Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu: The Coolidge and much much much more!

Dive Log, May 2006

Most divers have heard of the Coolidge and many have dived her but there couldn’t be a better time for a first trip or even a return trip to the South Pacific’s most adventurous wreck diving experience. Gone are the days when Espiritu Santo had only the Coolidge to offer. Espiritu Santo actually has 5 great wreck sites to dive plus some beautiful reefs. And there are more non-diving activities than ever before.

The choice is yours to spend a holiday getting a satisfying Coolidge fix or mix it up a little bit with some more wreck sites and a few reefs. Add a day or two (or even three!) to your holiday to do some caving and trekking tours, visit a pygmy village, watch custom dancing, explore spring-fed blue holes, or paddle your own dug-out canoe.

For the adventurous diver, you need look no further than Aquamarine. Aquamarine dive centre have been operating in Espiritu Santo for close to 18 years. In that time, they continue to add new elements to diving in Espiritu Santo and offer new and exciting opportunities for divers of all levels. This year alone, Aquamarine developed a new dive on the President Coolidge, opened up diving on a new wreck site (the Tui Tawate), expanded their tec services to include Trimix diving and Trimix courses, and became an active member of Reef Check, participating in reef surveys to protect and monitor local reef systems.

Aquamarine is also the natural choice for dive shops wanting to run overseas trips to explore the Coolidge, offering special services exclusively for groups including free night dives, free group photographer, free group happy hour and organized group social events. They also welcome dive shops to use the Coolidge as a training site and run trips that include courses. Aquamarine offers a full range of courses including Advanced Nitrox, TDI Decompression Procedures, TDI Extended Range and TDI Trimix – or a dive shop can organize to teach the courses themselves using Aquamarine as their overseas facility while they are visiting Espiritu Santo.

Thousands of divers have gotten the thrill of their lives diving the SS President Coolidge and Million Dollar Point but Espiritu Santo is no longer a destination just for wreck junkies. Reef sites like Tutuba Point offer caves and swimthroughs. And Chails Reef is a gorgeous rejuvenated reef having beautifully regrown after it was completely destroyed by crown of thorns just 10 years ago. It’s now the perfect sight for spotting sea turtles and the occasional leopard shark.

For divers who haven’t been to Santo in a few years, Aquamarine is welcoming divers again to the USS Tucker, resting in just 20 metres of clear, warm water. Although it’s no longer possible to swim through the wreck due to collapse, it’s historical significance, it’s stainless steel frame and the fact that it is just one of only two dive-able US Destroyers in the world makes it a “must do” for any wreck enthusiast. Also not be missed is the “new” wreck, the Tui Tawate. A bit deeper than the USS Tucker and fully intact, this wreck, sunk in the mid-80s in 45 metres, is the perfect challenge for advanced divers.

But Espiritu Santo isn’t just about diving. The plethora of activities now available for days when you’re not diving (or for non-divers) is also a welcome change to this pacific paradise. Several tour operators will happily take you to visit custom villages, trek through caves and paddle up spring-fed rivers to luxurious blue holes. Santo Heritage Tours, Paradise Tours, and Butterfly Tours are the largest and most popular tour operators in Espiritu Santo. They are all run by Ni-Vanuatu and provide excellent service as they proudly share their countries rich customs and beautiful landscape with visitors.

Because Espiritu Santo is still primarily a diver’s destination and a relatively undiscovered jewel, you may often find that you are joined by only 1 or 2 other visitors on your tours. Old roads from WWII remain the main thoroughfares and the jungle is quickly reclaiming the remnants of the war years that are scattered around the island. You’ll visit some of the most exquisite unspoiled landscapes and you’ll feel as if you’re the first person to ever discover the waterfalls, caves and springs that decorate this paradise.

Espiritu Santo also boasts a wide range of accommodations for every type of traveller. Deco Stop Lodge with its social atmosphere and diver facilities remains a favorite among single travellers and dive groups. You can take in majestic views while you lounge by the pool, enjoy a cocktail at sunset or enjoy one of their custom nights complete with dancing and a local string band.

Coral Quays Resort also has full diver facilities with bungalows and their own private jetty for guests. Popular with dive groups and couples, Coral Quays also boasts a fine restaurant, massage services, swimming pool and complimentary use of kayaks and mountain bikes for their guests.

A boutique accommodation, Aore Resort offers a little slice of paradise with its own sheltered, private beach, child-minding services, walking trails, and diver facilities – as well as the chance to night dive in front of the resort. Beachfront Resort, with its own stretch of black sand beach, offers self-contained ensuite bungalows, diver facilities, kayaks, volleyball and petonque. And Unity Park is the town’s most popular backpacker lodge with kitchen facilities and an outdoor gazebo where budget travellers socialize well into the evening.

Espiritu Santo feels like the place that time forgot but the opportunity to visit while it still seems like unchartered territory will one day come to an end as more and more travellers discover Vanuatu. Go there now while you can still be among the first to discover all that Espiritu Santo has to offer. It’s the holiday of a lifetime -- with the best wreck diving around and much, oh so much, more.