Vanuatu (SS President Coolidge)
Vanuatu is an amazing island nation in the South Pacific with excellent diving. Located on the island of Espiritu Santo is the SS President Coolidge wreck. The Coolidge is a 653 foot long ship that began its life in 1931 as a luxury ocean liner, and was converted to a troop transport ship in December of 1941. In October of 1942 she hit a friendly mine while navigating the channel between islands. The captain knew the ship would sink and purposely ran the ship ashore to save the ship and crew from going down in deep water. Everyone on board was told to evacuate the ship and to leave everything on board, and that they would return at a safer time to retrieve everything off the ship. Over night the ship listed heavily to one side and slipped down the slope and sank into the channel where it lies today with everything still left inside.
The Coolidge is usually done as a shore dive and is located a surprisingly short distance off shore. There are few dive operations on the island that dive the wreck. The entire wreck is intact and in one piece. The ship sits on its side, on a slope with the bow at 21 meters and the stern at 73 meters. In order to fully enjoy the entire wreck you will need to be trained in tech diving as much of the wreck is below recreational limits. The Coolidge is great for penetration dives and is considered as one of the best wreck dives in the world. The cargo holds are still full of Jeeps, fighter planes, fighter plane drop tanks, and other equipment. The wreck is littered with rifles, gas masks, personal possessions that were left behind, plates, silverware, and countless other things to discover. There is also a lot of live ammunition on and around the wreck. The fuel and propellers were salvaged from the wreck shortly after it sank. There are numerous entry points into the wreck including some cuts into the ships side that were made in the initial salvage operation.
Their are some key dives that should not be missed when diving the Coolidge. The swimming pool towards the stern of the ship is intact and beautifully tiled. A dive to the Engine Room should be done, all the gauges and controls are still in the same position as they were when the ship was ran ashore. A dive to give "The Lady" a kiss is a must, as well as a tradition when diving the Coolidge. The Lady is a porcelain ornamental statue of a woman in a red dress on a unicorn that is found within the wreck around a depth of 39 meters. The Cargo holds are a great dive as they are still full of jeeps, and other war vehicles and equipment. The Cargo holds are also teeming with flashlight fish and make a great night dive as well. If you are trained for it, the stern is a great dive as the name of the ship is still clearly visible painted in white across the stern.
If you love wreck diving, the Coolidge is a must. It's arguably the best WW2 wreck dive outside of Truk Lagoon. Vanuatu is a great place topside as well. Loganville is a small town, and is the main town on the island. The island is still very rural, and most topside activities involve enjoying Santo's natural beauty. Visiting one of the islands fresh water blue holes is a great day trip, as is hiking up to the millennium caves. There is also a huge amount of topside world war two history to see and experience. The people of Vanuatu are very welcoming and friendly. Vanuatu has been named the happiest place on earth multiple years in a row. It has a low crime rate and is very inviting to travelers.
