Level: Resort nearby
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Last updated on September 4, 2023
Located at the heart of Nono Lagoon and close to Marovo Lagoon, Nggatirana is in one of the most beautiful regions for snorkeling in Solomon Islands. This small island of just 15 hectares, covered by a luxurious forest, is bordered by a well preserved coral reef where small sharks, beautiful giant clams and many anemonefish live.
Nggatirana is a small private island located a few hundred meters away from the western coast of Vangunu Island. The only way to visit Nggatirana is to book your stay with Evis Resort at Nggatirana Island, the hotel located on the island.
From Honiara, the most direct way to reach the island is by booking a flight to Seghe. The resort’s boat will come pick you up.
Enter the water from Evis Resort Beach.
The recommended snorkeling area extends all along the northern coast of Nggatirana, bordered by a coral reef and well protected from the waves.
The reef starts west of the beach (on your left when facing the ocean) and stretches for about 300m. Beyond that, we reach the western tip of the island, where the sea may be rougher.
From the beach, we recommend snorkeling towards the west, while following the outer side of the reef.
The well-preserved reef gently slopes into the blue. There is a wide variety of corals, especially blue fluorescent branching corals, huge table corals, and beautiful massive coral bommies. In many sections of the reef, we discover beautiful specimens of giant clams. Some of them might be longer than a meter.
Sling-jaw wrasse, platax, pufferfish, butterflyfish and surgeonfish are some of the most common types of fish one might observe on Nggatirana reef. Several species of anemonefish also live on the slopes, especially orange clownfish, Clark’s anemonefish, and Spinecheek anemonefish.
As you snorkel along the reef, you might have the chance to encounter small reef sharks, which are nevertheless very fearful.
Evis Resort at Nggatirana Island is the only hotel on the island. It has a restaurant and a bar.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
