Vanuatu Trip Report, Feb 2007

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I just returned from Vanuatu at the end of February, and here’s what I found…

January through March is the hot, rainy season, although it wasn’t as hot as I expected it to be (80-90F, 30C). Breezes kept things tolerable most of the time, only when it rained – and that was often, but not usually for very long – and the wind stopped did it get truly sultry. Most of the hotels and resorts were half empty or more, so if you’re looking for a good deal this may be the time of the year to go. English is spoken, or at least a pidgin version of it, so there’s no problem booking things on-the-fly or over the phone. Water temperatures were bath-water warm, 85F (29C) near shore, cooler at depth. Most people dove in 3mm full wetsuits or shorties, and some thicker-skinned divers went just in bathing suits. There’s a few stingers in the water, nothing to be worried about, but I occasionally swam into something invisible that later caused welts, and that was good enough reason for me to wear a wetsuit.

The water is drinkable in most areas. Malaria is endemic, prophylaxis is recommended. Plan ahead, as some malaria tablets may require you to start a week in advance. Consider bringing a mosquito net, even if you’re staying in a hotel or resort area. Roads are generally unpaved outside of the cities, and the veneer of civilization can be very thin. If you’re an armchair anthropologist, this is the place for you! Many people still live in simple grass huts, and some villagers only wear grass skirts or penis sheathes made of leaves. Pentecost island is the home of land diving (later to become bungy jumping, courtesy of A.J. Hackett), celebrating the yearly yam harvest – that occurs sometime later in the year, May or June, so I missed it. Tanna island has the John Frum cargo cultists. It’s all good fun and the Ni-Vanuatu (what people from Vanuatu are called) are happy to take you around and show off their islands and way of life. Everyone was friendly, especially when they found out I was an American… which was refreshing, for a change.

Apparently Americans are a bit of a novelty here. The capital city, Port Vila, is only a 2-3 hour flight directly from either Brisbane or Auckland, and Aussies in particular take advantage of the proximity. Most of the travelers I met were either Kiwis or Aussies, with a few Japanese and Europeans sprinkled in. Prices for food are high, with simple lunches being about $10US, a nice dinner around $15-20US, and local Tusker beer $4 at most restaurants. Mid-priced resorts are about $75-$100US a day for single occupancy, but remember that I was there during the low season. You could probably get better prices if you walked in off the street and asked for a deal. I visited three islands: the main one, Efate; remote Tanna; and Espiritu Santo. My 3-hour flight originated in Auckland, New Zealand. Flights are also available from Nadi, Fiji, and Honiara, Solomon Islands, so adventurous or deep-pocketed divers may be able to combine Vanuatu with other destinations. The trip was somewhat impromptu for me and I admit I wasn’t totally prepared (i.e., the only scuba gear I brought was my dive computer – big mistake, as you will see), but set out to explore the place and find some good diving…

Part 1: Hideaway Island Resort, near Port Vila

There aren’t a whole lot of reviews on the web about diving in Vanuatu, the best source turned out to be some Aussie bulletin boards (with a nod to almitywife’s reviews on ScubaBoard, which I must have read about a dozen times). The Aussies who reviewed Hideaway either love it or hate it, there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. This was puzzling before I went but now I understand…

The resort is located on its own island, and a small boat takes guests back and forth to the nearby beach. It’s about a 15 drive from downtown Port Vila. The short story is that, for families who just want a quick, safe snorkeling vacation, this is probably a good bet. The resort is kid-friendly, the staff is cheerful and friendly, and there’s some okay snorkeling right off shore. The high point of every day was dinner – which was excellent. There are three classes of lodging: the dorm house, the “lodge” with individual rooms but shared bathroom, and separate bungalows. I stayed in the lodge.

The reason some reviewers pan the place is that there are a lot of maintenance issues that need attention. There’s work going on, but it all appears to be directed toward the construction of new bungalows. The individual bungalows are nice and would be the preferred place to stay. But the lodge rooms are in need of help (ripped screens, ants, etc). Especially appalling are the shared lodge bathrooms. I tolerated that for a few days until I found the dorm bunkhouse, which is rather nice for people on a tight budget – it was empty except for one backpacker while I was there – and has bathrooms that are simple but clean and functional. I kept the room in the lodge, but walked over to the dorm house to use the toilet or shower.

In a small defense of the resort, I had long conversations with a couple of the new co-owners about the state of things. Most of the talk was centered on the diving and rental equipment (more on that below), but I also mentioned the maintenance problems. They are making a sincere attempt to improve things. Most of the problems were simple stuff that would be easy to fix. Overall, the place has the potential to be a high-class establishment, and that appears to be their objective. But they have a long way to go.

The rental scuba gear was in inexcusably bad condition. I could go through a list of all the problems I experienced – cracked hoses, torn mouthpieces, corroded sinter filters, leaking tank valves, etc – but the bottom line is that, in its current state, their gear is dangerous and should not be used. When I pointed out a problem they were responsive and happily corrected it, but I shouldn’t have to do that. They say new stuff is “on order”, but until you start hearing more positive reports serious divers should bring their own gear.

There’s a lot of diving around Port Vila, some of it very good. It’s pretty diving, with simple reefs and lots of tropical fish. There are several shipwrecks in the area as well, at least one purposely sank as a reef. The reefs are mostly hard corals, and much of it is alive and healthy. There was very little current or surge, visibility averaging about 60ft (20m) on most of my dives, and only a little surface chop from the afternoon breezes. The dive sites are about 5 to 20 minutes away by slow boat, and Hideaway Resort goes out three times a day, weather permitting, regardless of the number of divers. On many dives I was the only guest on the boat.

The reef off of Hideaway Island is supposedly the only protected reef in Vanuatu, although it sounds like the protection has no teeth and is largely just a cooperative agreement between the resorts, the local villagers, and the government. I didn’t see much in the way of bigger sea life, at least nothing bigger than about 24 inches (60cm). No lobsters, no crabs, and only one small eel. It was almost as if the reef had been picked clean of anything edible. There are more dive sites around Port Vila and the island of Efate that I didn’t get to, so it may be different elsewhere. YMMV. Still, if you’re looking for easy, warm water diving, this is a good area.

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Part 2: Tanna Island

Tanna is the southern-most island in Vanuatu and somewhat remote, but has a modern airstrip and daily flights. Beyond the airport there are no paved roads and very little in the way of services, although some resorts do take credit cards, usually with a 5% surcharge over cash. There is no dive operation on Tanna, but the fringing reef looks beautiful. If you’re one of the first divers there when a dive operation does open, color me jealous.

I went to Tanna for two nights with one purpose in mind: seeing the active Yasur volcano. This was, again, almost an afterthought to the trip, but WOW am I glad I did it. The volcano is active, exploding lava every minute or two, and nothing short of terrifying. I loved it. Access is by 4-wheel drive vehicle, about 6 hours round trip from the other side of the island, with a short hike to the crater rim at sunset (the molten lava is most visible after dark).

My lodgings were Evergreen bungalows, near the airport. Simple thatched huts with a view of the water, individual bathrooms and mossie nets over the beds. Recommended, although this kind of accommodation may not be for everyone – bugs in the rooms are a fact of life. Tasty, good meals are available, and tours of anything and everything can be arranged after you arrive. If you’re there for only a short time, I suggest doing things sooner rather than later because heavy rains can wash out roads for days at a time and may make some places – like the volcano – inaccessible. If you want to visit a John Frum village, do some research before booking your flight to find out what days they’re open for visits.

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Part 3: Decostop Lodge, Espiritu Santo

The island of Espiritu Santo was a major military base for US forces during WWII. There are still the remains of airfields and bunkers scattered around the island, and some WWII-era Quonset huts are still in use in the main town of Luganville.

Luganville itself has all the charm of a rusty oil drum. Residents may disagree, but that’s my opinion. It’s about 6 blocks of variety stores, all run by Chinese, and all selling the same items. There are three ATMs in town. Outside the ‘city’ it’s actually pretty nice. I didn’t see a whole lot of the island, but what I did see was pleasant, in a dirt-road tropical sort of way. Kind of like how Maui used to be, say, 40 years ago.

I stayed at the Decostop Lodge, on the bluff above town. Recommended. The ex-Aussie proprietor, Cathie, is gregarious and fun, keeping the guests entertained and attending to their needs. She occasionally joins people on dives of the USS Coolidge, the WWII wreck that is the main draw here. The resort itself is a simple sort of hotel, with a pool and combination bar/restaurant. Meals are generous and yummy; there are also a few restaurants in town (10-15 minute walk, taxi recommended), although I can’t vouch for the quality of them. Most of the guests while I was there were Aussies, and I suspect this is normally the case.

I also visited Aore Resort just for lunch, on Aore Island across the water from Luganville. This is more what people think of when they think of the tropics: bungalows on the water with a beach and palm trees. I liked the place and would consider staying there as well. A small water taxi goes back and forth four times a day. The logistics are a little more difficult if you want to go diving, but the local dive operations are glad to have the business and will pick-up and drop you off at the ferry dock at the right times if you want to go diving.

My diving was through Allan Power Dive Tours, which I heartily recommend despite the hoards of divers they accommodate (even in the off-season) and general frenzy every morning. They’ll pick you up where every you’re staying. Dives were nominally 4500vatu/dive (~$45US) for the first 1-6 dives, less if you do more diving, and full rental gear is 1500vatu/dive (~$15US). Package diving deals are available, usually arranged in advance. Night dives are available on request, also highly recommended. I did have some problems with a rental regulator, but they took it out of service and apologized – and overall, their gear was well serviced, if a bit beat-up from the kind of diving they do. Having said that, I longed for my own gear because of the type of diving that is done there. Read on…

There are a few other interesting dives on ‘Santo’ besides the Coolidge. I dove a local blue hole (Matevulu) and loved it, even though there was nothing much to see except unusually clear, fresh water, a few moldy coconuts, and some small snails with really nasty spikes growing from their shells. Even if you don’t dive it, it’s good for a fun swim. Million-Dollar Point, a dumping site for an amazing quantity of WWII equipment, was also a worthwhile shore dive, although I don’t know how interesting it would be after the initial novelty wears off. There’s tons of equipment there, but very little coral actually growing on it. My thought was that it would make an interesting night dive.

Now, about the USS Coolidge. The short story is that it’s one of the largest (if not The Largest) passenger shipwreck in the world, which struck two friendly mines while entering the harbor during WWII. The captain wisely grounded the ship, allowing virtually all of the 5000 troops being transported on board to escape to land. A short time later the ship sank, taking with it… well, everything. Supplies, guns, ammunition, heavy equipment, the works. What’s left today is an amazing shore dive shipwreck, with everything still on board. The bow is in about 60ft (20m) of water where it was grounded, and the stern is at 220ft (68m). This is the main diving attraction on Espiritu Santo, and most of the dives occur here because this is where everyone wants to go. Allan Power owns the best access point to the wreck; it can probably also be done as a boat dive, but it’s not really necessary.

Water temperatures were very warm on the surface but cooler below; I recommend a wetsuit and gloves because of the dive times involved, the depth, and the likelihood of scraping against some rusty piece of the ship. No surge but a little current, depending on the tides. Visibility for my dives was lousy, maybe 30-40ft max. The entry may require a long walk over sand and rocks, booties are almost a necessity. The wreck itself is silty, but has only a small amount of coral growing on it.

Okay, this is where I ‘till the waters’ a bit (i.e., piss in the pool). My objective here is not necessarily to criticize or pass judgment on the kind of diving being done, but to let you know what you’re in for if you go here…

First off, the dive masters for Allan Power Dive Tours have dived the wreck oh, say, a thousand times each. They’re good. They’d better be. This is deep diving, generally beyond the normal range of recreational diving. While the wreck starts at 60ft (20m), most of the interesting stuff is well below 130ft (40m). The morning dive is typically a decompression dive. Most days there’s only two dives a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon because everyone needs long surface intervals to off-gas. Okay, got the picture? Now, add in that they’re often doing wreck penetrations. On my third dive on the Coolidge we did a decompression wreck penetration dive to the engine room (150ft/45m) on a single AL80 tank of air. I was not comfortable with this (oh what an understatement!). Surprisingly, most of the other divers I saw seemed to be okay with this sort of diving, even as they ran out of air and ended up sucking off the DM’s octo until they reached the staged tanks at the deco stop. Uh, hello?

I suggest bringing your own gear and come equipped for tech diving. Manifolded double tanks are available but you may have to arrange it ahead of time. Most of their tanks are yoke-style, some have DIN valves with the removable yoke inserts. I could go on for a while about the problems I experienced on one dive and what happened (regulator failure), but suffice it say that this only emphasized the importance of having the right equipment and diving within your abilities. You’ll see other things here too that may raise an eyebrow, like computers “decompressing” at the deco stop while the owner has already gone to the surface, or divers going to the stern (220ft/68m) on a single tank of air. (What did sergeant Shultz used to say in Hogan’s Heroes? “I know nothinnnng!” The nearest recompression chamber is a 45 minute flight away in Port Vila.)

If you can get past all that and like the idea of deep wreck diving, this is Mecca. There’s enough on this one wreck to satisfy most divers for an entire week, exploring the ship and all its history.


Part 4: Vanuatu vs. Fiji

Inevitably, people seem to ask how Vanuatu diving compares with Fiji since they’re both in the same part of the world. Comparing locations is always dangerous because experiences can vary so greatly from day to day. But damn the torpedoes, I’m going to rile people up and give you my opinions!

Some of the reviews I’ve read say they preferred Vanuatu diving, and in fact a couple Aussies I talked with during this trip say they weren’t impressed with Fiji. My response was, Huh? Digging a little deeper, they said they went to Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands and the Coral Coast on the south side of Viti Levu, nowhere else. Ah ha. Well that explains some of it.

IMO, the best parts of Fiji, especially Nananui-Ra and the Somosomo Straits (Taveuni) are a knock-out, and for sheer variety of critters, underwater topography, and reef beauty are much better than anything I saw in Vanuatu. Those parts of Fiji are also a lot more challenging diving, with high currents and swells, which are what’s feeding the nice reefs. Other parts of Fiji might be more comparable with dive sites around Port Vila in Vanuatu.

One positive aspect of Vanuatu is that many places do three dives a day, whereas most of the places I stayed at in Fiji were limited to two dives each day because of afternoon windiness. For wreck diving, however, the USS Coolidge is unique; I don’t know of any wrecks around Fiji that can match that.

Likewise, if you’re after 5-star resorts and posh accommodation, Fiji has the infrastructure to support it. On the other hand, you’d have to go pretty far out on Fiji to find the cultural experiences that are commonly available on Vanuatu. It just depends on what you’re after.

And there it is.