That is a part of a collection of visitor posts by Andi Cross, whose unbelievable expedition is telling dive tales from across the globe. Try the earlier story, and be part of us as she takes us to the Edges of Earth!
It’s not every single day you personally come across an unexplored diver’s paradise. Usually, while you’re touring for leisure diving, you’re going for a selected function: a species, shipwreck, liveaboard, or a collection of dive websites you’ve been dreaming of trying out.
We got here to Vanuatu excited to dive the nation’s largest island, Espiritu Santo, with a concentrate on World Warfare II shipwrecks and websites. However, we left having an sudden dive expertise that excited us much more…
Exploring World Warfare II Wrecks
Once I first began researching diving in Vanuatu—an island chain off the east coast of Australia—there have been just a few stand out websites that got here up repeatedly in search. The SS Coolidge shipwreck and a website known as Million Greenback Level are thought of the primary occasions. Vanuatu was a battleground between the USA and Japan through the Second World Warfare, and these two dive websites take you again to that point.
The SS Coolidge was a steam-powered cargo ship that sank in 1942, now resting at a depth of roughly 35m (115 ft). It’s a well-preserved wreckage, together with the ship’s hull, cargo holds, and scattered artefacts, offering a glimpse into the wartime historical past of the area.
Million Greenback Level earned its identify from the unbelievable quantity of apparatus and provides that had been dumped into the ocean by the US navy after the warfare. We had been shocked by the quantity of submerged jeeps, vehicles, bulldozers, forklifts and even piles of ammunition—making it in contrast to any dive website we’d ever seen earlier than.
Probably the most wonderful facet of this dive was how a lot life was stemming from the wreckage. It was a wild distinction of equipment and marine life, now working collectively as one.
That mentioned, if you wish to dive Espiritu Santo, the logical alternative is to remain in or round a city known as Luganville—the gateway to the World Warfare II relics. We determined to take a barely totally different strategy.
Travelling Sustainably
As a result of our expedition group is touring for twenty-four months, we frequently select to remain at eco-accommodations. That’s one of many some ways you possibly can journey sustainably, because the act itself places strain on the setting.
We discovered an eco-homestay known as Little Bay Bungalow, run by a beautiful lady named Marie and her household. It was the proper vacation spot—on a bay, out of the Luganville vacationer sizzling spots, surrounded by blue holes, and boasting a contemporary, tropical breakfast each morning.
In fact, there was a catch. It was a bit over an hour away from all the primary dive websites. Considering forward, we rented some tanks in Luganville as a result of we had been uncertain what the bay must supply.
From there, Marie’s household drove us up Espiritu Santo’s east coast. We stopped on the facet of the highway for contemporary coconuts, marvelled on the jungle round us, didn’t see one other automotive your entire manner, and landed at our homestay proper outdoors a small, native village known as Port Orly. Glassed off, flawless, and a reef you could possibly see from the automotive window—we had been intrigued concerning the potential of diving Little Bay upon arrival.
Donning our snorkel gear to test it out first, we swam to the coral paradise that was sitting on this lady’s entrance yard. It had by no means been dove earlier than.
Diving at Little Bay
Even at excessive tide, this website was shallow. We exited our bungalow, walked 50m (160 ft) to the seaside, and navigated round thorny rock patches to make it to the reef wall. The drop off was 7-8m (23-24 ft), however we first needed to make it over probably the most beautiful coral backyard full of wholesome varieties and a variety of fish species we couldn’t determine in any respect. And that meant we had been in 1m (3 ft) of water, laser centered on trim, ensuring to not hit a single piece of flawless coral.
We categorised this dive as average to superior, relying on the situations. There was quite a lot of navigation to contemplate, a really fragile marine setting within the shallows, and a slightly aggressive surge that repeatedly got here in at excessive tide.
There have been a lot of fascinating tunnels and passageways to swim by way of, which required considerate buoyancy. Large bommies and cabinets had been in every single place, with a lot of the marine motion taking place on prime. In brief: comfortability in surging shallows was key.
Once we surfaced previous the reef, two untouched islands had been in sight. There, we discovered a major lobster colony, parrotfish sanctuaries and bat caves on shore! When glassed off, the visibility was distinctive, and we might see the wealthy well being of this reef for precisely what it was.
It was so alive and thriving given the dearth of human interplay, taking us again to a time earlier than our species roamed the earth.
Defending the Dive Websites
Marie had made certain her bay was categorised as a protected conservation space—regardless that she had by no means been beneath the waterline herself. Provided that it’s virtually untouched, we helped Marie set up diving tips for individuals who come after us and need an opportunity to see the perfection for themselves.
That included issues reminiscent of diving responsibly (in fact), sporting the proper gear for shallow water diving, understanding the fragility of coral environments, utilizing reef-safe solar safety, to call just a few.
While you discover a dive website like this, you query sharing it. You’ll be able to both inform extra folks and run the danger of getting it impacted because of tourism. Or speak about it and assist extra folks perceive the significance of reef techniques—as they’ve an opportunity to see an alive and lively pure marvel first hand.
While you see one thing your self, and have a deep emotional connection to an expertise and place, it’s a lot simpler to digest the “why” surrounding ocean conservation.
An Unforgettable Expertise
When staying with Marie, she handled us like household. From the wholesome, home-cooked meals all coming from her plantation, to her excursions across the shoreline exhibiting us Little Bay’s land-based best hits—we not solely shaped a relationship with the reef, however together with her as effectively. We determined we needed to share our particular expertise with the Women that Scuba neighborhood.
Having an opportunity to fulfill Marie, attempt her contemporary coconuts and roll off the bed to dive this off-the-map website will certainly be a type of unforgettable experiences that you just’ll cherish for the remainder of your life. To not point out, supporting a neighborhood, woman-operated eco-homestay is important to see a spot like Vanuatu proceed to thrive. When you’ve got an opportunity to make it to the sides of earth, the spirit of Santo is definitely calling.
Thanks to the Vanuatu Tourism Workplace for supporting Andi’s expedition. Particular recognition for Jaimeen Kenni for her assist in making this doable.
Concerning the Creator
Andi Cross is a development strategist, skilled scuba diver and lead of the Edges of Earth expedition, highlighting tales of optimistic ocean progress and the right way to discover the world extra consciously. To maintain up with the expedition, comply with the group on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and their web site.
