 Luganville is the main town on Espiritu Santo,
and although there is excellent diving in the
vicinity of Luganville, diving is mainly
centred on two specific, and unique sites.
The main attraction is the "S.S. President
Coolidge", a luxury liner that was used as a
troop ship during WWII. The impressive wreck
(198 metres long) is one of the largest
accessible wrecks to sport divers anywhere in
the world.
The dive can be done from boat or shore with
an easy walk to a line that leads to the
ship's bow. Visibility can range from 15 to 35
metres, and the sea is usually calm.
Complete with military supplies and personal
belongings scattered across the ocean floor,
and of course the famous "Lady and the
Unicorn" this dive is not to be missed.
Not far away, is another amazing dive site "Million Dollar Point" where the US navy
dumped tonnes of valuable machinery and
supplies after the war.
Some of the more popular dive sites in Santo:
 SS President Coolidge: Sunk by a
friendly mine in 1942, the ship lies in clear,
calm water and offers divers the chance to
explore the remnants of a World War II troop
ship, which was formally a luxury liner.
The ship is so big that even if you dived it
ten times in different locations, you would
still only view a part of it. As most of the
dives are over 30 meters, decompression stops
are necessary. These stops are made on the
coral garden where you can see a colourful
array of hard corals and fish life.
Max Depth:
20-70m
Million Dollar Point: This fascinating
dive shows you coral encrusted war equipment
as well as a small island trader and the
salvage vessel the El Retiro. There is easy
access from both shore and boat and the
excellent marine life and coral growth
warrants a visit. After WWII, hundreds of
tonnes of US equipment were dumped here - from
bulldozers and aero engines to trucks and
jeeps. After the war, American efforts to sell
the equipment were unsuccessful - so rather
than give it to the then Condominium
government, the Americans dumped the lot. Max
depth: 40m.
 USS Tucker: Once a US destroyer, the
USS Tucker sank in 1942 after, she was split
in two by the American mine she hit in the
Segond Channel. After the hit, the boilers,
condensers and gearboxes bridging the two
sections broke apart, stretching out for over 100m.
This dive has a number of interesting
swim-throughs, an abundance of portholes and
open bulkheads provide plenty of light. There
are some spectacular finds in colourful corals
and sponges growing on gun turrets and mounts.
Coral trout, cod, sweet lip, angle fish and
batfish are regularly seen in the area and
visibility is normally about 40 - 50 meters.
Max depth: 20m.
MV Henry Bonneaud: This local trader
was scuttled in 1989 and is awash with marine
life and colourful coral. This is an easy
penetration wreck dive where the visibility is
30 - 40 meters. There are plenty of soft
corals and sharks to be seen and the
artificial reef provides a haven for
flashlight fish, which are abundant during
night dives. Max depth: 45m
Tutuba Point: A spectacular reef with
both hard and soft corals, caves,
swim-throughs and the most beautiful marine
life. This is a drift with amazing visibility
of 40 - 50 meters. Turtles, reef sharks and
Napolean wrasse are often visible. The site is
located on the northern tip of Tutuba Island
and is a short boat ride away from Luganville.
Max Depth: 25m
|
