Coral Triangle · Solomon Islands
Florida & Russell Islands
Up to a dozen manta rays feeding in formation at Devils' Highway
The Florida Islands, across the channel from Guadalcanal, and the Russell Islands are sailed as one liveaboard loop with a stop at Mary Island. The diving swings between war history and reef: the tanker USS Kanawha and a fleet of seaplanes off Tulagi, the light-shafted channel of Leru Cut, the gorgonian wall outside Mirror Pond, and Devils' Highway, where mantas feed in a current-swept channel.
About diving in Florida & Russell Islands
Liveaboards cover the area on 7-night trips through the Russell Islands, Mary Island and the Florida Islands; a trip can hold up to 22 dives and includes several overnight sailings, so weather is what reshapes the route. There is no fixed site plan: the boat goes where conditions allow, and a typical day holds four dives plus a night dive. The other way in is Tulagi, an hour by boat from Honiara, with reefs close by and a half-hour run up the coast to the wall at Tanavula Point.
The Russell Islands give channels and walls: Leru Cut runs back into the island and catches shafts of light, and the reef outside Mirror Pond drops as a sheer wall of gorgonian fans where snappers and trevally hunt. At Devils' Highway a channel between two islands funnels strong current over the reef top, and mantas feed there in formation. Around Tulagi the Twin Tunnels pinnacle carries lush hard coral on its top, and the war wrecks, mostly in the harbour, see 10 to 20 m of visibility against 30 m on the reefs.
The week suits divers who want reef, current and war history together. The wrecks spread over a wide depth range, from the seaplanes at 20 to 35 m and several Wildcat fighter planes at 40 m down to the Kanawha. Divers who come mainly for wrecks can add the wrecks of Ironbottom Sound, which lie to the south and west of Tulagi.
Best time to dive Florida & Russell Islands
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Diving runs all year; the northwesterlies of November to April bring more rain and the odd squall or cyclone that can reroute a trip.
Dive types & marine life
Mantas gather at Devils' Highway, up to a dozen feeding in formation by the reef wall. Reef sharks, fusiliers, trevally and humphead parrotfish patrol Tanavula Point, and pygmy seahorses hide in the gorgonians outside Mirror Pond. No month is singled out for any of them.
- Wreck
- Reef
- Wall
- Drift
- Cave & cavern
- Muck & macro
- Manta rays
- Reef sharks
- Pygmy seahorses
- Trevally & jacks
Best dive sites in Florida & Russell Islands
- 1
Devils' Highway
Channel between two islands where up to a dozen mantas feed in a strong current.
- 2
Leru Cut
Channel cut back into Leru Island, lit by beams of light at the right time of day.
- 3
Mirror Pond
Jungle-reflecting pond with a sheer wall outside where pygmy seahorses hide in fans.
- 4
USS Kanawha
145 m fuel tanker sunk by dive bombers in 1943, now in 60 m off Tulagi.
- 5
Twin Tunnels
Seamount pinnacle topped at 12 m, with an L-shaped cave exiting the wall at 35 m.
- 6
Tanavula Point
Wall of sponges, soft corals and gorgonians dived as a gentle drift with reef sharks.
- 7
Mary Island
Uninhabited island that divers often call the best dive of the whole trip.
- 8
White Beach
Historical dive in an unusual mangrove setting that doubles as a macro site.
Site guides
Wreck
The cut-off bow of the cruiser USS Minneapolis in a war junkyard
Drift
Up to a dozen mantas feeding in formation along a channel reef
Wreck
A New Zealand minesweeper sunk while refuelling in Tulagi Harbour
Cave & cavern
Sunbeams in a jungle-roofed cut that ends in a surfacing pool
Cave & cavern
Swim-through into a jungle pond, then pygmy seahorses on the wall
Pinnacle
Two vertical shafts that drop through the reef to a wall exit
Wreck
The US Navy's first purpose-built oiler, guns still in place
Muck & macro
Dumped WWII trucks and macro life in a mangrove setting
How to get to Florida & Russell Islands
Honiara International Airport (HIR) lies 11 km east of the capital, and liveaboard guests are transferred from the domestic airport or a local hotel to the vessel.
Questions divers ask
How much experience is needed for a Florida and Russell Islands liveaboard?+
Trips can require at least 40 logged dives, and Devils' Highway is a drift in strong current over the reef top.
Can the Florida Islands be dived without a liveaboard?+
Yes. Tulagi is an hour by boat from Honiara, with reefs close to the island, harbour wrecks and a half-hour run up the coast to the wall at Tanavula Point.
What depths do the wrecks around Tulagi lie in?+
The fleet of seaplanes lies from 20 to 35 m, several Wildcat fighter planes sit at 40 m, and the USS Kanawha rests in 60 m, a dive for experienced divers. Harbour visibility on the wrecks runs 10 to 20 m.
Sources
- Itinerary | Bilikiki Cruises — Bilikiki Cruises
- Florida and Russell Islands itinerary - Master Liveaboards — Master Liveaboards
- Tulagi, for lovers of Rust and Reef — Diveplanit
- Solomon Islands - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Tulagi - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
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