CHRISTMAS ISLAND
Frequently asked questions.
Where do I fly to? You fly to Honolulu where you will pick up the Air Pacific Charter flight from Hawaii to Christmas Island. This charter must be purchased separately through a travel agent, us or through Air Pacific directly.They issue paper tickets rather than e-tickets
Is the plane service reliable? The 3 hour flight is run by Air Pacific, a very reliable carrier owned and operated by Quantas. They operate a 737 from Honolulu to Nadi in Fiji. This flight is now stopping on Christmas Island on Tuesdays ( Hawaii time) The new air fare is a little more but the reliability factor is well worth it.
Can I go for less than 7 days? No. The only way in or out is one flight each week. You can stay 1 week, 2 weeks or three but nothing in between.
Is Christmas Island on the other side of the date line? Yes, but for your airline tickets out of Hawaii you will leave Tuesday morning (Hawaii date and time) and come back early afternoon the following Tuesday (Hawaii date and time). The truth is that it is Tuesday in Hawaii when you leave for CI and Wednesday when you arrive in CI three hours later. When you return you leave Wednesday from CI and get to Hawaii Tuesday !! There is no time change between Hawaii and Christmas Island.
What kind of money do they use on Christmas Island? The official currency is the Australian dollar but they gladly accept US dollars as well. There are a couple of very basic stores in London, a few snacks is probably all you be able to buy while on the island. You can tip your guide in US dollars. There are no ATM's and the bank may or may not be open, so bring cash. No Credit cards are accepted on the island.
Are there any unexpected charges? There is a $25 dollar visa fee, a $35 fishing license and a $20 dollar departure tax, and the tips for your guides and beverages not included with your package.
Will my wife have a good time here? If she likes to fish, yes if not, she might hate it. The accommodations are clean and basic but there is no AC and the 2 bathrooms are shared by the 4 rooms in the lodge. There is no nightlife. There is not any sightseeing on the island, it is not a beautiful little village. The only 3 things really worth doing is the fishing the diving, snorkeling and some birding.
How many fish will I catch? If we are talking bonefish you may have 30 fish days or 10 fish days. My best days are around 30 and my worst are 10 or so, but keep in mind I go for the big singles in shallow water. Sometimes I'll spend an hour stalking one fish. ( this brings the totals down but my enjoyment up. For Trevally You have a good chance at a couple a day if you are bone fishing and maybe 10-15 good chances if you patrol the areas likely for big Trevally. It is pretty likely that you will have a trevally eat the bonefish on the end of your line before the week is out! The off shore fishing can go an hour with out a strike to 15 fish on in the next half hour.
How big are the bonefish? There are so many bonefish here and the population reflects every age class of fish. There are 1 pound fish and I have seen 15 pound fish. The largest I have caught is 10 pounds. I have cast to a few that were well into the mid teens. I thought they were trevally at first. Don't let anyone fool you, Christmas Island has as many big fish as anywhere in the world, it just has more small and medium fish than most other places. Our lodge is so small we don't have to rotate our guest through certain flats and we travel by boat to the flats every day so you can choose to fish the big fish flats any time you wish.
Are there any shots required for this trip? None required. Check with the CDC or your doctor for their recommendations.
Is the fishing really as good all year long? Yes, it is 85 degrees every day, there is no particular rainy season, the fish are on the flats every single day of the year. There is no hurricane or typhoons that come close to the island.
What about tides? Tides definitely affect the fishing but the lagoon system is so vast that the tides can lag by hours from one interior flat to a flat by the ocean. Around the full moon there can be unusual schooling of big fish on Paris Flat. In some years and some months this can be spectacular but on other full moons it just doesn't happen. Since it is unpredictable it is hard to plan for the event, When it does happen it will also mean that another boat will always be on that flat so to me that cancels out the benefit. It is also unpredictable why some full moons have it and some don't. There is no pattern to it. I have ben there on many different tide cycles - big full moon tides that drain flats have a wave of activity on the incoming tides and outgoing tides and then smaller tides where the activity is more prolonged. In short I don't worry about it anymore but I can provide tide charts and advice if you are so inclined. Much has been written about this subject and the truth is there is a great deal of conflicting information.
Bright sunny skies with a light breeze will make a much bigger difference than whether it is a spring tide, a full moon, the guides know the fish well.
CHRISTMAS ISLAND!
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