Swimming In The Solomon Islands
This article was originally published by Ildiko Plaganyi through Open Water Magazine, Issue 3.
There is always the added sense of adventure when you book a trip to a destination that involves looking at a globe or map to see exactly where you will be heading. In our case, we were headed to the Solomon Islands to meet up with family and friends. The Solomon Islands lie east of Papua New Guinea; these isolated islands are a little known tourist destination. History buffs will know that this area played a huge role in WW2, being at the centre of many naval battles.
The area where we spent an idyllic week is known as the Marovo Lagoon, noted as one of the worlds finest and largest double barrier enclosed salt-water lagoons. It contains hundreds of beautiful small islands, covered by coconut palms and rain forest vegetation.
Of course being in a lagoon provides fantastic snorkeling and swimming opportunities. As a first time visitor to the Pacific, the tropical warmth and color of the salt water was exhilarating. not to mention what lay beneath. Snorkeling here is like being in a huge endless fish tank with something novel at each glance.
Our accommodation was a leaf house hut with a deck overlooking the lagoon; this was part of a hidden gem called Matikuri Lodge, situated on a tiny island. This lodge is the type of place you wont be able to book directly via the web, as there is no Internet connection, very limited mobile connection and also restricted electricity, fresh water and alcohol! But don’t let this put you off as this place offers the authentic “close to nature“ experience.
Part of the adventure was a daily swim in the lagoon in front of the lodge. There was a submerged tree stump standing upright in the lagoon about 200 meters away, and we would swim out to the tree and back. This swim usually happened at midday as this was the time that crocodiles were hopefully not out and about. We didn’t see any crocs but one of the staff reported seeing one near the Lodge. The local people reported rare crocodile attacks, mainly on small children! Since being back in Australia I have re-considered our decision to swim in the lagoon knowing that crocs were there. In a western world dominated by health and safety regulations it was refreshing to be able to swim in a lagoon where crocs live as well. The same principle applies when we enter the ocean knowing that sharks live there too, I believe it is a case of accepting the risk and enjoying the adrenaline. Besides the sharks and crocs there are all the other, less dangerous amazing creatures- colorful fish, dolphins, rays, dugongs, huge crabs and many more.
The local children in the nearby village of Mbopo splash around and swim in the lagoon and are really amazing at jumping off large poles into the water, these are skills they learn at an early age. The lagoon is part of their playground and future livelihood.
