Vanuatu Diving: SS President Coolidge & Coral Reefs

Today you explore the beautiful coral reefs and drop-offs of Efate by dive. With an expert local dive centre, you head out to Efate's reefs, diving over vibrant coral gardens teeming with colourful reef fish, dramatic drop-offs and, in places, caverns and small wrecks, amid turtles and, perhaps, reef sharks and rays, all in warm, clear water with good visibility. Certified divers enjoy two dives on the beautiful reefs, easing into Vanuatu's underwater world before the famous wrecks of Santo. The pristine condition and lack of crowds give the diving a magical quality. Between dives you rest and refuel, relaxing in the beautiful island setting. As the day ends, you return to your hotel, exhilarated by your first day diving the beautiful reefs of Vanuatu. Relax this evening in Port Vila, savouring the beauty of the underwater world and the warmth of the islands.

This morning you fly to Espiritu Santo, home to the legendary SS President Coolidge, and transfer to your accommodation near the wreck. After settling in, you make your first dive on the Coolidge, descending directly from the shore to the vast wreck, a huge Second World War troopship over 200 metres long lying on its side, one of the greatest and most accessible wreck dives on earth. On this first dive you take in the sheer scale of the wreck, exploring its upper decks, holds and superstructure amid swirling clouds of fish, an awe-inspiring introduction to one of the world's greatest dives. Your expert local dive guides, who know the wreck intimately, lead you safely through it. As the day ends, you return to your accommodation, exhilarated by your first dive on the legendary Coolidge. Relax this evening, savouring the extraordinary underwater world of Santo and the anticipation of more dives to come.

A full day exploring the extraordinary SS President Coolidge, one of the world's greatest wreck dives. Because the Coolidge is so vast, it rewards dive after dive, and today you make further dives, guided by expert locals deeper into the wreck to discover its holds full of cargo, jeeps and guns, its decks and cabins, the famous porcelain 'Lady' statue (a relief carving deep in the wreck), and swirling clouds of fish, an awe-inspiring, adventurous exploration of a genuine piece of history. Each dive reveals new wonders of the vast wreck. Your guides ensure you dive safely, managing depth and time carefully. Between dives you rest and refuel. As the day ends, you return to your accommodation, exhilarated by your dives on the legendary Coolidge. Relax this evening, savouring the extraordinary experience of diving one of the world's greatest wrecks.

Today you dive more of the Coolidge and the extraordinary Million Dollar Point. You make a further dive or two on the vast Coolidge, exploring more of its endless wonders, and dive or snorkel the fascinating Million Dollar Point, where the US military dumped vast quantities of equipment at war's end, jeeps, trucks, bulldozers, cranes, bottles and machinery, now an extraordinary underwater graveyard encrusted with coral and teeming with fish, a unique and poignant window into history. You may also dive a beautiful nearby coral reef, teeming with turtles, colourful fish and vibrant coral. The combination of vast wreck, war relics and pristine reef is extraordinary. As the day ends, you return to your accommodation, having explored some of the most extraordinary dive sites on earth. Relax this evening, savouring the beauty and history of Santo's underwater world.

Today you enjoy beautiful reef diving and the magical blue holes of Santo. In the morning you dive Santo's pristine, uncrowded coral reefs, walls and gardens, teeming with turtles, colourful fish, rays and vibrant coral in warm, clear water with excellent visibility, savouring the beautiful, world-class reef diving. In the afternoon, resting from diving, you visit one of Santo's extraordinary crystal-clear blue holes, a pool of impossibly clear, luminous turquoise-blue freshwater welling up amid the jungle, swimming in the cool, magical water surrounded by rainforest, a refreshing and unique counterpoint to the ocean diving. The combination of pristine reefs and luminous blue holes is magical. As the sun sets over Santo for the last time, you enjoy a final island evening, reflecting on the extraordinary diving you have experienced. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly back to Efate for departure.

This morning you bid a fond farewell to Espiritu Santo and its extraordinary underwater world, and fly back to Efate. It is important not to dive on the day of a flight, so today is a relaxed, non-diving day. On arrival you transfer to your Port Vila hotel, with the rest of the day free to relax and explore the capital. You might visit the colourful Port Vila market and waterfront, the National Museum, relax on a beautiful beach, or do some souvenir shopping for ni-Vanuatu handicrafts and carvings, reflecting on the world-class diving you have experienced. As the sun sets over Port Vila, you enjoy a relaxed final dinner, savouring the flavours and warmth of Vanuatu. The memory of the vast Coolidge, the war relics of Million Dollar Point and the pristine reefs stays vivid. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying home memories of world-class diving in Vanuatu.

After a final morning in Port Vila, perhaps a last stroll along the waterfront or some final souvenir shopping, you are transferred to Bauerfield Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having experienced world-class diving in one of the world's great diving destinations, the legendary SS President Coolidge, one of the largest and most accessible shipwreck dives on earth, explored again and again, the extraordinary Million Dollar Point, pristine, uncrowded coral reefs, walls and gardens teeming with life, and the magical crystal-clear blue holes. The images stay vivid long after you land, the vast wreck looming in the blue, the jumble of war relics encrusted with coral, the vibrant reefs, the luminous blue holes, and the warm ni-Vanuatu smiles. Vanuatu, one of the world's great diving destinations, offers world-class wrecks and pristine, uncrowded reefs in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to these extraordinary underwater worlds.