| SOLOMON ISLANDS
Known as "The Islands Lost in Time". The Solomon Islands are located south of the equator, northeast across the Coral Sea from
Queensland, Australia.
The Solomon Islands, a scattered archipelago of mountainous islands and
coral atolls. The archipelago consists of 6 major islands, Choiseul,
New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Guadalcanal, Malaita and Makira,
characterized by thickly-forested mountain ranges intersected by deep,
narrow valleys, and approximately 990 smaller islands and coral atolls.
Communal, family and clan ties remain very strong in Solomon Islands. Most
people consider themselves to be part of an immediate family of 200 and can
trace back their ancestors at least ten generations. The population is
primarily made up of Melanesians, Polynesians, and Micronesians.
The warm, nutrient-rich waters support and amazing variety and quantity
of sea life. The waters are pristine. There is minimal
industrialization in the islands and, with a small population, the waters
stay clear, the reefs uncontaminated and the diving superb.
The coral forms near the water's surface as it grows around the islands,
islets and pinnacles found in the Solomon's. Crisscrossed with cracks
and crevasses, it can be explored for hours, often at depths as little as
10-15 feet, before the coral slopes off the greater depths.
The varieties of coral are almost beyond belief. Plate coral, staghorn
coral, brain corals and black coral shrubs are just a few of the over 600
identified coral varieties found.
When the coral does drop off into a wall it is often undercut, as the
coral at the surface has grown out faster than that below. Some of the
tiny islands are mushroom-like with the top larger than the supporting
trunk. Walls frequently have huge caverns in their face. As you
descend on these concave walls you find soft corals and other marine growth,
while the shelves and pockets hold lionfish, shrimp, shellfish and a wealth
of other sea creatures.
Among the enormous variety and number of marine species, there are also
several WWII wrecks and aircraft. Guadalcanal witnessed some of the
worst naval battles of WWII and "Iron Bottom Sound", near Honiara, is
strewn with many wrecks. One of the most intact wrecks is the "Toa
Maru", a Japanese transport which was sunk by American bombers in 1943.
A view of the wreck reveals trucks, tanks, ammunition and even sake bottles.
The wrecks, having created artificial reefs, attract masses of fish and an
incredible variety of coral life. |
