each dive and record the information on a clipboard, along with max depth after the dive. No restrictions on diving. No baby sitting. Some dove deep, some shallow. I sometimes closely followed the dive masters, sometimes buddied up and often dove totally alone. No time limits. I usually dove well over an hour and on a number of occasions, 90 minutes or more. A board with two rows of hooks, one for on board and the other row for diving holds tags with each divers name and tank number.
BRIEFINGS: An extensive, detailed chalkboard briefing is offered before each dive, with every conceivable contingency accounted for and detailed notes on what to find and where to find it.
ENTRY/EXIT: Divers gear carried to tinnies (sturdy aluminum dinghys). Divers cameras carefully carried on board. Divers board the tinnies. Once underway, one of the divemasters helps each diver into her/his gear. At the site, no more than a couple of minutes away from the mother ship, divers sit up on the gunwales. Once all are ready, the divemaster or tinnie driver gives a count and, on three, all backroll into the water. This usually, though not always, avoided collisions on the surface.
Two tinnies are always in the water, with one always hovering about the dive site. Every time I surfaced, except once, the tinny was within seconds of my position and the driver expertly positioned the boat just out of reach before cutting the prop and lowering a sturdy ladder. Fins are handed up, but not gear (unless so desiredno one did so on our trip). The ladder is a bit challenging, with no substantial handhold topside on the right side, but the learning curve is shallow. Divers are helped to their seats and their tanks slotted in the benches for the ride back to the boat. Once there, divers exit, leaving the crew to haul the gear back on board the spirit and fill tanks for the next dive.
Oh, that once, was when I followed an incorrect compass heading to shore from a wreck and ended up around the other side of an island. It only took about 10 minutes for them to come looking for me. All divers are offered the use of large, 8-foot-high safety sausages.
STAFF:
Grant and Sonia, boat managers and dive masters are a wonder. Either, or, in most cases, both of them dive every dive, finding lots of goodies and video-taping the dive. Their enthusiasm is very evident. At the end of a dive theyd be as excited as we were, if not more, at the things wed found. They also have a really great camaraderie with the rest of the crew and treat them as equals rather than employees.
All crewmembers, while somewhat shy, are super nice and constantly on the lookout for anything they can possibly do to enhance your comfort, safety or pleasure. Chef Wilson was amazing: every meal was creative, substantial and very tasty, ranging from fish burgers to lobster tails, with excellent soups, side dishes and, always, fresh green salad. On many evenings, hed motor out on a tinny and return a short time later with a huge wahoo or tuna which would, in minutes, find its way to the buffet table as sashimi. (Cookies and popcorn available after the in between dives).
