Dive sites in Vanuatu

Resting on an open sandy seabed off the coast of Espiritu Santo, this intact World War II fighter plane sits upright surrounded by coral patches. The aircraft retains its distinctive inverted gull-wing silhouette, with the engine assembly, propeller blades, and open cockpit easily visible. Soft corals and encrusting sponges have colonized the aluminum fuselage, which provides shelter for schools of small reef fish and benthic critters.

At the conclusion of World War II, departing American forces dumped millions of dollars worth of heavy machinery, vehicles, and supplies directly off the coast of Espiritu Santo. Today, the seabed features a sprawling expanse of bulldozers, cranes, trucks, forklifts, and tractor engines tumbling down a sloping bottom from the shoreline into deeper water. Encrusting corals have colonized the steel frames, transforming discarded military hardware into an artificial reef habitat.

Resting on a sloping sandy seabed off Espiritu Santo, this World War II Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber crashed during naval operations in the South Pacific. The airframe remains remarkably intact, featuring its distinctive perforated split dive flaps, radial engine block, and cockpit frame encrusted in marine growth. Sponges and hard corals colonize the aluminum surfaces, providing structure for marine organisms across an open sandy bottom.