Solomon Islands Feb 2010
How big did it get over there Don?
Doesn't look like it gt very big if these are the best shots :-(
Swell generally was in the 2-4ft class, however we had 4-5ft when we first arrived and 6ft+ last Thursday (our 2nd last day) and 6-8ft on the Friday of our last day. However these wave heights are at the swell magnets (righthanders) however we had a persistent monsoon trough over the top of us associated with the active phase of the MJO (which also created the sizeable surf you guys got down here) which meant persistent NW/W winds which are crosshore on the righthanders so we were forced into surfing the more protected lefthanders, which are 1-2ft smaller than the rights, depending on swell direction and swell period.
The monsoon trough also meant rain and/or overcast conditions, hence only have pictures of one break as this was the only full sunny day we got.
Breaks/reefs are not world class by any means, as they are a bit sectiony and/or fat in some locations along the reef. Lefthanders cannot handle swell greater than the 5-6ft mark as they have a lot of water draining off the reef into the deep channel and also have a deep water bombie out the back which confuses the swell as it hits the inner reef. And as I said the rights were blown out by the tradewinds most of the time (we surfed the main right one glassy morning). Rights are almost impossible to shoot from the boat as well as no defined channel for boat access close to the breaks.
Would I go back? To the Solomons, yes, purely for the close proximity to Brisbane (less travel time wasted) and fun waves and NO crowds. Would I go back to where we went....probably not......will be searching for more perfect reefs up there somewhere.
Here's a couple of non-surfing shots from the trip
Here's a few pics from my recent trip to the Solomon Islands. Unfortunately overcast and rainy conditions only permitted pics of this fun and sunny day.
