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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Pacific

Pacific

Solomon Islands

Quiet lagoons for small-group diving, with wartime history, local culture and nesting hawksbill turtles.

Calm water and a shaded beach in Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands
Marovo Lagoon, Western Province, Solomon Islands · Photo: Xplore Dive from Mooloolaba, Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 26 Sep 2026. Sources: Guardians of the reef: protecting the hawksbill turtle in Arnavon, IUCN, Mar 2026; Solomon Islands dolphin hunts cast spotlight on small cetacean survival, ScienceDaily (Oregon State University), May 2015; Solomon Islands restore ban on dolphin exports, Dolphin Project, May 2026.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. Australia's Smartraveller rates Solomon Islands green, exercise normal safety precautions, with a high degree of caution advised in Honiara because of security issues. Sources: Smartraveller travel advice, Solomon Islands Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

ScubaSnorkellingTurtlesCoral reefsWildlife watching

Why Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands are quiet places for small-group diving. Gizo and the Western Province offer scuba, snorkelling and island picnics, Marovo Lagoon and Uepi suit specialist reef diving, and Munda and Roviana Lagoon add Second World War history and local culture. In the community-protected Arnavon marine area, hawksbill turtles nest year-round, most often from May to July. For diving, June to September is the first choice.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

FijiPapua New GuineaIndonesiaTimor-LesteVanuatuNew CaledoniaSolomon Is.AustraliaPhilippinesMalaysiaBruneiArnavon Community Marine Park, Solomon IslandsGizo and Western Province, Solomon IslandsMarovo Lagoon and Uepi, Solomon IslandsMunda and Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands

When to go

Jun-Sep. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

The Arnavon marine park is cared for by local communities and rangers, and it protects the largest hawksbill turtle nesting place in the South Pacific. In one village on Malaita, a traditional dolphin hunt was still active in 2013, as dolphin teeth are used in wedding customs, and export of live dolphins was banned again in 2026. We only watch dolphins at sea and never buy dolphin teeth or turtle shell.

Checked 26 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Solomon Islands

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Arnavon Community Marine Park

Exploring

A quiet community protected marine area where hawksbill turtles nest all year. We share its story and do not offer visits.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Nesting hawksbill turtles

When: Year-round. Hawksbill turtles nest year-round, with a typical peak from May to July.

Rules and fees: Arnavon became the first national marine park of the Solomon Islands in 2017, and it is cared for by the communities of Kia, Wagina and Katupika. They make sure the park rules are followed on every visit.

Gizo and Western Province

Exploring

A quiet base for small-group scuba and snorkelling, with island picnics.

When: Jun-Sep. June to September is the first choice, within the wider dry season from May to October.

Rules and fees: Second World War objects may not be taken out of the Solomon Islands, so the wrecks here are for looking only.

Marovo Lagoon and Uepi

Exploring

A quiet lagoon for specialist reef diving.

When: Jun-Sep. June to September is the first choice.

Munda and Roviana Lagoon

Exploring

A quiet lagoon for small-group scuba, reef life, Second World War history and local culture.

When: Jun-Sep. June to September is the first choice, within the wider dry season from May to October.

Animals

Animals recorded in Solomon Islands

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Hawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWall of grey reef sharks cruising in blue waterGrey reef sharkCarcharhinus amblyrhynchosSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBanded sea krait with yellow lip rising over dark sandBanded sea krait (yellow-lipped sea krait)Laticauda colubrinaSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClown triggerfish with big white spots over reef in the Coral SeaClown triggerfishBalistoides conspicillumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDugong grazing on seagrass over a sandy seabedDugongDugong dugonSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePod of bottlenose dolphins swimming over a Red Sea coral reefIndo-Pacific bottlenose dolphinTursiops aduncusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedBull shark swimming in clear blue water off Quintana Roo, MexicoBull sharkCarcharhinus leucasSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTiger shark with clear stripes swimming over a reefTiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvierSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedOmura's whale off northwestern MadagascarOmura's whaleBalaenoptera omuraiSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasData DeficientSaltwater crocodile resting on a muddy bank beside mangrove rootsSaltwater crocodileCrocodylus porosusSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernReef manta ray gliding over a sandy lagoonReef manta rayMobula alfrediSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo blacktip reef sharks swimming over sunlit sand in turquoise waterBlacktip reef sharkCarcharhinus melanopterusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bumphead parrotfish swimming over coralBumphead parrotfishBolbometopon muricatumSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhitetip reef sharks resting stacked in a reef creviceWhitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLarge school of chevron barracuda in deep blue waterChevron barracudaSphyraena qenieSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBroadclub cuttlefish hovering with arms raised over reefBroadclub cuttlefishAscarosepion latimanusSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasData DeficientTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja AmpatHumphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)Cheilinus undulatusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasEndangeredSpotted garden eels rising from sand, black spots clearly visibleSpotted garden eelHeteroconger hassiSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPantropical spotted dolphin gliding at the calm ocean surfacePantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuataSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlack noddy perched in a shrub on Tern Island, French Frigate ShoalsBlack noddyAnous minutusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant clam on the reef at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, AustraliaGiant clamTridacna gigasSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRobber crab on rough coral rock with bent legs and large claws, in daylightRobber crab (coconut crab)Birgus latroSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat frigatebird in flight, with long angled wings and a forked tailGreat frigatebirdFregata minorSeen in 44 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWilson's storm-petrel resting on calm water with its wings raised above its backWilson's storm-petrelOceanites oceanicusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLesser frigatebird soaring against a blue sky with its wings spread and tail forkedLesser frigatebirdFregata arielSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernShort-tailed shearwater resting on the open seaShort-tailed shearwaterArdenna tenuirostrisSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTropical shearwater flying low over blue waves, with dark wings and white underpartsTropical shearwaterPuffinus bailloniSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLittle pied cormorant head and neck by the water, with a white face and yellow billLittle pied cormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucosSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
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