Dive destination Vanuatu: premier diving for good reason

Vanuatu is widely regarded as one of the premier destinations for divers wanting to explore coral reefs and shipwrecks.  The sprawling archipelago includes plenty of them, many unexplored, but most people tire themselves out discovering just Espiritu Santo and Tanna Island.

Santo has an aura of its own. That’s where the world-renowned Million Dollar Point is located; at the end of WWII the US military dumped masses of army surplus there and you get to dive on jeeps, bulldozers, trucks, forklifts, unopened boxes of clothes, even boxes of Coca-Cola.

Possibly the biggest attraction though, is the SS President Coolidge, the massive luxury liner converted to a troop carrier for the war and sunk by a mine in 1942. Because the ship beached within metres of the shore, it’s one of the largest wrecks anywhere in the world accessible to recreational diving. Guns, cannons and the personal gear of many soldiers’ rests intact. But its sheer size means if you want to see all of it, at least 10 dives are needed.

Anyone who has dived on the President Coolidge knows Alfred Niko, Alfred Numba Wan as he’s known; the dive master is a legend with some 13,000 dives on the wreck, more time than anyone when it was afloat. The legend continues with Alfred’s son, Sethy. Both know every minute detail of the ship, the maze of passageways and exits, and you can dive with Alfred or his son, at Aore Adventure Sports and Lodge. www.aoreadventures.com  And meet perhaps Boris, a large potato cod, dugongs scratching themselves on the bow, and leopard sharks on the main mast. Every dive is an adventure.

Santo is also the locale of the silver and sapphire Champagne Beach, blue holes and caves, great food, and some of the friendliest smiles.

Classic volcano

The glow from Mt Yasur on Tanna Island drew Captain Cook there in 1774 and the classic volcano has been attracting the curious ever since. You can go right up to the crater now too, on a 4WD drive adventure.

Active volcanoes, including several underwater, are a feature of any visit to Tanna as are the caves. Entry to some is by snorkel access only; a local guide can explain their history and legends, especially those with skeletons.

On land, body scrubs, and massage may take precedence. Or kayaking, horseback riding and jungle ziplines. Tanna is considered a place where Melanesian customs and culture remain paramount; traditional village life is preferred here, as it has been for centuries.‍

Air Vanuatu operates to and from Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane and Fiji.