Village in Russell Islands

The Russell Islands lie about 70 miles (100 km) west of Honiara on Guadalcanal.  The town of Yandina on Mbanika Island is one of the Solomon’s main deep-water ports.  These islands have a great variety of diving locations including sheer coral walls, pinnacles, a coastal trader, caves, old PT-boat bases and underwater mounds of WWII material. Along the northern edge of the Russell Islands facing New Georgia Sound (The Slot), lie a chain of small islands with superb reef systems and spectacular wall dives.

During WWII there were two airfields, a major American supply base, and PT-boat bases on Mbanika Island. At White Beach and Lever Point, there are artificial reefs created by dumping trucks, jeeps, tractors, bulldozers and large amounts of ammunition.

The deep Sunlight Channel separates the largest island Pavuvu from Mbanika Island.  Just offshore, near Linggatu, lies the former coastal trader Ann which sits upright at the edge of the channel.