Solomon Islands Spearfishing & Freediving Expedition
Solomon Islands Spearfishing & Freediving Expedition
Salty Pilgrims Freediving
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Immerse yourself in what we have found to be one of the most beautiful, tropical locations on Earth. There is a reason this place was featured on David Attenborough's Blue Planet. We will be staying in a gorgeous lodge nestled into the tropical rainforest on the reef-front. Enjoy 3 delicious fresh meals cooked for you daily and eat the fish you catch. Spearfish in vibrant blue, crystal clear warm waters with the most abundant fish life, explore islands, lagoons, waterfalls, dive with manta-rays, sharks and dolphins, freedive some of the best coral swim-throughs in the world backing onto lush rainforest. All whilst completing your Molchanovs Freediving Courses, or training for depth with small group numbers for a more personalised experience.
Join us in the most extraordinary place we’ve ever dived in.
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Dates
July 10th - 19th, 2024
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Location
Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands
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Where to fly into
A short 3 hour flight from Brisbane or Fiji, arrive into Honiara International Airport. Jump on a 1 hour connecting flight to Seghe Airport. You will be picked up by boat from Seghe Airport and driven 2 hours through scenic islands and lagoons to our accommodation
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Cost of trip
$4950 AUD (9 nights)
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Accomodation
There are 3 unique bedrooms all with their own private outdoor ensuite. The rooms can be configured into either a King bed for couples, or 2 single beds.
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Weather
Temperatures range from 25 -30 degrees celsius out of the water, and 30 degree water temps.
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Spearfishing Ability
Every ability level is welcome, however it is more suited to intermediate - advanced spearos. If you can spear at 15m+, you will see incredible fish.
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Freediving Ability
All abilities welcome, however you must be able to swim 200m unaided. The swim-throughs are less than 10m deep.
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Molchanovs Freediving Course Levels
Wave 1, 2 & 3 Courses only OR train for depth
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Food
Sit back and relax with 3 meals per day cooked by our own private cooks. The mouth-watering week's menu showcases the best and freshest meals cooked with locally grown fruits and veggies, as well as your pick of the fish you catch! You are welcome to take charge of cooking if you wish to prepare your own meals with the fish you catch, the cooks will be your kitchen hand!
Inclusions
9 nights accommodation at a stunning reef front lodge
Airport Boat Transfers
Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily cooked by personal private cooks. Fresh fruit juice or coconuts with every meal. Unlimited fresh Australian roasted coffee on a barista coffee machine
Private housekeepers and laundry service
Daily boat trips to the best spearfishing locations on offer. Includes your own experienced boat captain and spearfishing guides
ALL activities including Manta-ray cleaning station dive, lunch on remote islands, waterfall trips, private beach trips, basket weaving lessons, freediving the coral gardens and the best swim throughs we've ever seen, guided jungle treks and so much more. All of these activities will be available for you to do if you wish
Wave 1, Wave 2 and Wave 3 Freediving Course
Spearfishing Workshops tailored to suit your ability level and turn you into an insane underwater hunter. Run by our experienced Spearfishing and Freediving Instructors.
Activities
Although the majority of the week we will be busy freediving and spearfishing, there are so many amazing activities to choose from at any point in your trip! Some of these involve:
Manta Ray Cleaning Station dive. Freedive and take photos with the local Manta Rays!!
Waterfall trip. The boat will take you through a beautiful mangrove forest and drop you off where you will walk 20 minutes through lush jungle until you reach a stunning 3-tier waterfall that you can drink from its fresh, cool water.
Guided Jungle Trek. This walk starts right out the front of the accommodation, and follows the coral lined shores. There are incredible shells to find along the way, and the guide will show you a human skull where tribes used to reside and when head hunting was a part of the culture!
Fossilised Coral Cave. Just a 10 minute walk from the accommodation finds you at the most insane cave system (you will be given torches and a guide!).
Basket weaving classes with the local ladies
Village Tour
Accomodation
You will be staying in a gorgeous, open plan living home nestled in amongst the island's tropical
jungle, with ocean and rainforest views all around. Right out the front of the house is an incredible coral reef. Wake up in the mornings to the sounds of the birds and soft waves rolling onto the shore, and fall asleep each night to the sounds of the crickets, glowing fireflies lighting up the jungle, and rain falling on the leaves. Escape the hustle and bustle of normal life with no artificial noises.
The house contains a large open plan kitchen/dining/lounge area central to the house with stunning views of the ocean, neighbouring islands and the expansive star filled night sky.
The house is designed for comfort and relaxation and is completely screened. It combines Western standards in design and build with Solomon island features and includes a wood fired pizza oven and edible garden.
Spearfishing
If you've always dreamed of shooting fish such as Dogtooth tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Jobfish, Maori Sea Perch, Mu, Buffalo Emperor, Longnose Emperor, Midnight Snapper, Trout, Cod, Grouper, Mangrove Jack, Red Bass and the list goes on and on… this is the trip for you. The Solomon Islands is hands down the fishiest place we’ve ever been spearfishing and there are some world class fish here. If you are comfortable spearing fish in 15 metres plus, there’s a high chance you will see and shoot some incredible fish.
We spent a week diving here recently and saw/shot all of the fish listed above.
If you have always wanted to either learn how to Spearfish, or really improve your spearfishing skills, our spearfishing instructors and guides will be running daily Spearfishing workshops and be right there with you in the water to help you land your dream fish.
Freediving Courses
Complete either your Molchanovs Wave 1, Wave 2 or Wave 3 Freediving Courses. This involves a mixture of freediving on a line with a max ratio of 3 students to 1 instructor, as well as theory sessions.
If you have had no experience freediving, you will be able to do your Wave 1 Course, and potentially your Wave 2 Course. If you have done a Wave 1 Course (or equivalent) you will be able to do your Wave 2 Course and start preparing for Wave 3.
If you have already done your Wave 2 or 3 courses, you will be able to get personal coaching and train for more depth! The dive sessions will be in beautiful crystal clear and warm water where we are not limited by the depth. While none of the theory sessions or dive sessions are mandatory (and you can choose to spearfish instead) you have a chance to really improve your freediving skills during the week.
Trip FAQ’s
How deep will I have to dive to shoot good fish?
If you can comfortably dive to 15 metres, you will see the fish come alive. There are incredible fish around 15-25m and you won’t need to dive much deeper than this. The Spanish Mackerel and Wahoo hang out in around 10m of water.
What is fishing like in July?
This are the best times of the year for Dogtooth Tuna, Spanish Mackerel and various top quality reef fish like buffalo emporer, jobfish, mu, pomano and trout.
How long will we be diving per day?
As long as you would like. We will be heading out to dive each morning after breakfast, approximately at 8am and diving until lunch time when we will come back to the lodge for lunch that will be waiting for us. After lunch, you will be able to head out to dive once again, or those who want to do other land based activities can. If we get a couple of days of insane weather, we can leave as early as the group would like to get the early morning fish action. We will be heading to several different hand picked spots throughout the week to showcase the best dive spots of the area.
What Certification can I get?
If you haven't done a freediving course before, you will be able to do the Molchanovs Wave 1 Course and if things are progressing well, you can complete the Wave 2 Course.
If you have already completed your Wave 2 course you will be able to do your Wave 3 (assistant instructor/master freediver) course.
What if I don’t want to get a freediving certification?
You may take the opportunity to improve your freediving with coached line diving sessions, unlimited depth and clear, warm water. There is no better place to improve your freediving ability.
What gear do I need to bring?
You will need to bring all of your own freediving and spearfishing gear with you. We will supply you with dive weights so you don’t have to travel with them.
How do I travel with dive gear/spearguns?
It’s easier than you think travelling with spearguns! Just call it ‘fishing gear’ if asked in the Airport because no one in airports likes the word gun. We love to use a Sportstube to carry our gear, or you can make your own speargun case with a PVC pipe and some stoppers at the end. Just make sure to have your knives in checked baggage.
What if I have dietary requirements?
No trouble at all, just let us know ahead of time and the cooks will cater for your food requirements.
Exclusions
Flights
Travel Insurance
Alcohol
Cancellations and Refunds Policy
If for any reason you have to cancel and let us know at least 90 days before the trip, you’ll get a full
refund (deposit or full payment).
If you cancel within 90 days before the trip start date, we cannot refund you. You are able to transfer your ticket onto someone else.
Travel Insurance
We recommend getting travel cancellation insurance upon booking your spot on the trip, to save you any financial hardships if you need to cancel your trip. You can get travel insurance that covers this.