| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Vanuatu | ||||||||
The world's largest air-accessible wreck, the President
Coolidge,a 640-foot ocean liner converted into a troop ship, is a beach dive
on Espiritu Santo. It's mainly for advanced divers, starting at 70 feet and going
down to 250.... Check with DAN about your evacuation insurance before going; you
may not be covered due to the number of divers getting bent on this site.... Some
diving is available from the capital city of Port-Vila, but it's not spectacular....
Little reef diving is offered so far.... Water temperatures in February hit the
mid 80s and in September may drop as low as 70.... Don't miss the side trip to
Tanna Island to visit the active volcano, dugongs, and Melanesian villagers living
according to ancient customs.... Other side trips include the island of Pentecost
in April to early June to see the land divers leap head-first from 70-foot towers
with nothing but vines tied around their ankles....
For full reviews of the following Vanuatu destinations, see:
Bougainville Resort Santos, In Depth- October 1995 Aquamarine, March 1998, Ralph Rhodes, PenHook, VA. Dived primarily on the President Coolidge. However, we made dives on Million Dollar Point, Blue Hole, 150 foot Henry Bonneaud, and a terrific shark dive. Because of depths more than 100 feet, guides took divers thru the President Coolidge. Water: 78-80 degrees. Vis: 50-80 feet. They provided excellent tours, keeping all divers in view, pointing out artifacts, and providing extra air. Pre-dive briefings were excellent. The 150 foot dive inside the President Coolidge to the carving-The Lady -was the highlight. Many jeeps, trucks, helmets, guns, and other military equipment are in abundance. Many Australians dive this wreck. But few Americans do. Hotel Santos: very good accommodations, food average; a few restaurants in town. Hotel has special room and fresh water trough to rinse equipment and is diver friendly. This is a must dive destination for shipwreck divers. (Ph: 011-00678-36-196) Aquamarine/Bougainville Resort, April 1998, Sherwood and Judith Smith, Olympia, WA. Diving the President Coolidge is unlike any wreck we have visited. Read "The Lady and the President" by Peter Stone before you go. Dive orientations were excellent. Kevin Green (aquamrne@vanuatu.com.vu) reviewed the ship's history, and the topography of the wreck, much of which is posted on his website; www.aquamarine-santo.com. Penetrations with small groups, so silting not an issue. Seas smooth and visibility inside the ship was better than outside (much plankton in the 86-degree water). Divemasters equipped with yoked doubles, long octopi, and high-capacity lights, and provided excellent tours of the five areas of the ship, climaxed by "The Lady." Planned decompression dives to deeper parts of the wreck are safe, with well-monitored decompression profiles and reserve tanks of both air and Nitrox. Computer a must on this world-class site. . . . Million Dollar Point is a good, deep, beach dive, a complement to the Coolidge and mandatory for any WWII history buff. Bright sun made fascinating UW photography with available light and ASA400 film. Photographers will enjoy the shark dive, and a chance to get good head shots of grey reefers feeding. . . . Bougainville Resort is a gem. Bungalows are spacious and modern, food the best on the Island, and Elaine and Ivan (charles@vanuatu.com.vu) fill you in on the local history and culture, and transport you to and from the airport, a WWII bomber field. Tours to Champagne Beach, Blue Holes, and fishing are available. Elaine's sportfishing results populate the dinner menu. . . . Don't miss a side trip to Tanna Island, and a chance to snorkel with dugong in Port Resolution, included in the cross-island 4x4 trip to Yasur Volcano, first described by Captain Cook, and custom villages little changed since the stone age-worth the trip if only for the truck ride! Sailaway Charters/Melanesian Hotel, April 1998, Sherwood
&
Judith Smith, Olympia, WA. Port Vila, the
capital,
is a charming Anglo-French south seas town with a round-the-clock
market,
and great restaurants. While two dive shops operate out of Vila
Harbor, we
took a two-tank day with Sailaway, to get to the other side of
Efate
Island. They operate a trimaran, mostly catering to the snorkel trade.
We
were only divers,but had excellent service from Peter, our skipper.
Hat
Island a typical shallow, sandy, wall dive; Paul's Rock was special,
a
seamount not fished by locals, and full of schools of reef fish, and
swim-through
cracks and tunnels containing an amazing variety of soft
corals. 80-foot
vis. and 86-degree water. The sail back to port in a
15-knot breeze complemented
a great day.
|
Home | Online Members Area | Print
Subscribers Area |
Copyright © 2008 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org) | ||||||||
