Bonegi Beach

Two Japanese transport ships lie off Bonegi beach west of Honiara, run aground and sunk in 1942 and now lying in shallow water close to shore, which makes them among the most accessible large wrecks anywhere: the nearer one can be snorkelled from the sand and both are shore dives. Coral and fish have taken them over completely. A landowner collects a small fee at the beach. The two ships are usually called Bonegi I and Bonegi II by divers rather than by their original names.

The landscape

• Bonegi I - the deeper wreck, a shore dive from the beach.
• Bonegi II - the shallower hull, reachable by snorkellers.
• The coral growth - seventy years of reef on the steel.
• The shore entry - large wrecks reachable without a boat.

When to go

May to October is the drier season with the best visibility. Rain runoff clouds the water. Weekends bring local families to the beach.

Practical notes

Visibility drops sharply after rain because of river runoff nearby. Penetration of the wrecks needs training and is not for casual divers. Facilities amount to a fee collector.

Nearby

Honiara is east, and Savo Island is offshore.