In our Own Backyard is the Best Wreck Dive in the World

What to Do in Vanuatu, Dec/Jan 2005

Many people in Vanuatu know that the SS President Coolidge sleeps in the waters around Vanuatu’s largest island, Espiritu Santo. But few know that the SS President Coolidge is listed among the top wreck dives in the world. And once outside of Vanuatu, even fewer people are aware of the wreck itself!

The SS President Coolidge is Vanuatu’s diving jewel. She lies just 50 metres offshore with her bow in 20 meters of water and her stern 200 meters further along in 60 meters of water. Her size, her depth and the fact that she’s still nearly fully intact make the SS President Coolidge a remarkable underwater playground for both novice and tec divers alike.

Launched in 1931, the SS President Coolidge was a luxury liner providing transpacific passage from San Francisco to the Far East. No expense was spared in the construction of the Coolidge and she was the finest cruise vessel of her time. Guests on the Coolidge enjoyed 2 outdoor swimming pools, a fully equipped gymnasium, and a theatre for sound pictures — quite an accomplishment considering the first sound movie had only been released 2 years prior.

The piece de resistance, however, rested in the First Class Smoking room where, above a large electric fake fireplace, The Lady gazed down upon the privileged passengers. The Lady and her Unicorn is a three dimensional ceramic wall fresco that still rests in the Coolidge today. Divers come to Santo from all over the world with just one objective — “to see The Lady.”

Ten years after the launch of the SS President Coolidge, the attack on Pearl Harbor forced the Americans to enter WWII. In December 1941, the SS President Coolidge was commissioned by the US Navy to serve as a troop carrier, reinforcing garrisons in the Pacific. She was stripped of her finery, painted gun-metal grey, fitted with guns and military equipment and put into service in early 1942.

Less than a year later, the SS President Coolidge inadvertently entered a mine field while entering the calm waters between Espiritu Santo and Tutuba — and the rest, as they say, is history. She sank within 90 minutes but not before all but 2 of the more than 5,000 men were safely evacuated.

The SS President Coolidge has been amazing divers since 1969, when an average of only 50 divers per year made the trek to Santo to see her. Since then, both awareness of the Coolidge and diving as a recreational sport have grown remarkably. Now, thousands of divers who have discovered Santo’s secret come every year to add the best wreck dive in the world to their dive logs.

So, what is it about the Coolidge that makes her so remarkable? Why do people come from all over the world to see her? And why do many of them come back time and time again?

For starters, the SS President Coolidge is arguably the most accessible wreck dive in the world. The bow of the Coolidge is just 50 metres from the beach and the bow of the ship is in 20 metres of water, making it accessible to all divers.

Her dual identity also makes for incredible diving. You might see glass chandeliers and a mosaic tile fountain from her cruise line days followed by huge cannons, jeeps and trucks from her military days — all in a single dive!

She’s also massive! She’s 200 meters long and weighed 21,936 tons at the time she was built. To really get a feel for the whole wreck, a diver would need to do at least 20 dives but even just a few dives provides a hint of her magnitude.

You might think that after 60 years underwater and after thousands of divers have been to visit her, there wouldn’t be anything new to discover on the SS President Coolidge but given her size and complexity, new things are discovered all of the time. Aquamarine has just developed a new dive: The Labyrinth, that takes divers to parts of the wreck not currently on the beaten track.

The name of the dive alone is enough to scare the more timid diver but for keen wreck divers, the Labyrinth is an amazing experience. Divers enter the wreck at 55 meters before twisting and turning through some rarely explored areas of the ship. It’s a definite adrenaline high.

Divers wanting to dive the Labyrinth can do so with Aquamarine. Aquamarine has been part of the Santo community for over 17 years and has the most highly trained dive guides in Vanuatu. They are responsible for finding all of the reef sites in Santo and for single-handedly developing the reef dives in the area. But, like most divers in Santo, their true love is the SS President Coolidge.

Aquamarine has over 20 unique dive sites on the wreck itself from the Promenade Deck, an easy relaxing dive along the outside of the wreck and through promenade windows where rifles, helmets and gas mask are littered about, to their famous Gauntlet, starting with a penetration of the wreck near the stern (an incredible 60 metres!) and swimming inside the 200 meter long wreck before exiting near the bow.

As a diver, regardless of how many dives you’ve done or where in the world you’ve gone, you’ll never find a wreck dive as impressive and as pleasurable and as easily accessible as the SS President Coolidge.

Avid divers aren’t too keen to let the world know about their diving jewel but as Vanuatu increases in popularity as a tourism destination, they just might have to share their secret with everyone!