Category: Feature

SOLOMON ISLANDS – MUNDA

THE DIVE ADVENTURE

MUNDA

Join us on this incredible trip to Munda in the Solomon Islands where the diving will leave you speechless! The warm, tropical waters will have you begging to return to this tranquil paradise year after year! For anyone who loves their elasmobranchs such as BIG sharks and rays, Munda has these in abundance along its fantastic walls. There are also stunning coral gardens and slopes for macro fanatics where you will find pygmy seahorses and other elusive critters!The brightly coloured hard and soft corals are untocuhed and accessible to both divers and snorkellers alike. With such spectacular diving this is definitely a bucket list destinaation!
The diving is relatively unexplored with new sites being discovered regularly. Majestic wall dives and virgin reefs are specialties. The soft coral overhangs of Mushroom Island, the 4km drop off at Shark Point and the amazing colourful corals of Rainbow Passage are fast becoming renowned as world class dive sites with intense big fish and shark action. The Cave of the Kastom shark is a MUST as well. Where else in the world can you drop in to a sinkhole in the jungle only to navigate the corridors and be spat out on to a magnificent wall dive with pelagics?!

Some of the popular dive sites include:
Casi Maru: a 700 tonne Japanese freighter lying at 16 metres.
Mushroom Island: is perched on an extinct volcano withsoft coral overhangs, fantastic visibility and big fish action.
Custom Shark Cave: An amazing cave system that extends from a fresh water pool at the centre of the island to a cavern that opens onto an 800 metre reef wall that’s ablaze with soft corals, whips, sponges and myriad of fish life.
Rainbow Passage: A colourful dive with an array of corals, gorgoniansand invertebrates teeming with fish life that includes sharks and turtles.
Douglas Dive Bomber: This historical wreck lies intact in 12m of water.

DIVE INFORMATION
Suitable for open water divers (certified to 18 metres)
Depth ranges from 6- 40 metres
Diving by yourself? We will buddy you up with another diver of similar experience.

TRIP DATES

14- 21 March 2020

8 days/ 7 nights ex Brisbane

PRICE

Diver- $2,800

non-diver- $2000

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Airfares and Taxes
Return airfares ex Brisbane to Munda, returning via Honiara
Includes airline taxes and fuel surcharges

Accommodation and Transfers
7 nights, Ibibu Room- twin share
Retuen airport Transfers
**Meal packages – half board and full board are available as an optional upgrade as well**

Diving Package
10 Dives – includes tanks, weights and airfills (upgrade for another 5 dives [3 dives per day] is available as well)

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:

Equipment hire
Travel insurance, meals, personal spending money and excess luggage surcharges
Local custom fees in Munda: $20 AUD per person per dive

BOOKING CONDITIONS APPLY
Prices are subject to change at any time without notice due to supplier rate changes. See other terms and conditions as per Allways Dive Expeditions:

ttps://allwaysdive.com.au/booking-form/?ref=ADE1774

TO BOOK:

To secure your place on this trip, you will need to complete an online booking form and return it together with a non-refundable deposit.

ttps://allwaysdive.com.au/booking-form/?ref=ADE1774

January 17, 2017
FIJI ISLANDS- Dive Beqa Lagoon

DIVE INFORMATION

FIJI’S ORIGINAL SHARK DIVE

Come dive with the creator of the FIJI SHARK DIVE. In 1999 Aqua-Trek’s Brandon Paige, a.k.a the “Shark Whisperer”, created a dive with the intent to educate divers and aid in the conservation of sharks. Little did he know he was creating what is now known as THE WORLD’S #1 SHARK DIVE.

Divers come from around the world to experience the only dive with 8 Species of Shark. Aqua-Trek’s ULTIMATE SHARK ENCOUNTER features multiple bull sharks (largest in the world), whitetip reef sharks, blacktip reef sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks, grey reef sharks, silvertip sharks and over 300 species of fish. As if that isn’t enough, 16 + foot tiger sharks come in regularly, making this a ‘shark lovers’ dream dive. Aqua-Trek has been successful in creating two Shark Marine Reserves that directly involve the Fijian people in the protection of sharks. It is within this protected area that THE ULTIMATE SHARK ENCOUNTER takes place.

As divers descend through the clear waters to the 25m/80 foot landing, they will see sharks circling below them along with hundreds of jacks, snappers and other fish species swirling around the feeding area. Within this excitement divers are rewarded by rare sightings of the huge queensland grouper and humphead wrasse. Divers are not in a cage, but situated on the reef around the perimeter of the dive site called “the Arena”. Once settled in, the feed begins. Tawny Nurse sharks are abundant and not shy as they crowd around the feeders. Lemon Sharks attend in ones or twos. Silver tips dart in and out from the blue. The main attraction, the huge Bull Sharks, arrive in numbers as far as the eye can see. They purposefully move in opening their enormous jaws to take the food from the feeder in direct view of the diving guests.

An amazing experience, yes! Let us take you one step further … Enter the Tiger Shark. Everything you were just witnessing has gone still and silent as the 16-18 foot denizen of the sea slowly and deliberately moves in to claim the area with its grand presence. The queen has arrived. She slowly scans the area with her black eyes taking it all in. All the others move aside as she comes around several times to feed just feet away from the divers, and then is on her way, leaving the divers in awe. After 20 minutes of bottom time, divers ascend up the beautiful reef ledge where grey reef, black tip and white tip reef sharks swim freely. After the big boys (and girls), this part of the dive seems like the nursery.

The dive lasts about 50 minutes and provides divers and ‘shark lovers’ award winning photo and video opportunities. After the hour long surface interval, the dive is repeated, however you never know what the second dive will bring as the tide has changed and the chum trail has travelled far. A 10-minute boat ride back to the dock and divers are sharing pictures and video and excitedly reliving the experience.

The Ultimate Shark Encounter is a dive you will never forget. Those lucky enough to be graced by the presence of each species of shark that arrives at the dive have witnessed something that is special and may not always be there. We hope it will move you to join us in our efforts in the conservation of these beautiful creatures that are so vital to the marine ecosystem and our planet.

TRIP DATES

27 October- 3 November 2019

PRICE

Diver in a Beach Bure – $3,579

Diver in a Beach Villa – $3,929

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Fly
Return flights ex Brisbane to Nadi
Airline taxes & fuel surcharges

Sleep
Uprising Beach Resort, Fiji
Beach bure twin share room- 7 nights
Continental breakfast daily
Free use of kayaks, beach volleyball and use of stand-up paddle boards
Return airport transfers

Dive
Aqua Trek, Fiji
6 shark dives
4 reef dives
tanks, weights and dive guide

WHAT’S EXCLUDED
Travel Insurance
Personal spending monies
Dive gear (excluding tanks and weights)
Excess Luggage surcharges
Shark Marine Park fee of $20 FJD pp

CONDITIONS APPLY

Prices are subject to change without notice due to fluctuations in exchange rates and 2018 rates.

ITINERARY
Please refer to attached document for the detailed trip itineray

HOW TO BOOK
Please complete the booking form attached to this webpage and email back to [email protected]. We are working with Allways Dive Expeditions to ensure you have the best dive holiday possible!

December 14, 2016
Australian Giant Cuttlefish, Leafy Seadragons and Great White Sharks!

THE TRIP

OPTION ONE- Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions Only

Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions want you to see Great White Sharks! And not just a quick flashing pass of grey, they want you to really see and experience the wonder and amazement of Great White Sharks. Get that tickle down your spine as one of the world’s prehistoric, amazing and definitely misunderstood fish swims by you.

After nearly 50 years, Rodney and Andrew Fox are the world’s foremost cage operators and they can hold their heads up high knowing that their combination of more time on location, more cages and less people makes them the South Australian shark viewing company with the most successful shark encounters.

Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions are the most established and respected cage diving operation in the world. They are the ONLY operators worldwide to put the cage on the sea floor so you can truly see the sharks in their natural environment. They react entirely different at depth than they do at the surface when they are predating. YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!!

The RFSE only leg begins in Port Lincoln where you will fly in and meet the rest of the group. After a good night sleep we will then board the MV Rodney Fox. We will then secure our bunks on board and steam out of Port. We will then journey to just short of Hopkins Island to jump in the water with Australian Sealions. These creatures are incredible and you will be amazed how quickly the time passes as you watch them pirouette and glide past you! We then head to the Neptune Islands to anchor for the night ready for the main event and in search of the main star, the Great White shark.

Once we arrive on site we put the surface cage and start the surface cage rotation. This trip is normally predominantly filled with SCUBA divers so if you aren’t certified as soon as the bottom cage rotations begin you will pretty much have the surface cage to yourself! We will return from our incredible adventure on the evening of the 10th for disembarkation where we will stay the night at the Marina Hotel before leaving the next morning to head back to Adelaide. You can either join us for the bus ride back to Adelaide or fly back from Port Lincoln (please ensure to take no fly times in to account before booking your flights.).

OPTION TWO – The Best of South Australia

On day one we will meet in Adelaide at the baggage claim and from here the group will be some of the first visitors to view the newly established Rodney Fox Great White Shark Museum. This incredible exhibit used to be housed in Glenelg when the Failie was the vessel that RFSE used for their tours. The exhibition has been substantially expanded and given a new home to be the BEST great white shark exhibit in the world! Even more exciting is we will be doing a meet and greet with the man himself Rodney Fox! We will then begin our road trip to Whyalla, where we will stay for the night. On day two the group will head to the best site in South Australia to dive with the LARGEST cephalopod aggregation in the world with mating Giant Australian Cuttlefish. The numbers of cuttlefish have dropped over the years and were continuing to significantly decline with only an estimated 25,000 returning each year. Twenty years ago the numbers were around 1 million. We are pleased to say that after four years of gradually increasing the population is the largest it has been in over 8 years as of June 2017! Don’t miss the opportunity to see these stunning creatures.

After our dive with the cuttlefish, we will then drive to Port Lincoln, where we will get a good night sleep ready to dive with another of South Australia’s most iconic creatures, Leafy Seadragons. In the morning we then head to Tumby Bay to dive with the largest seahorse in the world, the Leafy Seadragon! Endemic to Australia these incredible animals are truly fascinating. The largest of the seahorse family they are absolutely stunning creatures and masters of camouflage! It is not just the seadragons that will have you captivated! You will be mesmerised by the kaleidoscope of colour on the pylons, a hallmark of temperate water jetty/pier diving! Our group will then meet any members joining us just for the liveaboard at the Marina Hotel to stay the night ready to board the MV Rodney Fox the next morning. On Monday morning we begin the RFSE portion of our epic adventure starting off with playful Australian sealions before powering out to the Neptune islands in search of the Great Whites.

We can take up to a maximum of 18 divers for the Best of South Australia tour.

DIVE INFORMATION

Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions
You do not need to be dive certified to join this trip

The Best of South Australia
Suitable for Open Water Divers (certified to 18 metres)
Depth ranges from 6 – 28 metres
Diving by yourself? We will buddy you up with another diver with similar experience

TRIP DATES & PRICES

The Best of South Australia- Friday, 4 – Friday, 11 June 2021 – $3,950 per person

Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions Only- Sunday, 6 – Friday, 11 June 2018- $2,950 per person

To book a spot on this trip online click HERE

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions Only
3 nights accommodation aboard MV Rodney Fox
A dive with Australian Sea Lions aboard MV Rodney Fox
3 days of boat diving with Great White Sharks with Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions aboard the MV Rodney Fox
All meals on the MV Rodney Fox
2 nights accommodation at the Marina Hotel, Port Lincoln
Transport (van) from Port Lincoln to Adelaide (final day)

The Best of South Australia
Entry in to the Rodney Fox Great White Shark Museum
Meet and greet with Rodney Fox himelf!
1 nights accommodation in Whyalla
Transport to various dive locations in South Australia
A shore dive with the mating Australian Giant Cuttlefish at Whyalla
3 nights accommodation aboard MV Rodney Fox
A dive with the Leafy Sea Dragons at Tumby Bay
A dive with Australian Sea Lions aboard MV Rodney Fox
3 days of boat diving with Great White Sharks with Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions aboard the MV Rodney Fox
All meals on the MV Rodney Fox
3 nights accommodation at the Marina Hotel, Port Lincoln
Return Transport (van) from Port Lincoln to Adelaide

WHAT’S EXCLUDED

Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions Only
Flights to and from Adelaide
Flight to Port Lincoln (option to travel back to Adelaide with the rest of the group at the trip cost)
Travel Insurance
Excess luggage charges
Spending money

The Best of South Australia
Flights to and from Adelaide
Travel Insurance
Excess luggage charges
Spending money and gratuities
All meals when not on board MV Rodney Fox

GEAR REQUIREMENTS
Regular dive gear is all you require for this trip with a minimum of a 5mm semi dry wetsuit, hood and gloves as the water can be very cold. Gear can also be hired from the Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions for the Great White Sharks only leg of the journey and please contact us for pricing.

ITINERARY
Upon booking or upon request, PDS can send you the recommended flights to Adelaide and To Port Lincoln. A full itinerary will be sent to all divers prior to the trip.

HOW TO BOOK
Download the booking form attached to the page. Complete the required fields scan and email to [email protected].

OR

To book online click HERE

August 10, 2012