Spent ten days on the island of Espiritu Santo in early December and it was splendid.
I stayed at the Deco Stop Lodge (nice, clean and cozy with good food and FANTASTIC view of Segond Channel) and dived with Alan Power Dive Tours - probably the best authority on the President Coolidge.
I did a package of ten dives (nine on the USS President Coolidge and one at Million Dollar Point). The Coolidge is definately what people go to Santo for and most of the dive operations cater to this. The wreck is amazing and there are so many things to see on it - varying in difficulty.
My first dive was on the promenade deck of the Coolidge and like many others, I was blown away by it's vastness. On following dives, I experienced highlights such as the "Lady Statue" and numerous places inside the wreck (including the engine room, various supplies and amunition storage areas with many items still in good condition).
From what I saw, the dive operations cater to all levels on the wreck and the guides were very experienced and helpful. It is quite easy to decend to great depths so it's vital to pay attention to your equipment and to the guides.
There was a good variety of sealife and on one dive, I was lucky enough to see a very large dugong.
Lovely place and if you love wrecks, Santo's definately worth a visit.
I stayed at the Deco Stop Lodge (nice, clean and cozy with good food and FANTASTIC view of Segond Channel) and dived with Alan Power Dive Tours - probably the best authority on the President Coolidge.
I did a package of ten dives (nine on the USS President Coolidge and one at Million Dollar Point). The Coolidge is definately what people go to Santo for and most of the dive operations cater to this. The wreck is amazing and there are so many things to see on it - varying in difficulty.
My first dive was on the promenade deck of the Coolidge and like many others, I was blown away by it's vastness. On following dives, I experienced highlights such as the "Lady Statue" and numerous places inside the wreck (including the engine room, various supplies and amunition storage areas with many items still in good condition).
From what I saw, the dive operations cater to all levels on the wreck and the guides were very experienced and helpful. It is quite easy to decend to great depths so it's vital to pay attention to your equipment and to the guides.
There was a good variety of sealife and on one dive, I was lucky enough to see a very large dugong.
Lovely place and if you love wrecks, Santo's definately worth a visit.
