Fatboys – the new kid on the Solomon Islands dive scene

One of the best-known names on the Solomon Islands tourism scene for many years, the improbably-named Fatboys Resort on Mbabanga Island near Gizo has now joined the ranks of the highly qualified dive outfits operating in the destination.

The resort’s location in Gizo in the destination’s Western Province is perfect, the area  renowned for some of 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, SCUBA enthusiasts are beyond spoilt for choice and divers can choose from a plethora of amazing locations.

‘Grand Central Station’ boasts the highest fish count in the world with more than 275 species recorded in its teeming waters, ‘Joe’s Wall’ offers a spectacular wall dive starting in the sandy shallows of a small bay and continuing as a steep wall with depths over 60 metres.

Plum Pudding Island, now known as Kennedy Island after former US President John F. Kennedy was  shipwrecked there during WWII, offers a drift dive over shallow coral reefs, ideal for novice divers, and Open Water Diver training for those looking to achieve full dive certification.

WWII wreck enthusiasts too are more than catered for with a 440-foot Japanese freighter, the Toa Maru, a US Corsair fighter aircraft and almost fully-intact US Hellcat fighter aircraft lying in very shallow waters a short boat ride away.

Many of these dive sites can be combined on a same-day morning and afternoon basis.

Fatboys can cater to all types of divers – from beginners and experts and groups of all sizes and on -divers too with a variety of snorkelling tours easily arranged.

A fully certified SSI Training Facility, the new Fatboys Dive Centre is operated by a crew of six including an SSI Divemaster Instructor, two Certified dive masters with a third in training and two highly-skilled local boat captains.

Dive centre facilities include a wet room with wash tubs and drying racks, compressor and backup unit, 20 brand-new full sets of scuba gear, and three covered dive boats, fully equipped with requisite first-aid and oxygen facilities and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB).

Congratulating Fatboys Resort on the move, Tourism Solomons Acting CEO, Dagnal Dereveke said the new dive centre was a further enhancement for the Solomon Islands dive sector which has long been recognised within the international dive community for its natural underwater assets.

“The dive sector remains one of our biggest sources of international visitation and places us in a position where we can compete with any dive location on the planet,” Mr Dereveke said.

“Having improved access to quality dive infrastructure such as Fatboys and the many other first-class operators we have here is key to raising profile of the Solomon Islands as a serious dive destination.

“Providing increased facilities results in increased visitor arrivals which in turn creates more opportunities for local employment and business partnerships, which is a positive outcome for the entire community.”

Fatboys Resort is said to be named after a character called Joe,  described as being “remarkable for his ‘glorious appetite and many attacks of sleep during the day”,  in Charles Dickens’ ‘The Pickwick Papers’.

For more information on Fatboys resort visit https://fatboysresort.com.

For more information on diving in the Solomon islands, visit www.visitsolomons.com.sb.