Emperor Bilikiki

Liveaboard Services / Facilities: 10 en-suite guest cabins are found on the lower deck. On the mid deck, there is a covered dining area, comfortable lounge and a spacious dive deck with a large dive platform, camera table, rinsing tanks and showers. On the upper deck, you will find a sundeck with comfortable loungers, the camera room and a library.

Food, Beverage & Entertainment Facilities: Meals are served in the spacious, covered dining room on the mid deck. The food is varied, delicious and freshly prepared each day with fresh fruit and vegetables purchased directly from local islands. All diets can be catered for as long as the chef knows in advance. The lounge is on the same deck with comfortable seating and a TV to showcase wonderful photos taken that day. Relax on the loungers on the upper deck, visit the camera room to perfect your shots, or peruse the library between dives.

Included: Prices are per person sharing a twin/double cabin for 10 nights with 9 days diving, 3 meals a day; afternoon snacks; unlimited drinking water, tea, coffee; total of 4-5 dives per day (including 1 night dive); guide, 12 litre tanks, weights. Free Nitrox. Return airport transfers (within 3 days of the trip). Marine Park & Port Fees and local taxes. Village visits are arranged during the surface intervals.

Not included: Flights, diving equipment, 15 litre tanks, alcohol, soft drinks and juices.

Lower deck: 10 deluxe cabins. 8 cabins with a double bed and a single bunk, 2 cabins with twin single beds (cabins 1 and 2). All cabins are air-conditioned and have their own en-suite bathrooms.

If you are a single traveller and would like to guarantee the double bed in cabins 3-10, pay €10 extra per night to secure this.

Single Travellers Guarantee: Emperor Fleet guarantee same sex cabin share. If they can’t ‘room’ you with someone of the same sex, you will get a cabin to yourself with no single supplement.

Mid deck: Covered dining area with saloon and bar area, coffee station and fridges. Dive deck with wash tubs, showers, camera table and swim platform.

Upper deck: Sun deck with comfortable recliners. Library and photo/charging rooms. Camera facilities: Large camera tables and separate rinse bins for photo gear. Separate photo room for charging camera equipment.

Specification: Built / Refurbed in 1989; Construction material: Steel; Length 38m; Beam 7.3m; Draft 3m; Number of decks: 3; Generators: 2 X 110 kW/138VA; Engines: 350HP 3406 Turbo Charged Caterpillar Diesel; Power plugs onboard: 415 V three-phase, 240 V single-phase (Australian style), 110 V charging outlets (US style); Camera charging station; Camera rinsing tank; Water Makers: 5,000 litres per day; Tenders / outboards: 2 x with 30 HP outboards; Tanks: AL80 11L tanks & oxygen kits, 15L tanks must be pre-ordered and paid for on board; Number of compressors: 2 x Bauer K180 HP Compressor + Nitrox; Nitrox is FREE, subject to availability and diver qualification; Re-breather friendly.

Navigation / Safety: Modern Safety and Communication equipment; VHF/HF/CB radio & satellite phone; GPS; chart plotter; DSC; Echo sounder; radar; VHF(/CB) radio; satellite phone; mobile; Starlink internet; First Aid kit; Oxygen kit; Life rafts & life jackets; Centralised firefighting / alarm system with battery backup and smoke detectors, heat & fire alarms; manual extinguishers, fire blankets & night watch.

Emperor Bilikiki Solomon Islands Deck Plan

The Solomon Islands has an amazing array of diverse and rarely visited dive sites. Emperor Bilikiki does not have a fixed itinerary for dive sites but goes to the best spots possible for the conditions and interests of the guests.

Water and air temperature are constant throughout the year and only vary by 2 to 3 degrees. The water temperatures range between 28-30° C all year with the “cooler” time of year from June to August. Most divers are comfortable in a 3mm wetsuit or just a lycra skin, but it really depends on how much you feel the cold. Please keep in mind that although the water and air is warm, if you are doing 4 – 5 dives a day some thermal protection is recommended.

You will normally find three dive guides onboard Emperor Bilikiki and your itinerary will offer four day dives plus a night dive each day, subject to local weather conditions.

During a 7-night trip, Emperor Bilikiki will visit the Russell Islands, Mary Island and the Florida Islands to dive the stunning reefs of these areas. You will also visit a local village and meet the local islanders to see their crafts, hear traditional songs, and watch traditional dancing.

On longer trips, you will also visit the Marovo Lagoon area of the Western Province, stopping at other villages to see the famous wood carvings of the area and watch the locals at work. Village visits are arranged during surface intervals so as not to impact on the number of dives offered each day. 

Most dives are undertaken from the dive tenders, called ‘tinnies’ in the Solomons. There are two tinnies, both of which offer very easy exit and entry.

The dive deck on the main vessel is spacious with a large dive platform. Air and Nitrox compressors are under the deck.

Diving equipment is available to rent but wetsuits cannot be rented. All rental equipment must be pre-booked. All divers are required to use a dive computer and SMB on every dive, and a torch for each night dive.

Dive tanks: Equipped with AL80 (11l) tanks and 15 litre Steel tanks on request. Nitrox: up to 40% plus filling equipment for Tech purposes on prior request.

PADI courses available: Skills Review, Advanced Open Water, Adventure Dives and Specialties.

Camera facilities: Large camera tables and separate rinse bins for photo gear. Separate photo room on the top deck for charging.

Snorkellers

The Solomon Islands is home to some of the best snorkelling in the South Pacific and Bilikiki’s dive trips are also suitable for snorkellers.

There is a huge amount to see and a lot of different environments to explore. The shallow reefs that fringe the islands offer shallow, colourful coral gardens with an amazing number of tropical fish and species of colourful coral. There are also mangrove areas, protected bays, schooling fish, an amazing cut back into the island, and even wrecks to be snorkelled in the Solomon Islands.

The conditions for snorkelling are also ideal with clear, warm water and minimal currents. While trips are mostly for scuba divers, nearly every dive site has great snorkelling too, however there may be one or two sites where the reef does not reach the surface.