Solomon Islands – Bilikiki Sept 18 – Oct 2, 2018

Join Adobe Lightroom expert Erin Quigley and underwater photographer Hergen Spalink on a unique photo expedition to the Solomon Islands aboard the luxury live aboard dive boat Bilikiki. The Solomon Islands offer a stunning variety of marine life and plentiful wide-angle and macro photo opportunities. Erin and Hergen will be on hand to assist with UW photo techniques, offer technical support, and teach post production workflow in Adobe Lightroom.

Bilikiki

MV Bilikiki sailed as the first full service luxury live aboard dive vessel in the Solomon Islands in 1989 and has been exploring the region for over 25 years. She is 125 ft long, and has a 24 ft beam, making for a very large and stable ship with an immense sundeck, plenty of covered areas and air conditioned accommodations.

Bilikiki offers 10 deluxe cabins, 8 with a full double beds and a single above and 2 with twin single beds and no bunk. All cabins have private showers and toilets. Guests from around the world say Bilikiki is one of the most spacious and comfortable vessels that they have travelled on.

Great for photographers, Bilikiki offers “unlimited” diving. The dive day is built around 5 daily dives with additional opportunities if activities and conditions permit. Divers are permitted to set their own dive profiles within the bounds of safe diving practices, with few restrictions. Of course dive guides are always on-hand as well to assist you in the water.

Photography

The Solomon Islands offer a wide variety of dive sites with amazing macro and wide angle photo opportunities. Soft coral reefs, sea mounts, hard coral gardens, WWII wrecks, schooling fish, sharks, mantas, cuts and caverns make for great wide angle. Macro subjects include Mantis shrimp, ghost pipefish, nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses and more.

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is an island nation located in the southwest Pacific, 1,500 miles west of Fiji and 1,200 miles northeast of Australia. MV Bilikiki operates from Honiara, on Guadalcanal Island, to dive sites in the Florida Islands, the Russell Islands, Mborokua (Mary) Island and Marovo Lagoon in the New Georgia Islands.

Getting there

Most travelers from the US fly to Honiara (HIR) via Brisbane, Australia, or Nadi Fiji.
This trip starts and ends on a Tuesday.
Fiji Airways offers flights to and from Nadi with connections to US destinations on Tuesdays and Saturdays. This is usually the quickest and least expensive choice.
Solomon Airlines flies Brisbane to Honiara on Saturdays and Honiara to Brisbane on Tuesdays
Virgin Australia flies between Brisbane and Honiara on Tuesdays.

Our trip departure dates coincide with these flights so you will not need to overnight in Honiara before or after the cruise. Let us help you choose flights that work best for you.

Standard Package Includes:

• 14 nights aboard the Bilikiki, twin shared cabin
• All meals
• Diving
• Airport transfers
• Taxes

Pricing:

$8,599 per person

Additional costs:

• International airfare to Honiara (HIR)
• Alcohol and soft drinks
• Nitrox
• Trip Insurance
• Crew tip

Travel info:

• Sept 18: Arrive in Honiara (HIR) and board Bilikiki
• Oct 2: Disembark Bilikiki and fly home

Divers Alert Network (DAN) or equivalent evacuation insurance is MANDATORY on all trips. Comprehensive Cancellation, Accident, Medical and Baggage insurance such as Dive Assure is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Hergen Spalink is at the forefront of underwater imaging, capturing sublime images and video using the latest gear, provided by industry-leading equipment manufacturer Nauticam. Hergen is also co-author of the online Underwater Photography Course for Lynda.com along with award winning graphic designer Deke McClelland. Since 2010, Hergen and his partner Kerri Bingham have been leading exclusive underwater photography safaris and workshops in the world’s best dive destinations through their travel company Got Muck LLC. Their guests benefit from the couple’s deep passion for the underwater world and twelve years of experience living and managing dive businesses in Indonesia and the Caribbean. Hergen is a PADI scuba diving instructor and also an Adobe Certified Expert in Lightroom. Dedicated to making underwater imaging accessible and gratifying to divers and non-divers alike through inspiration as well as instruction, Hergen is a frequent contributor to leading underwater photography websites and magazines worldwide.

Erin Quigley is a Adobe ACE certified digital imaging consultant specializing in customized workflows and editing strategies using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. She is an award-winning underwater photographer and video editor, and creator of GoAskErin.com, which provides one-on-one instruction, custom video tutorials, and Photoshop and Lightroom resources specifically developed for underwater shooters.