Scuba Diving 

Aore Island and Santo offer some fantastic scuba diving, with world-famous wrecks, colourful reefs and plenty of marine life — and some great diving is right on your doorstep at Aoredise.

Wreck Diving

SS President Coolidge

The SS President Coolidge is one of the world's most famous accessible shipwrecks and a highlight of diving around Santo.

Built as a luxury liner in the 1930s, the Coolidge was converted into a troop carrier during World War II. In 1942, while entering the Segond Channel carrying more than 2,000 troops and a large amount of equipment, the ship struck a mine.

The Captain managed to run the ship aground, allowing almost everyone on board to escape before the Coolidge rolled over and slid down the reef. Today the wreck rests with the bow at around 18 metres and the stern more than 50 metres deep.

With its enormous size, intact sections and fascinating history, the Coolidge offers an incredible range of dives for experienced divers.

Million Dollar Point

At Million Dollar Point, you'll find the remains of equipment left behind after World War II, including tanks, jeeps, forklifts, tyres and other military machinery.

Over the years, the wreckage has become covered in marine life, creating a fascinating underwater site where history and nature come together.

USS Tucker

The USS Tucker is a smaller and less well-known wreck, located between Santo and Malo Islands.

The ship was damaged after striking a friendly mine and was eventually scuttled. Today the wreck lies in several sections on a sandy bottom, providing an interesting dive with plenty to explore.

Other Wrecks

There are several other wrecks and aircraft sites around Santo and the surrounding islands, including:

• Henry Bonneaud — a wreck near Bokissa Island that was deliberately scuttled as a dive site.

• MV Tui Tawaite — located in the Segond Channel.

• F4F Wildcat — an aircraft wreck in Palekula Bay.

• Corsair Fighter — located near Turtle Bay.

• Small spy plane — just off Aore Island.

Reef Diving

Cindy's Reef

Just off Aore Point, Cindy's Reef is suitable for divers of different experience levels, with depths ranging from around 7 to 30 metres.

There are coral gardens, plenty of tropical fish and schools of barracuda. On one of my first dives here, I was lucky enough to see seven juvenile manta rays cruising past.

The Submarine Nets

Also off Aore Island, the remains of the wartime Submarine Nets run from around 15 metres down to more than 40 metres.

The site also features some impressive gorgonian fan corals and plenty of marine life.

Tutuba Point

On the open southern side of Tutuba Island, Tutuba Point offers interesting gutters, coral and plenty of fish.

Bokissa Island

Bokissa Island offers good reef diving around the island, as well as the Henry Bonneaud wreck.

Diving at Aoredise

You don't always have to travel far to find something interesting underwater.

The Segond Channel directly in front of Aoredise has coral and marine life to explore, including large star corals and the Crane Wreck, the remains of a crane from a World War II vessel.

There are many more dive sites around Santo and the surrounding islands — plenty to keep keen divers busy during a stay at Aoredise.