Des­per­ate bat­tles unfold­ed against a par­adise-island back­drop in this South Pacif­ic arch­i­pel­ago after US Marines land­ed on Guadal­canal Island in 1942. Decades after the last skir­mish, the lush jun­gle holds rust­ing tanks, amphibi­ous vehi­cles and fox holes that are a haunt­ing reminder of that era. Sunken sea­planes, oil tankers and sub­marines are strewn across the ocean floor, sprout­ing coral for­ma­tions on cor­rod­ed met­al sheath­ings. For trav­el­ers who snorkel or scu­ba dive, explor­ing the Solomon Islands is the chance to watch sea life col­o­nize the rem­nants of a bru­tal war.