Exceptional Staff
Aquamarine has the most highly trained and qualified guides guiding on the SS President Coolidge. We pride ourselves in our friendly and professional service and we have guides fluent in English, French, Dutch, German and Japanese.
The most highly trained and qualified guides in Santo.
We are a PADI Resort, SSI Instructor Training Facility, SDI Instructor Training Facility and TDI Instructor Training Facility. We offer a full range of dive courses from Introductory Dives and Open Water to Tec Training. We also offer Nitrox and Trimix as well as personalized tec tours on the Coolidge for qualified divers. Our spacious training facility is also ideal for dive shops wanting to use Aquamarine as an overseas training location.
The Dive Shop
Aquamarine s the only waterfront dive shop in Santo with our own private harbour perfect for boat dive departures and diver training. Our dive shop is decorated with a photo history of the SS President Coolidge in her cruise liner days as well as photo essay of her sinking. You can read reports of her final voyage and see bits of Coolidge memorabilia.
The Back Deck
You’ll also enjoy a visit to our retail shop where you can purchase gear as well as log books, t-shirts, hats, Coolidge mementos, and locally made handicrafts. Also through our dive shop, you can arrange to do one of the numerous local tours around the island of Santo, a perfect activity for your non-diving days.
“Over the years I have been lucky enough to dive at some of the best dive sites around the world and to teach in the Pacific, Asia, Europe & Africa. I can honestly say that the guys & gals of Aquamarine in Santo, Vanuatu offer a dive site that is unequalled and service that is professional, accommodating and fun! The President Coolidge is without doubt one of the, if not the, best wrecks in the world to dive. Covered with corals, good fish life and easy access the wreck is an awesome sight and at a depth of 20m to 60m offers a full range of diving and penetration. The crew at Aquamarine are all well geared to support new divers and deep wreck explorers and offer Nitrox, Trimix and Rebreather familiarity. They know the wreck well, offer careful and well prepared guides and are happy to accommodate individual requirements. I have taught at Aquamarine; my wife and I have dived with them when on holiday and on each trip we have found Aquamarine & Santo a real gem in the diving world. If you haven’t dived Santo with Aquamarine, then you have missed the best part of the experience!”
Greg Verhoeven: Greg is Originally from Flanders in Belgium. Ten years ago Greg decided to leave Belgium and travel the world. Greg has lived in many exotic locations in that time but it was Vanuatu that won his heart and he has been with the Aquamarine team for over 4 years now. Greg immediately fell in love with the People of Vanuatu and the amazing diving to be found here and he also has a special place in his heart for the kava. Sit down for a shell or two with Greg one night and listen to his amazing stories from Mexico, San Diego and many more exotic locations he has traveled too.
Dave Tonni: Dave is originally from Tutuba Island, just a short boat ride from Espiritu Santo. After 17 years guiding on the Coolidge some of the staff now call him the Grandfather of the wreck. Dave lives just 2 minute walk from Million Dollar Point where he can be found in the evenings teaching his kids to swim. Nothing beats an afternoon cruise through some of Dave's secret areas to see the many treasures he has hidden away over the years.
Gram Tari: Gram started out as a deckhand 8 years ago with Aquamarine and he jumped at the chance participate in an open water course in his first year with the company. A natural sportsman who has featured on the Vanuatu Soccer and Volley ball teams Gram took to the sport of diving like a fish to water. 8 years later Gram is now an SDI instructor and wreck specialty instructor. Gram has been known to serenade his divers with his favorite tune Octopus's Garden on the long swims to the mid ship mooring.
Charles Malantan (aka Pastor Charles): Charles has been guiding divers on the Coolidge for the past 4 years. Charles began his dive training while working for a church in Port Vila over 10 years ago. He has now established his own church just 15 minute walk from the dive site and he can be found strumming his guitar and singing with his congregation into the evening every Sunday. Every other day of the week he will be entertaining the many divers who come to visit the aquamarine team.
Rex Moli ( aka Sexy Rexy): Rexy has been guiding divers through the Coolidge for four years now. Rex is originally from Malo Island and lives just up the beach from the final sinking place of the USS Tucker. Rex spent his youth spear fishing and swimming in the waters off of Malo island and moved to Santo to train as a welder, after many years working in a local workshop Rexy heard that the local dive shop was looking for staff so he dropped his welding tools and joined the tourism game. It is Rumored that he has the biggest smile on the island.
Robert Yates: ( giterdun) Rob is an ex Peace Corps volunteer from North Carolina who didn't want to leave Vanuatu after volunteering here as a bush school teacher so he decided to combine his two passions, wreck diving and teaching and took up a job as an instructor with Aquamarine. Rob has been adopted by a local family and is the man to sit down with for a kava if you want to learn more about the local customs and hear some of his funny stories from his years teaching in the bush.
David Patison (aka Patpat aka Mineboss): Patpat is a true "man bush", on his days off he can be found shooting flying-fox, spearing pigs with his 5 pig dogs or spear fishing to feed his wife and 5 kids. In the 3 years he has worked for Aquamarine he has become a hot favorite with the guests for his many hidden secrets on the Coolidge and his special surface interval tours between reef dives off of Tutuba Island.
Elizabeth Hinge: ( Lady Blong Land dive) Originally from Pentecost the home of the famous land diving, Elizabeth has been with the company for over four years now. As office manager Elizabeth has the unenviable job of keeping all the daily madness at bay. She is the first face most divers see as she they come through the door at aquamarine and we believe its her smiling face and friendly demeanor that keep the divers coming back year after year. Elizabeth is a fountain of knowledge on the Coolidge dives and local customs. Elizabeth can usually be found cruising through the wreck far from the office on her days off.
Eva maikel ( Lady Blong Bia ) Eva has what some believe to be the most important job of all the Aquamarine family. Eva is our master brewer. She is responsible for brewing the famous Aquamarine beer that many a diver has sipped on at the end of their weeks diving. Eva takes her job very seriously and with a Belgian and an Irishman to satisfy, her brewing is certainly put to the test.
Aiden Teri: (Million Dollar Baby) Aiden has been guiding on the Coolidge for over two years now and is a popular favorite with the divers that get to follow him up and down through the wreck. Aiden is hoping to get his instructor training underway next year and go where not too many Ni-Vanuatu have gone before. Aiden can be found playing at the resorts or the Airport on his evenings off so keep an eye out for him and his guitar at the Airport.
Simon Toa (Namas): Simon is Originally from Malo Gilly a small island off of Malo. Simon is a keen fisherman and no stranger to the sea with many years spent fish in the rivers and ocean near his home. Simon has been guiding on the Coolidge for two years now and is well know for his cruisy afternoon tours through some of the less traveled areas of the Coolidge.
Freddy Woleg: (aka transport chief) Freddy is Aquamarines(Vanuatu's) best driver and friendliest face. Freddy is the first face divers see in the morning and the last face they see at night.His job is to take divers from their resorts to the dive site and back daily and to stop them getting too shaken up on the bumpy Vanuatu roads and there is no better man for the Job than Freddy.
Simo: Guiding the Coolidge for just over a year now, its always a pleasure to dive with Simo. His enthusiasm to make every dive a divers best ever dive makes for some good times on the President Coolidge.
Patrick Tonni ( man blong servis ol man Tutuba) Originally a boat driver making short trips to Tutuba, Patrick took up a job last year with Aquamarine where he is now Aquamarines top boat captain and when divers take a day off diving the Coolidge to explore some of the beautiful reefs Aquamarine have on offer they will be treated to a day on the boat with Patrick.
1. Bagstar: (Bogorice) Bagstar can be found most evenings sitting in his comfy chair by the compressor making sure we all have plenty of air for the next mornings dive. Bagstar has just finished his Open Water training and hope to be guiding on the Coolidge in a couple of years.
