Espiritu Santo, the largest island in Vanuatu, is home to the SS President Coolidge—a 199-metre former luxury liner and WWII troopship that is one of the largest and most accessible shore-dived shipwrecks in the world—plus Million Dollar Point's dumped war surplus and warm, clear reefs.
Destination info
Conditions, highlights, and the resident marine life.
Conditions
Water and air temperature across the year.
WaterAirDryShoulderWet
Description
Vanuatu's wreck diving is centred on Espiritu Santo and the town of Luganville, where the SS President Coolidge lies a short swim from the beach. The 199-metre liner—launched in 1931, converted to a troopship, and affectionately nicknamed 'The Lady'—struck two friendly mines on 26 October 1942 and sank with almost no loss of life, leaving an intact, cargo-laden hull that now rests on its port side from 21 m at the bow to roughly 70 m at the stern. Divers explore holds full of jeeps, trucks, cannons, helmets and ammunition, a doctor's office, a barber's chair, and the porcelain 'Lady' bas-relief at around 33–40 m; exploring the whole ship takes 10–15 dives and the deeper engine room and stern are firmly technical. A few kilometres away, Million Dollar Point is a sloping field of bulldozers, trucks and cranes the departing US military pushed into the sea in 1945, now an artificial reef in 15–25 m. Reefs off Aore and Tutuba add drift dives and walls, and the seagrass beds of Lamen Bay (Epi Island) hold a resident dugong. Water is warm (24–29°C) and visibility on the wrecks is good year-round, but every Coolidge dive is a decompression dive.
Highlights
What makes this dive worth the trip.
The SS President Coolidge is one of the largest and most accessible shipwrecks in the world for diving: a 199 m (653 ft), 21,936-ton former luxury liner and WWII troopship lying on its port side from a bow at 21 m to a stern at about 70 m, reached by a short swim from the beach just outside Luganville.
The Coolidge struck two American mines on 26 October 1942 while entering Espiritu Santo's Segond Channel; the captain deliberately ran her aground so the troops could escape, and of roughly 5,000 men aboard only two died, leaving the cargo-laden hull remarkably intact.
'The Lady'—a porcelain bas-relief of an Elizabethan woman on a horse that once adorned the first-class smoking room—is the wreck's iconic artifact; after the promenade deck collapsed it was re-set in the first-class dining room and is now dived at around 33 m (originally photographed in the smoking room at 45 m).
Marine life
36 species you’re likely to encounter on a dive here.
Dive sites
6 signature sites at this destination.
SS President Coolidge
The flagship dive of Vanuatu and one of the world's largest accessible wrecks: a 199 m luxury-liner-turned-troopship lying on its port side a short swim off Million Dollar Beach near Luganville. The bow sits at about 21 m and the stern drops to roughly 70 m, so divers progress over many dives from shallow cargo holds packed with jeeps, trucks, cannons, helmets and rifles to deeper features such as the doctor's office, the barber's chair, the soda fountain and the porcelain 'Lady' bas-relief at around 33–40 m. The engine room and stern at 55 m+ are technical dives requiring decompression and penetration training. Conditions are easy—warm water, good visibility and almost no current—but every Coolidge dive is a decompression dive.
21–70 madvancedShoreNo currentVisibility 10–25 m
Million Dollar Point
A shore dive a few kilometres from the Coolidge where the departing US military bulldozed millions of dollars of war surplus into the sea in 1945. The seabed slopes from around 5 m at the shoreline down to about 28 m, scattered with trucks, tracked vehicles, a forklift, cranes, engine parts, stainless lunch trays and thick green Coke bottles, plus the scuttled salvage tug Dedele. Coral, sponges and sea fans have colonised the wreckage into a thriving artificial reef and juvenile-fish nursery. The site is tidal with moderate current and is suitable for a wide range of experience levels, and the shallow rubble also makes good snorkelling.
5–28 mintermediateShoreModerateVisibility 10–30 m
USS Tucker
A US Navy destroyer (DD-374) that struck a friendly mine on 4 August 1942 while entering Segond Channel and broke apart, killing three crew on watch. The wreck lies on a white sandy bottom near the channel between Aore and the main island, roughly a 30-minute boat ride from Luganville, with the two sections resting about 100 m apart in 16–25 m of water. Because of its open, sandy location it often has visibility over 30 m, and the structure has become an artificial reef draped in soft corals and sea fans, with schools of snapper and jacks hanging over the hull. A relaxed intermediate wreck dive and a good complement to the Coolidge.
16–25 mintermediateDay boatLightVisibility 20–35 m
Tutuba Point
A spectacular reef on the northern tip of Tutuba Island, a short boat ride from Luganville, with both hard and soft corals, caves and swim-throughs. Run as a drift dive, it is known for exceptional visibility—often 40–50 m—and reliable encounters with turtles, reef sharks and Napoleon wrasse along the slope. The terrain and topography reward divers comfortable in current, making it an intermediate site, but the clarity and dramatic structure make it one of the most rewarding reef dives on Espiritu Santo and a strong contrast to the wreck diving nearer town.
8–25 mintermediateDay boatModerateVisibility 30–50 m
Lamen Bay (Epi Island)
A 1.5 km beach and shallow bay on the northwest edge of Epi Island, south of Espiritu Santo, fringed by coral and broad seagrass meadows. The seagrass supports a resident dugong and green turtles that graze the bay, and the bay is one of the few places in Vanuatu where snorkellers and divers have a realistic chance of an encounter with the elusive dugong. Most activity here is shallow snorkelling and easy diving over the coral and seagrass rather than deep wreck work; sightings of the dugong are never guaranteed and depend on the animal's movements.
2–18 mbeginnerDay boatLightVisibility 10–25 m
Cindy's Reef
A relaxing drift dive over an expansive reef off the northern point of Aore Island, opposite Luganville. The gently sloping reef is studded with colourful coral bommies carrying soft and hard corals, anemones and clownfish, while the sand and crevices between them hide nudibranchs, mantis shrimp and pipefish. Resident turtles and passing barracuda and other pelagics are regular sightings. Calm conditions and easy depths make it one of the most accessible reef dives in the area and a welcome change of pace from the deep wrecks—a good site for all experience levels.
5–22 mbeginnerDay boatLightVisibility 15–30 m
Where to dive & stay
Local dive centers, resorts, and hotels.
Featured operators coming soon
Verified dive centers, resorts, and hotels around Vanuatu will list here — pricing, photos, and direct contact.
