Is Espiritu Santo good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 1 of the 7 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Coral Gardens. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Espiritu Santo?

The water is usually between 24 °C and 28 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Espiritu Santo?

Divers regularly see leopard (zebra) sharks, reef sharks, turtles, barracuda, trevally and nudibranchs.

Espiritu Santo

Diving in Vanuatu

7 documented dive sites, 1 of them for Open Water divers. Known for leopard (zebra) sharks, reef sharks and turtles.

Good months: All year
Water: 24–28 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced, Technical

When to go

Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.

Pick a month

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

Espiritu Santo in October

Good season

Sea: 28 °C; at the surface
Air: 29 °C; 22 °C at night
Rain: 270 mm; average for the year
Wind: 7 km/h; on average

Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.

Diving is good all year, with no off-season; the Dec–Mar rainy season is not reported to affect visibility.

Source: vanuatu.travel

Dive sites in Espiritu Santo

From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m1 site

Reef

down to 10 m

Coral Gardens

A gentle 5-10 m coral reef beside the Coolidge, used for intro dives and novice Open Water divers and as the wreck's final deco stop.

Open Water

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m4 sites

Drift

down to 30 m

Cindy's Reef

A reef off Aore Island, from 5 to 30 m, with clownfish colonies near the drop-off.

Advanced
Clownfish

Wreck

down to 50 m

Million Dollar Point

A WWII dumping ground for jeeps, trucks and bulldozers left by the US forces.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 24 m

USS Tucker

A 100 m WWII destroyer split by a US mine in 1942, with coral-covered gun mounts, swim-throughs and batfish.

Advanced
Rays

Drift

down to 25 m

Tutuba Point

A drift to 25 m off the tip of Tutuba Island, with caves, swim-throughs and frequent Napoleon wrasse, turtles and reef sharks.

Advanced
Reef sharks

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m1 site

Wreck

down to 49 m

MV Henry Bonneaud

A local trader scuttled in 1989, to a max of 45 m, and a night dive known for abundant flashlight fish.

Experienced
Turtles

Technical and specialty dives

1 site

Wreck

down to 70 m

SS President Coolidge

A converted luxury liner sunk by a friendly mine in WWII, lying from 21 to 70 m, home to a resident moray called Nessie.

Technical
Nudibranchs

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Reported here, season not documented yet:

Leopard (zebra) sharks
Reef sharks
Turtles
Barracuda
Trevally
Nudibranchs
Batfish
Flashlight fish
Lionfish
Moray eels
Napoleon wrasse
Blacktip reef sharks
Whitetip reef sharks
Eagle rays

Where is Espiritu Santo?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Espiritu Santo (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Espiritu Santo: frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Espiritu Santo?: Espiritu Santo can be dived all year round. Diving is good all year, with no off-season; the Dec–Mar rainy season is not reported to affect visibility.
Is Espiritu Santo good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 1 of the 7 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Coral Gardens. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Espiritu Santo?: The water is usually between 24 °C and 28 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Espiritu Santo?: Divers regularly see leopard (zebra) sharks, reef sharks, turtles, barracuda, trevally and nudibranchs.

About this page

Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash