23.10.2016 Vanuatu # wreck diving and South Sea feeling on Espiritu Santo

We arrive on time at Suva Airport in Nausori and are a little surprised because there is no one in the check-in area. An employee at the counter mumbles something about 5 minutes in response to our question, but what he means remains a mystery. As we go outside for a smoke, a man approaches us who looks official with his reflective vest. He asks us where we want to go, and when we answer, he tells us that the plane from Vanuatu didn't arrive this morning. Unfortunately, half of his speech is unintelligible, but he seems to want to tell us that our flight is canceled. As if by magic, a taxi suddenly stops next to us, the driver opens the trunk and looks questioningly at our luggage. The two of them seem to know each other. What's going on here? We decide to politely decline their offer and turn to the counter, where eventually someone deigns to check us in.

Later at the gate, we meet Julie and half of her crew from Taveuni Ocean Divers. They are also flying to Port Vila and will be staying there for a few days for a music festival. We consider joining them. In the end, the effort of rebooking is too high, so we cannot decide. Too bad, it would have been fun with the funny group.

At Pekoa Airport in Luganville, we are already expected and after about 10 minutes drive we are at the hotel. We stay at `The Espiritu` and are pleasantly surprised by our large room. Both the hotel and the restaurant make a pretty good impression. We could stay here for a few days.

Vanuatu with its 83 islands is actually perfect for island hopping. There are several worthwhile destinations that can be easily reached by plane or ferry. However, for us, diving is the main focus. During the planning, we came across a dive spot that should be good for a few more dives- the wreck of the SS President Coolidge. Therefore, we stay in Luganville on Espiritu Santo, the largest island of Vanuatu, for the whole time.

On the first day, we use the time to explore the surrounding area and get an initial overview. That is quickly done because apart from the main road with a few hotels, restaurants, and mostly Chinese-run shops, there is nothing else to discover. So we go straight to Aquamarine Divers, who conveniently have their office in the hotel lobby. The next morning, we are picked up by Dave and drive to the dive site in the dilapidated bus, where the sliding door is almost falling off its hinges.

The `Coolidge` was a former cruise ship of about 20,000 GRT, which served as a troop transporter in World War II and transported American troops to the theaters of the Pacific. On October 26, 1942, it ran aground on two `friendly` mines near Luganville and the captain decided to beach it. Everyone except for two men managed to escape before the ship capsized and sank within an hour. The wreck, with its impressive length of 200 meters, now lies on its side not far from the shore at a depth of 20m (bow) to 70m (stern) and offers various opportunities for diving. The upper side of the hull is partly beautifully overgrown and provides a home for all sorts of small creatures like shrimp, etc. If that's not enough, you can explore the front cargo holds, which still offer plenty of light and escape routes thanks to their large openings. And if that's still not enough, you can venture into endless dark passages into the depths of the ship. The `Coolidge` is considered one of the most accessible wrecks of this size worldwide. I make good use of it while Maike prefers to explore the exterior.

From the second day onward, we dive with Rex, an experienced guide who knows the wreck like the back of his hand and has stopped counting his dives there. With his dream-like confidence, he leads me to the `Lady`, a beautiful porcelain figurine, into the engine room, the doctor's office, and other places where you can still see the original equipment. Here and there, there are some hidden gimmicks that only the guides would find. One highlight were a few flashlight fish (excuse me for the English, but "Blitzlichtfisch" sounds stupid :-)). Our dives are only limited by the air supply and the required decompression time, unfortunately, you can only dive here with compressed air and single cylinders. Since the last change of ownership, `Aquamarine` unfortunately, has changed for the worse in terms of diving, as the new boss seems unwilling to invest anything there. Nitrox or even helium, as mentioned on the website, is no longer available. Well, and the bus won't last much longer either. However, I enjoyed the dives very much, especially since I had never been so deep in such a large wreck before. And the guys from the team make up for a lot with their attitude. Overall, I complete 8 dives on and in the wreck, and it could have been more.

I do two more dives with Maike and Rex at Million Dollar Point. At that time, the Americans dumped countless tons of equipment, construction machinery, and other things into the sea, worth several million dollars, before their departure, after the local government refused to buy the items at a low price. They speculated that after the departure of the Americans they could grab everything for free, but they underestimated the situation. What remained was a huge underwater junkyard, which has since developed into a great diving spot. The contrast between the old iron and the life emerging in between is fascinating. On the way, there is also the wreck of the `Dedele`, a former small merchant ship, for photo shoots. Oh, how much fun old iron can be. :-)

After the last day of diving, it's time for exploration. We rent a car at the hotel for two days. Unfortunately, there are limitations on trips with rental cars, as only a few (paved) roads are allowed to be used. This makes a trip into the hinterland practically impossible, as there are no paved roads there. So we drive along the Santo East Coast Road towards the north. The landscape consists of remnants of rainforest and palm plantations. An important export article of Vanuatu is copra, dried coconut meat for the production of coconut oil. Therefore, a large part of the original fauna has been replaced by palm trees, and you can see the typical drying ovens on both sides of the road.

We pick up a hitchhiker again, who is so enthusiastic that he wants to repay us. Unfortunately, he speaks one of the 120 languages ​​of Vanuatu that we are not familiar with, but unfortunately not English. Somehow we understand that he wants to save Maike from needing glasses by laying hands on her eyes or something like that. We politely decline. :-)

We pass through small, simple villages until we reach Port Olry, about 65km away, where we enjoy the real South Seas feeling at Olry Beach with its snowy white sand and clear blue water. We only briefly visit the actually more famous beach, Champagne Beach, where cruise ships also drop off their passengers. It's beautiful, too. However, there is no infrastructure like a restaurant or even a few loungers. Soon someone comes who recognizes the tourists in us and wants to charge 1000 VAT p.p. entrance fee. Okay, then rather Olry, where you can enjoy a big crab after splashing around.

On the way back, we test the Matevulu Blue Hole, a small freshwater lake in the middle of the forest. A wonderful refreshment after a day at the beach and a good way to completely desalinate.

Two days before our departure, we visit the Pui Outsaili Holiday Village in the evening as part of a guided tour. With local folklore, local food, and of course kava, time flies. The people here are incredibly proud of their culture and are visibly happy to share it with us.

On the penultimate evening, there is live music again at `Espiritu`. Desmond, a young musician, plays cover songs of all kinds on Fridays. We have already become friends with him last Friday, and he is happy to see us again. After he has given his all, we sit together long after closing time and chat about this and that.

We spend the last evening in Vanuatu in the capital, Port Vila, on the island of Efate. From here, we fly to Sydney tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. It's Sunday, so not all shops and restaurants are open. At least we managed to get a few patches for our bags. The 25-minute walk from the Coral Motel to the city was worth it. Now the article will be uploaded and then maybe we'll have a nightcap beer somewhere. Tomorrow we have to get up at half past four, so we can't go beyond the limits anymore.

Vanuatu with its beautiful landscape is definitely worth a visit. The people here are as warm and friendly as we have already experienced on the other South Sea islands. In addition, after the devastating cyclone `Pam` in 2015, a lot is being invested here and a good infrastructure seems to be emerging without the tourism getting out of hand. Apart from diving, there are many opportunities to spend your time here sensibly or simply relax in South Seas flair. We really enjoyed it here and Vanuatu is pretty high on the list of places we would visit again.