Espirito Santo

Why you'd visit Espiritu Santo

  • Champagne beachBeautiful white sand beaches
  • Amazing blue holes
  • Caves
  • World renowned diving and snorkelling.
  • While Santo is a Mecca for dive enthusiasts it also offers breathtaking sightseeing for non-divers.
  • Days can be spent lazing on vacant white sand beaches, snorkelling and kayaking in the crystal clear blue water.
  • Trekking through untouched rainforest
  • Cultural experience

Espiritu Santo is the largest of Vanuatu’s islands (4,010 km2) with a range of interesting things to do. During World War II 100,000 allied troops and support staff were stationed in Santo.

Remnants of this time including the SS President Coolidge, a 22,000 Tonne luxury liner turned troopship which sunk just of shore, have become world renowned dive sites.

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Divers and snorkelers can explore ship wrecks and sites like Million Dollar Point where thousands of tonnes of war surplus were dumped in the ocean by the US, as well as amazing coral reefs and blue holes joined by underground caverns.

Getting there

Air Vanuatu

AirVanuatu makes the 45 minute trip from Port Vila to Espiritu Santo several times daily. Direct flights are available twice a week from Brisbane and once a week from Sydney through Air Vanuatu.

When flying from Vila to Santo, the right hand side of the plane normally gives a great view of Efate and the islands between Vila and Santo. On the left you'll get a good view of Santo as you approach.

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Accommodation

There is a range of accommodation on Espiritu Santo Island. Two places we've visited and highly recommend are:

Deco Stop Lodge: Mid range, very comfortable accomodation with good food - the three egg breakfast omelette is a top start to the day, Ben and Kim are wonderful hosts. [more]

Aore Island: Top end accomodation, wonderful grounds and private bungalows. Sensational meals and friendly staff. [more]

Transport

There’s no bus service on the island but there are a few local taxis and a car hire place in Luganville. If you’re taking a taxi agree on a price before you get underway.

Fishing

There are some excellent charter operators at Santo and the daily catch can include anything from blue/black/striped marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi , wahoo, spanish mackerel, sailfish, dogtooth tuna, coral trout, job fish and red bass to a myriad of tropical reef species. We fished with Ben at Deco Stop and had a fantastic day out [more]

Diving & snorkelling

Dive and snorkel at some of the world’s most amazing sites including Million Dollar Point, the SS President Coolidge, USS Tucker, Blue Holes, coral reefs and more.

SS President Coolidge
Aore Island diveConsidered by many divers to be the best wreck dive in the world, the SS President Coolidge was a luxury passenger liner converted to a troop carrier during WWII.

While entering the Santo harbour she was hit by friendly mines, and today, provides divers with a remarkable underwater playground.

Almost completely intact, you can swim through the numerous holds and decks viewing the reminders of her glorious days as a cruise liner and the remnants of her days as a troop ship.

There are guns, cannons, jeeps, helmets, trucks and personal supplies left by some of the soldiers, as well as the beautiful porcelain statue of “The Lady,” chandeliers and a mosaic tile fountain.

The wreck is covered in coral and is the home to a wide rangeof sea life such including turtles, barracuda, lion fish, and a host of reef fish. You’ll need around 10 to 15 dives to see the whole wreck as the Coolidge is 200m in length and the depth ranges from 22 to 75m but one or two dives will give you a good idea of just how good this wreck is..

Diving in SantoMillion Dollar Point
At the end of WWII, thousands of tons of US military equipment was dumped into the sea. Named for its worth, there are a multitude of bulldozers, cranes, fork lifts, and trucks piled upon one another in this unique dive site.

Cindy’s Reef
A beautiful and relaxing drift dive over a bed of bright, colourful coral and an abundance of fish life. Divers see a tremendous variety of staghorn corals, large plate corals and the “potato head” coral which is unlike anything you’ve seen before. There is also an abundance of fish life and turtles and sharks are often spotted.

SS Tucker
Struck by friendly mines, the SS Tucker is a US Destroyer resting in about 20 metres of water. The wreck is spread along the sea bed making it possible to swim from stern to bow stopping at "wreck bombies" along the way.

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Tui Tawate
Famous New Zealand tug that served in the rescue efforts of the 1968 sinking of the Wahine Ferry in Wellington before being used for oil salvage on the SS President Coolidge. She now rests fully upright in a beautiful sand flat with fantastic fish life and gorgeous coral growth including sea pens!

Fishing in SantoChails Reef
A dive not to be missed, this is one of the most stunning reef dives in all of Vanuatu. This protected dive site ensures calm waters, little to no current and crystal clear visibility. You’ll see an amazing variety of coral and this is a great dive for spotting crayfish, turtles and sharks.

Tutuba Point
This dive site has it all — caves, swim throughs, chasms, crayfish, and an abundance of spectacular hard and soft corals that seem to go on forever. Incredible visibility makes this a fantastic reef dive.

Aore Plane
A pretty reef dive where the wreckage of a small 2-seater spy plane rests. Among the reef, you’ll also find ammunition, Coke bottles and other signs of America’s military presence here during WWII.

Swimming and snorkelling in VanuatuSub Nets
Large chain nets ran the length of the channel from Santo Island to Aore Island to block submarines during the war. The nets were collapsed after the war, and a reef has been growing on them ever since. There are beautiful hard corals and gorgonian fans at this site.

For dive information contact Allan Powers Tours [more]

Beaches and swimming

Lonoc, Golden Beach and Champagne beach have picnic spots. Entry is charged so enquire with your hotel or tour guide. Spend time relaxing or enjoying a picnic on the bare white sand beaches.

Kayak from island to island enjoying the crystal clear blue water for which Santo has become renowned. Many of the resorts have kayaks available.

Other attractions

Blue HolesOn the way to Lonnoc and Champagne Beaches are the ‘Blue Holes’ Crystal clear fresh water comes to the surface through layers of limestone and coral producing water of the most amazing blue.
Millennium Cave about an hours drive from Luganville is this 50metre high cave complete with bats, stalactites, stalagmites and water sculptured rocks. During the trek you can swim in waterfalls, take time out for a picnic in a tropical rainforest and swim down the river through a tropical gorge.
Vatthe/Big Bay Conservation Area or Loru Rainforest Protected Area for is a day trip for exceptional bird watching and nature tours amongst pristine rainforest.
3-5 day treks to experience the landscape and stay with local villages are an option- check with the local tourist office
Horse treks at Belmol Horse Paradise, Santo’s largest cattle property. This horse riding tour will take you to endless white sand beaches, fresh and saltwater lagoons, stunning farmland and natural valleys.

Fishing bite times Fishing bite times

Major Bites

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Major Bites

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