Reef Diving

The waters around Santa Isabel and in The Slot (New Georgia Sound) are among the least dived in the Solomon Islands — which is saying something in a country where the diving is already world-class. Coral reefs in excellent condition, walls dropping to considerable depths, and abundant marine life including sharks, rays, turtles, and schools of pelagic fish are the norm.

There are no commercial dive operators based on Santa Isabel itself. Visitors either arrange live-aboard dive trips from Honiara that include the island on their itinerary, or bring their own equipment and arrange local boat transport. Conditions can be challenging — currents are strong and sea states can change quickly. This is for experienced divers comfortable with self-sufficiency, not beginners on a resort holiday.

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A story
The waters around Santa Isabel were the site of intense naval combat during World War II's Guadalcanal campaign of 1942–43. Numerous wrecked ships and aircraft lie in the Sound and in the waters around the island, many of them well-preserved at recreational diving depths. The area has never been heavily dived, so the wrecks are in better condition than most Pacific war sites.