Munda Magic !   | Page -1 | Page -2 | Page -3 |

By Marcel Widmer Copyright © 2004

The Solomon Islands comprise of some 992 mostly uninhabited Islands lying south of the equator across the Western South Pacific between Bouganville in New Guinea and Vanuatu. Covered by dense rainforest they emerge mountainous from the crystal clear sea surrounded by inviting blue lagoons…
After a 70 minute scenic flight from Honiara (the Capital) we landed on the historical two and a half kilometer long Airstrip in Munda. During World War II the Allies wrestled this airfield from the Japanese in a battle that lasted 30 days. Following repairs it became one of the largest and most used in the South Pacific during the War.

The Islands' Resort, Agnes Lodge is situated just two minutes walk from the airport and overlooks the beautiful Roviana Lagoon. It offers the simple lifestyle set in natural beauty and has a variety of accommodation levels to suit all tastes and budgets. Working out of the Resort, Solomon Sea Divers is run by PADI Instructors Dave and Mariana Cooke and their fully trained staff. Operating as a PADI Resort they have gained a reputation for professional service and excellent diving.

We settled in one of the spacious Cottages and I spend time assembling my camera equipment and trying to make the big decision which lens to use for the following day.

Our first sunset in Munda was absolutely spectacular, sitting in front of the resort with visitors from all over the world we watched the native children diving into the lagoon from a six meter high tripod made of wooden poles. The children's' silhouettes against the slowly darkening red sky produced an unforgettable Display.

Every morning at 8.30 am informative dive briefings where held and divers were assigned to one of the three custom built fiberglass boats,each visiting a different location. Most Sites can be reached within 30 - 40 minutes, cruising over calm waters and passing by some typical native villages and beautiful scenery. Our Group of four headed for Mushroom Island and on the way we where fortunate enough to see a pod of pilot whales.

"Tombatuni" as the locals call this mushroom shaped island perches on a extinct volcano and drops into 500 mtr. deep blue water. Overhangs carpeted with Soft Coral and gorgonians, outstanding visibility and big fish action such as schools of Humpback Wrasse make this a photographers dream. Located across from Mushroom Island is another great dive site called "Ndokendoke", the Island of the Custom Shark Cave. The Cave has been discovered not so long ago by Mariana Cooke and Tasker (one of the Divemasters). As they vent exploring for new dive sites, they found a large crack at 20 meters depth and followed it 15 metres inside where it narrowed…>> <next page>