Honiara and Iron Bottom Sound

Use a DOSI member or established Honiara operator for site selection, oxygen, boat support, and emergency procedures. Start with Bonegi orientation dives before deeper wrecks. Carry an SMB and cutting tool, stay out of overheads unless trained, avoid artifact removal, and treat war graves respectfully. Technical wrecks such as USS Aaron Ward, USS John Penn, or deeper Japanese freighters require confirmed gases, redundancy, guide competence, and evacuation planning. Freedivers and snorkelers should use visible floats, avoid boat lanes, and never enter wreck interiors.

Honiara has the Solomon Islands Dive Chamber, but remote logistics still make dive accident insurance essential. The chamber may require coordination through your operator, DAN, trained physicians, volunteers, and possible transport support. Smartraveller notes that the Honiara hyperbaric chamber has limited in-chamber life-support capability, so serious DCS cases may still require overseas evacuation. For general emergencies, call local emergency numbers and involve your insurer early. Malaria and dengue are present, so get pre-travel medical advice, use repellent, and consider malaria prophylaxis.

Do not touch, stand on, kick, or collect coral, shells, marine life, or wreck artifacts. Keep fins off coral-covered metal, maintain buoyancy over fans and anemones, and do not feed fish. Wrecks are artificial reefs and some are graves. Anchoring, fishing line, artifact collection, and careless penetration damage both history and habitat. On land and sea, respect customary ownership: ask permission, pay access fees, and leave beaches cleaner than you found them.