We've asked some of the key journalists who've travelled the world and visited Vanuatu to share with us their favourite experiences. Deb from Diveplanit shares with us her three most memorable #vanuatumoments throughout Vanuatu.
The Coolidge - Espiritu Santo
The wreck of the SS President Coolidge pretty much put Vanuatu on the (scuba diving) map. One of the largest wrecks in the world, some divers are happy to spend an entire week exploring its many nooks and crannies.
For me, the magical moment was the sight of flashlight fish in Cargo Hold #2. As we enter the ship's cavernous interior, we switch off our torches, blinking to adjust our eyes and wait in complete darkness. Within a few moments, we see hundreds of tiny lights, blinking in the darkness, like stars in the night sky. The Coolidge is full of hidden treasures like this, from old medicine bottles hidden deep in the ship's surgery, to resident moray eel Nessie.
Semele Federesen - Port Vila
The Semele Federesen was an inter-island trading vessel. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much of the wreck of the Semel Federesen. It's not as well-known as Vanuatu's WWII wrecks, and without the dramatic history. Scuttled in 1985, it slipped to its rather deep position two years later during Cyclone Uma, resting on a sandy bottom at a depth of 38 to 55m.
The first thing I notice after jumping in is how clear the water is, and just the perfect shade of deep blue. The site is famous for its visibility, which sometimes reaches 50m. Thirsty metres below me, I can see the whole vessel, tiny divers swimming around the deck. Up close, the wreck is brought to life by vibrant soft corals and giant sea fans in shades of red, orange, pink and yellow. It's spectacular.
Blue Holes - Tanna
My most magical underwater moment in Tanna, possibly in the whole of Vanuatu, was my first dive off the end of the long jetty at White Grass Ocean Resort. Diving into a shallow basin dotted with florets of coral, I follow my dive guide into a small opening in the rock through a narrow tunnel that winds its way to the reef drop. As we emerge from the darkness of the tunnel, we're surrounded by large schools of bright blue fuseliers darting up and down the coral wall, the sunlight dappling our underwater vista.
We continue to weave through a labyrinth of gullies and swim-throughs, blue holes with sunlight piercing through narrow openings above, and each one opening up into a shallow basin filled with enormous outcrops of coral of all shapes, textures and colours, like an underwater secret garden.