Diving in Vanuatu

Central & South Pacific

2 regions

42 dive sites

Vanuatu throws a curveball at your typical South Pacific dive trip. It’s not just about healthy reefs and clear water, though it has plenty of that. For us, Vanuatu stands out because it offers a truly unique mix: monumental wreck diving, accessible volcanoes, and those incredible freshwater blue holes. You’re heading straight to Espiritu Santo, no question. This is where you’ll spend days, maybe even a week, exploring the SS President Coolidge. It’s a massive troop transport, completely penetrable, and you’ll find jeeps, cannons, and even a statue inside. It's a proper adventure. While you're there, don’t miss Million Dollar Point, where the US military dumped their surplus gear after WWII; it’s a bizarre, fascinating dive. Beyond Santo, Port Vila on Efate offers a handful of decent reef dives, but it’s more for a short stopover before or after the main event. We’d suggest aiming for the dry season, roughly May to October, when the trade winds keep things comfortable and visibility tends to be at its best. Keep an eye out for the anchor trunkfish and the vibrant bluefin filefish on the reefs, they’re always a pleasure to spot.

Vanuatu Dive Regions

2 diving areas in Vanuatu

Espiritu Santo

Espiritu Santo isn't just a dive destination; it's a history lesson you can swim through. We love it for the sheer scale of the SS President Coolidge, a monstrous wreck that swallows you whole. Dropping onto her deck in 20m of water, you feel the weight of history, seeing the cargo holds crammed with Jeeps and cannons. Our favourite spots are the medical supplies in the infirmary, still neatly stacked, and the "Lady" statue in the ballroom, a poignant reminder of lives lived and lost. Visibility here can be 20-30m on a good day, but it’s the Coolidge that truly captivates, not the reef fish, though we've spotted plenty of Parrotfish grazing the coral that's started to colonise the wreck. The currents can be mild to moderate, especially around the bow, so we always suggest paying attention to the brief. Beyond the Coolidge, Million Dollar Point offers a quirky dive, an artificial reef born from discarded WWII equipment - a strange, beautiful graveyard of bulldozers and Coca-Cola bottles. It’s an easy dive, great for beginners, while the Coolidge is definitely for the advanced diver. We'd suggest getting a few dives under your belt before tackling the deeper penetration dives, but even just exploring the exterior is incredible.

19 dive sites

Port Vila & Efate

Port Vila diving is a pleasant surprise, especially if you're already on Efate for other reasons. We love that you get a solid mix here: some decent reefs, a few interesting wrecks, and those cool cathedral caves. Think about heading to the Semle Federsen wreck, it's our favourite for the way light beams pierce through the deck hatches creating an ethereal glow. The reef diving won't blow your mind like some of Vanuatu’s more remote spots, but it’s still enjoyable. We’ve seen plenty of Indo-Pacific sergeants schooling on the plate corals, and if you’re patient, you might spot a Spinnaker Whiptail darting around. Keep an eye out for Freckled Anglerfish too; they blend in incredibly well. The caves are where it gets really fun, the light plays tricks on you, making the colours shift as you move through. Currents can pick up, particularly on some of the outer reefs, so be ready for a drift. Overall, it’s a great addition to a Vanuatu trip, offering a relaxed approach to some varied underwater scenery.

23 dive sites