The Main Draw Card: SS President Coolidge
The main draw card in Espiritu Santo is the behemoth that is the S.S. President Coolidge. It's worth spending at least two days exploring this enormous wreck.
Some divers travel to Espiritu Santo, or even Vanuatu, just to dive the Coolidge, and spend the best part of the week doing so: starting with an orientation dive, then working their way down to the engine room and the stern, the wreck's deepest point.
Day 1 Meet the Coolidge
SS President Coolidge Orientation Dive
Before you enter the water, your dive guide will give a detailed briefing, sharing the history of this world-famous wreck, how it came to rest here and the ship's layout.
The orientation dive starts with a swim above the starboard hull, which is half covered in coral. Look closely and you will notice the portholes along it. Then you go a bit deeper, likely meeting Nessie along the way, an enormous moray eel that calls this part of the ship home. Your dive will then take you past a row of toilets and a pile of neatly stacked munitions before you ascend and pass over the hull to the safety stop among a colourful anemone garden.
SS President Coolidge – Cargo Hold No. 1 and 2
This dive usually starts in the larger of the two forward cargo holds, where you will come across a long Tom cannon, a 155mm howitzer and various WWII artefacts. At 30 metres, you'll see a number of jeeps in the dark alcoves, still in great condition considering their age, and in one of the alcoves, a barber's chair.
Cargo Hold No. 2 also makes for a rather incredible night dive. Swim to the rear of the hold, turn off your lights and watch the spectacular show put on by the flashlight fish.
Day 2 The Lady and Million Dollar Point
SS President Coolidge – The Lady
The Lady is a porcelain bas relief and the iconic jewel of the SS President Coolidge. It used to grace the wooden walls of the first-class smoking room on the promenade deck, but when the promenade deck collapsed several years ago, local divers organised a rescue mission to restore it and re-install it in the first-class dining room.
Make your way along the starboard side, drop down through the midship sea door, through the lobby and into the first-class dining saloon. Swim to the other end of the room, taking in the ambient light from the double portholes, and give The Lady a kiss for good luck.
As you ascend, stop to look at some of the WWII artefacts laid on the hull, which include coral-encrusted rifles, gas masks and Coca-Cola bottles.
Million Dollar Point
At the end of World War II, the U.S. forces had a dilemma. They had shipped millions of dollars' worth of equipment here over the course of the Pacific War, with no easy way to get it back home. Nobody wanted to (or had the money to) buy it, and they didn't want to simply give it away. So, they scuttled it. Jeeps, tractors, cranes and various other large pieces of infrastructure now litter the steep slope from the shoreline into the lagoon.
Schools of juvenile fish have found a home here, and the nooks and crannies are a macro-lover's dream, with colourful nudibranchs and feather stars. But it's the spoils of war that truly make this dive site intriguing.
Day 3 Reefs and Drifts
Tutuba Point
This beautiful reef is on the eastern point of Tutuba Island, at the entrance to the Segond Canal. On the reef top you'll find fields of magnificent plate corals, before you descend to explore winding gullies, swim-throughs and caverns decorated with an endless variety of soft and hard corals. Off into the blue you'll see schools of barracuda going about their business and, occasionally, eagle rays and reef sharks.
Fan Garden, Aore Island
A few metres off the beach on Aore Island, this drift dive has to be seen to be believed. You'll feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland as you drift with the current through a forest of seriously enormous sea fans. Sometimes called 'Aore Wall', the shallows are home to nudibranchs, anemones and a variety of WWII artefacts, and if you're lucky you might also spot a colourful mantis shrimp. It's a great site for photographers looking to practise their macro skills, or for those who want to let the current do the work.
Day 4 USS Tucker and Mal Mal Reefs
USS Tucker
The USS Tucker, another WWII casualty, hit a (friendly) mine that split the ship in two. It sits on a white, sandy bottom in clear water, close to the mouth of the channel between Aore Island and the main island of Espiritu Santo.
Schools of snapper and jacks circle the exterior, and under the wreckage you'll find huge gatherings of tiny glassfish in the smaller cavities. Batfish, angelfish and coral trout populate the larger overhangs. Purple soft corals cling to parts of the engine, winches and superstructure, while sea fans brighten the darker parts of the deck and hull.
Mal Mal Reefs
This pristine reef system surrounds an uninhabited tropical island not far from the wreck of the USS Tucker. It is known for schools of bigeye trevally, giant trevally, dogtooth tuna and barracuda. In the shallows, meander around huge coral bommies and small caverns filled with lobsters and macro life, or head a little deeper to the edge of the reef, where the wall starts at around 25 metres. In the blue, you're likely to see various species of reef sharks, rays and the odd turtle.
Optional Extra Dive
MV Henry Bonneaud
The MV Henry Bonneaud lies off Espiritu Santo and has become a thriving artificial reef since being scuttled in the 1980s. Divers can explore its upright hull resting on the sandy bottom, where schools of trevally, tuna and barracuda patrol the wreck. Coral growth covers the decks and cabins, attracting turtles, reef sharks and rays, while glassfish and sweepers fill the sheltered spaces inside. With dramatic swim-throughs and vibrant marine life encounters, it is one of Santo's signature wreck dives.
The Corsair
The Corsair wreck rests upright on a sandy seabed near Espiritu Santo, offering divers a rare chance to explore a fully intact WWII fighter plane. At around 30 metres depth, the aircraft’s wings, propeller, and cockpit remain clearly visible, while schools of trevally, tuna, and barracuda circle the site. Coral growth has begun to cover the fuselage, attracting reef fish, turtles, and the occasional shark or ray. With excellent visibility and striking historical value, the Corsair is both a fascinating dive and a living reef, making it one of Santo’s most memorable underwater experiences.
