This is a big one!  It even had people in far away Cairns, where the tremors
were felt --running for the hills!!!

Most directly hit, was the island of Ghizo where 30 ft. (10 meter) waves
crashed into the town.  I wonder what happened to the hotel I had stayed in
there (A/C in every room), and the restaurant further up from there (a
10-minute walk) that was out off a dock!  Would you believe, a three course
dinner was had nightly for about $8.00 (U.S. currency).

And there was an American couple who used to run a dive operation there -- are
they still there?

Reports are that many people drowned and many still missing at Ghizo,
according to this morning's BBC-TV World.

Not too far out off the island of Ghizo-- in shallow water -- was a veritable
small forest of spectacular green elephant ears-- never seen anything as
enticing as that!  I hope they didn't get damaged!

I wonder how it affected Upi (closer in towards Honiara, on Guadacanal)...and
Munda -- even closer to Ghizo!.

I'm wondering if the tsunami also hit Munda badly --where I once visited and
recall diving that long tunnel that one entered into what looked like a deep
well inside some mangroves...(on land) and then after dropping about 25
vertical feet, opened into a long chamber that led out into the open sea on
the other side of the reef.  That dive was a bit of a nail-biter, but kind of
fun in retrospect.

I'm wondering that in recent years --with the fighting between locals and the
intervention of Australian troups must have killed off the dive-touring
industry in the Solomons.  I even wonder if diving operations at Upi, Munda,
and Ghizo are still in business?

Thank God I was able to clock in four trips to the Solomons -- including a
live-aboard over around the "Florida group."  I thought that the u/w flora in
places in the Solomons was almost a "step-up" from what I had experienced in
Fiji (13 diving trips--including three different live-abords)...

Also, I recall that the diving in the Solomon Islands was quite good in some
locations-- less so in others to the point if anyone still thinks that there
are still some "undiscovered" glories in the u/w world in the Solomons to
discover -- they are probably wrong!  But, as I say, there is still some great
diving there, and well worth the trip --but not on a level of the best you can
find in Papua New Guinea, which is definitely a big step-up from what one
finds in Fiji or the Solomons-- and as for Vanuatu --no where near the
diversity of coral.

Another fine memory of Honiara-- having delicious mud crab at a local Chinese
restaurant...I understood that the mud crab was "imported" from a larger
island in the Solomon chain-- Maliata-- where they were raised in pens.  Mud
crab was nearly always on the menu!  I understand that mud crab exists
throughout the region -- including Fiji--but in the wild -- they are very
reclusive and only naturally plentiful around Christmas time-- I was told (in
Fiji).

I suppose I shouldn't be talking about my memories of the Solomon Island and
think more of the suffering of the Solomon Islands people for whom I have
great sympathy -- they've suffered so much from things like "black-birding"
(slavery) and other horrors as well as large-scale unemployment that has led
to the violence there between the native ethnic groups.  And in Honiara
(Guadacanal), you have the detritus left over from WWII unexploded munitions
that is still laying about (never fully cleaned-up).

I do hope the world community will rush in to help the Solomon Islanders in
time of dire need.