Gizo is one of the top dive destinations in the Solomon Islands. It has both a great variety of dives sites, from wrecks to reefs, large and small, as well as a good variety of places to stay, from cheap and cheerful, to western style accommodation with air-con.
There are regular flights to from Honiara, some even connecting with international flights. Gizo itself feels small and friendly. The water is warm and clear, with plenty of sites to keep you busy for at least a week.
Gizo is the most westerly dive destination in the Western Province of the Solomons; but now easy to get to thanks to the Munda Direct Saturday special flights. See Getting There below.
Getting There
Gizo is now connected into the Munda-Direct Saturday special service. Fly from Brisbane to Munda on the Airbus and they’ll be a Dash 8 waiting to fly you on to Gizo. Same of the way back. You have time for a double morning dive on the day prior to departure, and the Dash 8 which connects back to the Airbus leaves Gizo after lunch. So you’ll get a full 6 dive days in Gizo, and 30Kg checked baggage allowance all the way.
There is also a ferry that runs between Gizo and Munda which is much cheaper than flying (and doesn’t have the no-fly penalty) – but it doesn’t run every day, and sometimes runs only when enough passengers want to travel. Ask at your accommodation.
There is a PADI 5 Star dive centre in Gizo Town called Dive Gizo that picks up from a selection of hotels and resorts, and Fatboys Resort has an SSI Dive Centre on property.
Where to Stay
Fatboys Resort
Fatboys Resort has waterfront rooms for a dozen or so guests in bungalows, and family rooms with a double and up to 3 singles. All paths in the resort lead back to the bar and restaurant which is over the water. Every table has a view of the ocean and black tip reefies come by at dusk for the amusement of the guests.
Fresh water, a fridge, kettle and tea and coffee making facilities are in every room. The rooms are kept as simple as possible: two comfy chairs and a table, and two barstools on the balcony overlooking the water. All you can hear at night is the tide lapping on the beach below. Fatboys has WiFi available in the main restaurant and you can pay by credit card on departure.
Imagination Island Eco Resort
Imagination Island is an eco resort located on a private island not far from Gizo Town, surrounded by a beautiful house reef, populated by colourful reef fish and resident reef sharks. It has a large, overwater bar and restaurant open also to non-resident guests.
Four Reef Bungalows are built over the water, overlooking the shallow reef flats on the sheltered south side of the island. Two of these reef bungalows are one bedroom and two are two bedroom. They suit up to four people comfortably and are suitable for a couple or a family.
Budget accommodation in a two-story complex at the rear of the island comprises six en-suite singles around a communal room and large balcony.
There is free snorkelling on the island’s fringing reef and a selection tours made available by local suppliers, including cultural tours to Skull and Kennedy Islands, and fishing and surfing (in season).
Gizo has everything from big ship wrecks like the Toa Maru – a 440 ft long Japanese freighter in 37m of water, to airplane wrecks in 9m. They have steep walls and points where you can see rays and sharks cruising by, and gentle sloping reefs littered with colourful reef fish. They have nudis too: one diver told me she had seen 20 different species on a single dive.
