Uepi Island, Solomon Islands
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Uepi island is a barrier reef island, covered in a lush tropical rainforest,
defined by fringing reef and sandy beach; flanked by the warm waters of the
lagoon on one side, and the oceanic depths on the other.
Staying on Uepi
Uepi Island Resort offers opportunities for visitors to
experience the culture of local people while relaxing in a tranquil
environment.
One of the attractions of Uepi is the small number of guests sharing the
island. Six bungalows, two units and two guest rooms offer clean, comfortable
accommodation and the 32 bed maximum capacity (usually around 20 guests) ensures
that all guests enjoy privacy and intimacy.
The resort meals are created from fresh local seafood and organically grown
fruits and vegetables. All meals are served in the main dining room (breakfast
and the evening meal), while lunches are provided in baskets, delivered to your
accommodation.
Guests can participate in a variety of activities or simply relax. The lagoon
side of the island has a sandy beach, with clear shallow water suitable for
swimming, paddle and sail boarding and canoeing. Guests can book at the resort
for trips to the nearby villages and rivers to enjoy the local culture and
natural beauty on the neighbouring islands.
Diving
Uepi offers the unique opportunity to dive first-class sites that are
only minutes away from the dive shop, conveniently located either off the edge
of the island or just a short boat trip away.
Diving at Uepi is based on multi-level planning, beginning at 30 metres or
less and ascending slowly throughout the dive, so dive computers are required.
It is common for divers to stay in the water for an hour or so on each dive
because the top 5-10 metres have endless species to discover, allowing a diver
to get maximum value from each dive.
Rarely will you view such diverse concentrations of marine-life in such a
varied environment, ranging from lagoonal coral gardens to vertical drop-offs,
into 2000 metres of ocean, mostly within the confines of a three kilometre
stretch of reef.
The same basic dive rate applies to shore dives, night dives and boat dives
on Uepi Island sites. Due to the location of Uepi Island, waters may be very
clear with visibility in excess of 30 metres. Tidal current interchanging to &
from the Marovo Lagoon and The Slot makes the deep-water passage immediately
adjacent to the resort a prime habitat for a colourful population of filter
feeders such as corals & sponges, as well as for reef-fish, sedentary animals
and pelagics.
A great advantage for some couples is that the convenience of dive sites
means that a diver can enjoy top class dives yet have plenty of extra time to
spend with a non-diving companion, snorkelling, sun-bathing, walking, relaxing.
Special Considerations for Diving Uepi
- At times, families of Manta feed in the nearby lagoon, providing ultra
close encounters.
- Nautilus can be trapped and after gentle viewing released in good
condition.
- Mating aggregations, behavior & spawning of fish, crustaceans &
invertebrates are commonly observed.
- Extreme displays of bioluminescence can be seen, usually after heavy rain.
Flashlight fish frequent the area.
- No collecting of live or dead animals is allowed.
- Over 55 species of nudibranch have been recorded.
- The Nature Conservatory, during a quick-scan reconnaissance survey of the
Solomon Islands, identified over 1400 fish & 450 corals. Uepi typifies that
diversity.
- Uepi Island Resort is an SSI Resort & dives to industry standards. Their
policy is that divers should have fun & dive to their qualifications &
experience levels. They provide dive leaders for all dives. New or extra
careful divers are looked after.
- There is a Recompression Chamber in Honiara. But as it may be unavailable,
Uepi recommends that each Diver has DAN insurance or other satisfactory
medevac insurance. DAN South East Asia - Pacific, DAN America, DAN Europe, DAN
Japan.
- SSI Open Water Courses and Specialty Courses are taught at Uepi.
Getting There
There are direct flights from Brisbane twice a week to Honiara (the
capital of the Solomon Islands). Flights are also available from Papua New
Guinea and Fiji.
From Honiara, visitors to Uepi travel by light plane (70 minute flight) to
Seghe on the southeast tip of New Georgia. Visitors should be prepared for the
fact that Seghe is a small grass airstrip with only a few private houses on the
edge of the strip.
On arrival at Seghe, visitors will be transported approximately 12 km across
the lagoon in open 22 foot outboard engine powered canoes - standard transport
in the area. Be prepared for the chance of getting a little wet from spray on
the way to the island!
Price: From $1365 AUD per week
Size: 100 Acres
Location: Solomon Islands
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