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Tsunmai & dive report
Uepi Island Resort
April 2007

In my last Dive Report I emphasised the natural world in which Uepi is situated. Over the early April weeks nature has overwhelmingly dominated Solomon life with a series of strong earthquakes & several deadly tsunamis. The Solomons sits on the Pacific Rim of Fire ranging from the Shortland / Mono area in the west across to Temotu Province in the east. About 550,000 Solomon Islanders live on almost 1000 islands stretching from New Guinea to Vanuatu. The main islands are the tops of submerged mountains. The remainder are coral reef islands, resulting from various stages of the atoll process. The islands in the western Solomons are in two strings, both orientated approximately NW to SE. They are separated by a 2000m deep underwater trough christened in World War II jargon as "The Slot". There are volcanoes, active & dormant, along the length of the Solomon Islands and associated volcanic phenomena, such as warm rocks & springs. If you 'Google' FlashEarth & scan the Solomons you will see some outstanding images of volcanic structures such as Vanikoro in the Reef Islands (Temotu Province), Savo just north of western Guadalcanal, Kolombangara & Simbo. Most of the main islands have extinct crater structures. The earthquakes are mostly a result of the Australian tectonic plate straining against the Pacific plate, causing the latter to rise. The greatest activity is in the western Solomons, with the active zone located just to the south of the southern most string of islands. This roughly aligns, taken from east to west, with the southern islands of Vangunu, New Georgia, Tetepare, Rendova, Gizo, Simbo, Rononga, Mono & Shortlands.

In past Dive-Logs I have reported on an active marine volcano "Kavachi" about 15 nautical miles due south of Vangunu, in the Coral Sea. Here we have photographed & videoed magnificent surface eruptions. We have also dived & taken images of Kavachi underwater when it was in a relatively 'quiet' state.
Some of this imagery can be found on www.uepi.com. It is worth repeating that the majesty & power of nature is resplendent in such eruptions. It can also be frightening. Kavachi is gradually forming a new island, a process of wide interest to geologists & World Heritage. In rare times the Kavachi summit protrudes above sea-level but is then quickly eroded away by wave action, spilling new material into the 1500m depths.

In normal times the Solomons experience a fair number of small earthquakes. In March we were diving & heard some crackling explosive noises that made us wonder if there was some local volcanic activity. We are familiar with such noises from our Kavachi experience & realise that such noises can be generated a very long way away. Only days before we had commented that we had experienced a very prolonged period with no earthquakes. But after a handful of explosive noises it all stopped.

But on April 2nd the Australian & Pacific tectonic plates slipped against each other and generated a very strong earthquake, 8.1 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was about 40 miles south east from Gizo. A resultant tsunami caused severe damage to property over a wide area, many injuries & sadly considerable loss of life. About 45 persons are dead with over 100 still missing after almost a week. Following the initial large earthquake there were many more, quite a few registering about 6.2 on the Richter scale. The further westerly islands continued to experience traumatic conditions with several tsunami causing further damage & loss of life. This is well documented in the media.

Divers will be familiar with the diving at Gizo. Gizo suffered severe earthquakes & tsunami. I can only commend Danny Kennedy for his huge contribution to the Gizo Community during this ordeal. Despite having his dive shop wrecked & boats damaged he also suffered damage to his house & other property. If he was not scared witless, he should have been! Undeterred, he untiringly used his knowledge, energy & resources to help stranded people, cart water, aid communication and many other things. The description "the good Samaritan we really needed" by some stranded traumatised visitors to Gizo was well deserved. Good on you Danny, all of us at Uepi hope you recover well from what must be a major setback.

At Uepi the major earthquake was fairly severe with much sideways shaking. Despite this no damage was sustained. As the major effects of the earthquake were directed westerly from the epicentre no tsunami were experienced in the easterly direction. In fact many villages very close to the epicentre but to the east had minimal damage and no tsunami waves. Marovo Lagoon, apart from some vigorous shaking only had relatively minor tidal fluctuations. In addition Marovo was sheltered by the islands of New Georgia, Vangunu & Gatakae which are between Marovo & the active zone.

Since these events we have recommenced our 'Bapita' day-trip. Remarkable perhaps there was no damage to our dive sites. The Bapita Sinkhole was intact. Penguin Reef, an offshore pinnacle reef with unbelievable hard corals formations had the epicentre of a 6.2 earthquake only 5 nautical miles due west, yet the fragile & somewhat brittle acropra formations were totally undamaged. This was a surprise. Of some concern was the Taiyo fishing boat wreck. This wreck sits vertically upright, bow up & stern down with the keel resting against a sheer reef drop-off wall. With the bow about 1m under the water the stern is almost 40m deep, resting on a relatively small coral outcrop. Below is blue water, depth unknown but no doubt several hundred metres deep. At the best of time it is a wonder how the wreck sits there. Frankly we doubted that it would still be there after such a strong quake in the near vicinity. But there it was & to top off the dive a whale shark cruised past.

We consider ourselves fortunate to have escaped serious damage but realise that Uepi is in a very good position to be protected from major tsunamis. In the south we have a barrier of major adjacent islands. To the north, 60kms away we have another string of major islands, in particular Isabel & Choiseul. They are separated from us by very deep water. It is true a major event could cause some problems but these would be attenuated by the physical barriers. In hindsight we could not have chosen a safer position to locate.

The tsunami is yet another setback for the Solomons. We are all wondering when our luck will change. But I would like to quote the following:

"I would like to assure every one that central and eastern part of Solomon Islands including the capital Honiara, and Guadalcanal, Malaita, Makira, Renbel, Isabel, and Temotu provinces are unaffected by the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Western and Choiseul provinces.

Marovo Lagoon was unaffected by the tsunami and resorts such as Uepi Resort and Wilderness Lodge are operating as normal. Marovo did not receive any waves, only minor tidal fluctuations. Since the earthquake, guests at Uepi Resort have dived the area which was the closest adjacent area to the earthquakes and report that the corals and wrecks are totally unaffected".

I would also like to assure international travellers that Solomon Islands is generally safe for visitors and that the best anyone can do to help Solomon Islands tourism recover quickly is to continue to visit the country including the affected areas.

Regards

Michael Tokuru
General Manager
Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau"

In the aftermath there are many homeless & distressed people. Most of them had very few possessions & many have lost what little they had.
The world & regional bodies are responding quickly and energetically. Politics is being cast aside as people genuinely do their best to help.
A little help can make a difference so if you can assist please do. Some helpful information is on our website www.uepi.com . Some of our guests have already made efforts to donate.

In March we experienced the highest tides ever. With all the discussion over global warming this seemed understandable, even expected. In the past I have searched (ref BOM) for information about the Pacific tides & been very sceptical about scientific measurements that say that tides are 'normal' but that any unusual differences are 'anomalies'. A year or two ago Honiara had an 'anomaly' of about 0.3 m, no other explanation. Interestingly I have just found a report that contains predictions for Highest Astronomical Tides (HAT) for the Solomons. HAT is based on astronomical parameters. But the predictions fit very well the tidal events we have experienced over the past ten years. It would have been more convincing if they had been predicted earlier but as a decline in HAT is predicted to happen from now on, perhaps this cycle of high tides can be explained. Time will tell.

Solomon Airlines has just leased its own aircraft. It is a 76 seater 'as new' jet with a very comfortable layout. I anticipate that the service standards will be the best ever. The domestic service has been much more efficient in recent times & airline staff are very keen to improve the service.

We have had to suspend diving the Wickham WWII wrecks due to a local dispute amongst 'land owners'. It will eventually work itself out but that is some months away.

We have always dived Kokoanna Passage, but infrequently as it is about 35 minutes travel, for us a long-haul. But it has such a colourful wall that we are now diving it more often. Tanks are always air dry when we surface. Normally we make it a 2 dive trip with a picnic lunch & enjoy the very scenic barrier reef tour as we travel. Another very good option.

After a brief period of out-going currents during the day we are now back to incoming. The fish gather in these currents & the schools will get bigger & bigger. In these circumstances the visibility can excel: It’s already 30m in the channel & clearing in the lagoon. We are looking forward to some outstanding diving. With bright sunshine most days Uepi Point is now sparkling & I cannot wait to get my wide-angle lens back from a service at Sea-optics.

Leana via, Grant, Jill & all the Uepi staff

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