Safety · Country Guide
Remote Coral Triangle reefs, WWII wrecks and kastom-managed lagoons
Solomon Islands diving is rewarding but remote. The big risk categories are evacuation complexity, currents, wet-season weather, malaria and dengue, crocodile-sensitive waters, small-boat exposure and WWII unexploded ordnance. Conservation is equally practical: many reefs are locally owned or managed, so permissions, fees and closed areas are not optional extras.
Plan conservative profiles, especially on liveaboards and remote Western Province trips. Use nitrox only when analyzed, carry an SMB on every boat dive and keep an audible signal. Avoid solo freediving and do not enter overhead wrecks, caves or cuts without proper training and guide approval. Verify the status of Honiara chamber support before serious diving. If DCS is suspected, breathe oxygen, stop diving, contact local emergency support, involve your operator and call DAN.
Honiara has the country's main hospital and the most practical dive emergency pathway. Provincial clinics and island facilities are limited. The Honiara dive chamber improves local care, but official travel advice still warns that chamber capability and evacuation may be limited, and divers may need overseas treatment. CDC recommends malaria chemoprophylaxis for travelers to Solomon Islands, and mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue are widespread. Carry medical evacuation insurance, prescription copies and a basic travel health kit.
Remote dive medicine
The Honiara chamber improves options, but remote sites may still require complex evacuation and overseas treatment. Carry dive accident insurance and dive conservatively.
Unexploded ordnance and war relics
WWII ordnance remains a risk on land and underwater around Guadalcanal, New Georgia, Russell Islands and Tulagi. Do not touch, move or collect metal objects.
Crocodile-sensitive waters
Saltwater crocodiles occur in parts of Solomon Islands, especially near mangroves, estuaries and remote coastlines. Get local advice before entering any unmarked water.
Trade-wind chop and wet-season disruption
May to October is drier, but southeast trades can still push 30 km/h over open water. December to March brings heavier rain and higher tropical-low risk.
Solomon Islands conservation combines national law, customary tenure and local management. The Protected Areas Act allows protected-area declarations, while Arnavon Community Marine Park protects a major hawksbill rookery and Tetepare maintains a no-take marine protected area. Many everyday reefs are managed through local owners or LMMAs. Follow guide instructions, pay agreed fees, do not touch turtles or sharks, do not stand on coral, do not collect shells or artifacts, and never disturb WWII wreckage or suspected ordnance.
Do Not Do This
Avoid entering when remote dive medicine. Confirm local briefings before committing.
| Contact | Role | Phone | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical emergencies | Ambulance or urgent medical help | 111 | 24/7 where service is available |
| Police | Police emergency | 999 | 24/7 where service is available |
| Fire and rescue | Fire emergency | 988 | 24/7 where service is available |
| DAN Emergency Hotline | Diving emergency medical advice and evacuation coordination support | +1-919-684-9111 | 24/7/365; call local emergency services first for life-threatening emergencies |
| Honiara Dive Chamber via DOSI member operator | Hyperbaric assessment and chamber coordination | Coordinate through your dive operator or DAN | Emergency use depends on staffing, transport and current facility status |