Adventure Sports Gizo

Solomon Islands

Dive Gizo (Adventure Sports Gizo)

Adventure Sports Gizo ('DiveGizo') have been exploring the waters around Gizo since 1985. Their experience has allowed them to locate dive sites that will suit everybody's level of experience and interest. Adventure Sports Gizo is an accredited NAUI facility offering courses from Open Water and Specialities, up to Assistant Instructor. As an alternative, PADI certifications are also offered.

Adventure Sports is operated and owned by Danny and Kerrie Kennedy, and assisted by a staff of five experienced guides. They conduct daily diving and adventure tours for singles, couples, or any sized group. They operate three dive boats and have a wide range of rental gear available for hire.

Gizo is renowned for having the most diverse and exciting diving to be found anywhere in the world: from World War II wrecks to numerous offshore reefs, spectacular coral formations, plummeting walls, manta rays and abundant marine life.

All dives are boat dives. Water temperature averages 28C. Visibility is usually upwards of 20 metres. Troublesome currents are rare. (All divers must show certification cards.)

Toa Maru: A twenty minute boat ride from Gizo is one of the south Pacific's most popular diveable WWII shipwrecks. This is virtually intact Japanese transport ship of some 140m (450') length lying on its starboard site. It was run aground after suffering damage from an American attack. The dive starts at an easy 7 metres and slants to 37 metres. Interesting artefacts adorn this vessel that sunk before it could be unloaded. Some of the trinkets include saki bottles, medical supplies, office equipment and rounds of ammunition. The larger objects include bombs, a motorbike, a type 21 tank. For the more experienced divers a guided tour inside the wreck to the bridge, crew quarters, engine room and medical supply room is a must do adventure.

Grand Central Station: If its underwater action you need then this is the place. The most northwestern tip of the Gizo islands is the merge point for oceanic currents and it's here where the fishlife, big and small, is at it's best. Large soft corals and fans adorn the walls while the waters are patrolled by sharks, trevally and batfish.

A relatively easy dive for all levels of experience and there is no need to go deep to see all the activity. The Hot Spot: One of our recent discoveries, located in November 1995, a small pinnacle only 5 metres from the surface surrounded by ocean depths of 300 to 400 metres. It's offshore diving with pelagic action with every swing of the tide and home to an interesting pink iridescent anenome.

American Hellcat Fighter Plane: The plane is completely intact and lying in ten metres of water. A comprehensive history of the plane is available and the dive is high on the list for underwater photographers.

American Corsair Fighter Plane: The pilot of this plane crashed into the sea at great speed and the aircraft is in five recognisable large pieces around the 27 metre level. However the attraction is not only the wreck but the fantastic marinelife on or around it. The reef slope back to the boat is interesting and has its own attraction in a bommie called clown fish city at the safety stop level.

Plum Pudding Island: Or Kennedy Island as it is known as, was named after the late US President who captained the PT109 during the Pacific War. This dive site offers shallow coral reefs for novice divers and great snorkelling, as well as deeper drift dives for the experienced.

The Manta Dive:An Adventure Sports Gizo exclusive, this site is visited on request and if the time is right then its one show you wouldn't want to miss.

The Beach Dive: For the devoted drift divers this can clock up to 1.2 kilometres. Start at the beach and watch the reef glide by on an armchair ride to a coral reef delight.

The Gap: The ultimate drift dive. Drop down on the outside of Naru Wall and drift through the schools of fish that welcome you into the Gizo lagoon.

One Tree Island:This dive site would have to be one of the most beautiful reefs in the Gizo area. Multitudes of hard and soft corals, large gogonian sea fans and multitudes of reef fish.