Sasavele Dump Site - Gizo & Western Province
The Sasavele Dump Site, off Gizo, is one of those dives that sounds a bit odd on paper but actually delivers a unique experience. Dropping to a gentle 18 metres, it’s a perfect spot for newer divers looking for something a little different from a pure reef dive. What you’re looking at here is debris from World War II – old bottles, ceramics, and metal scattered across the seabed. Over the decades, these discarded items have become artificial habitats, drawing in crabs, nudibranchs, and a surprising variety of macro life that really thrives amongst the rust and glass. It's a fascinating look at how nature reclaims and repurposes, and we often find ourselves poking around the bits and pieces, spotting something new with each dive.
- Location
- Gizo & Western Province, Solomon Islands, Central & South Pacific
- Coordinates
- -8.313100, 157.347600
- Maximum Depth
- 18m
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Marine Protected Area: Sasavele/NB
Nearby Dive Sites in Gizo & Western Province
- Abyss’ Triggerfish - 20m (wall)
- Aichi D3A ’Val’ (Wreck) - 26m (wreck)
- Aussie Point - 21m (reef)
- Bell P39 Airacobra (Wreck) - 26m (wreck)
- Bilikiki - 20m
- Castaway Island - 16m (reef)
- CATHAY - 0m (wreck)
- Cave of the Kastom Shark - 32m (cave)
- Coral Corner - 21m (reef)
- Douglas SBD Dauntless (Wreck) - 16m (wreck)
- Grand Central Station
- Haipe Reef - 27m (reef)
- Heron’s Wall - 18m (wall)
- Lumbaria Island - 9m (reef)
- Marovo Lagoon (reef)
Nearest Dive Centres to Sasavele Dump Site
Marine Life in Gizo & Western Province
Home to 304 recorded species including 261 reef fish, 13 hard corals, 11 sea cucumbers, 6 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 clams & mussels, 3 sharks & rays.
Notable Species
- Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish (Ctenochaetus striatus) - Reef Fish
- Dusky Parrotfish (Scarus niger) - Reef Fish
- Mimic Surgeonfish (Acanthurus pyroferus) - Reef Fish
- Blue-lined Tang (Zebrasoma scopas) - Reef Fish
- Bullethead Parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) - Reef Fish
- Bleeker's Parrotfish (Chlorurus bleekeri) - Reef Fish
- Indo-Pacific sergeant (Abudefduf vaigiensis) - Reef Fish
- Kihikihi (Zanclus cornutus) - Reef Fish
- Orange-lined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) - Reef Fish
- Blue-lined Surgeonfish (Acanthurus lineatus) - Reef Fish
- Redfin Butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunulatus) - Reef Fish
- Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) - Reef Fish
- Banded maori wrasse (Cheilinus fasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Blue Parrotfish (Scarus oviceps) - Reef Fish
- Saddled Parrotfish (Scarus dimidiatus) - Reef Fish
- Butterfly fish (Chaetodon vagabundus) - Reef Fish
- Double-bar Goatfish (Parupeneus crassilabris) - Reef Fish
- Horned Bannerfish (Heniochus varius) - Reef Fish
- Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus) - Reef Fish
- Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels