Vanuatu sits off the coast of Australia as one of the South Pacific’s shiniest hidden gems. It’s a tropical paradise with sandy beaches, glorious forests and an idyllic atmosphere throughout. This tiny nation also happens to be a golden spot for divers with one of the world’s most unique diving sites - Million Dollar Point - providing a mind-bendingly brilliant experience.
The site is famed for its historical highlights as you’re taken on a journey back to World War II with an array of equipment dumped here decades ago, creating a pristine underwater museum. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime dive and Aore Adventures can help you live it with our dive charters to the site. We’re a top provider in the area and will ensure you have a world-class diving experience.
Million Dollar Point’s Historical Background
The history behind Million Dollar Point is fascinating. It’s a story of pettiness at the highest level, stemming from the US military’s surplus supply of machinery and equipment during World War II.
During the war, the US occupied the small Vanuatan island of Espiritu Santo as a supply base following the devastating Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese. It brought copious equipment and supplies to the island, building buildings and establishing roads that still exist to this day. However, when the war finally ended, the US was left with a conundrum - what do we do with all of this expensive equipment?
They didn’t want to take it home and they tried to negotiate with the British and French delegations in Vanuatu. At the time, parts of this nation were under the colonial rule of these two countries so the US tried to get money for their supplies. A fair price was offered, yet the British and French refused. It was a sneaky move as they realised the US would have to leave the items in Vanuatu anyway, so they’d get them for free.
Unfortunately, the US didn’t like that one bit. In what will go down as one of history’s biggest moments of pettiness, they dumped all of their goods into the ocean so the Brits and French couldn’t get them for free. This meant machines, vehicles and all sorts of military supplies sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Millions of dollars were lost here, hence the name “Million Dollar Point”.
They can still be seen to this day when you dive below - but the crazy thing about this was what it did to the ecosystem. The rubbish created an artificial reef, which helped spawn a thriving marine habitat. It created shelters for marine organisms and this led to proper coral reefs forming!
A Unique Diving Experience
Few places on planet Earth provide a diving experience like Million Dollar Point. It’s not every day you see the archaic remains of WW2 equipment under the ocean - and there’s so much more to expect from this adventure.
This is a highly accessible dive as it takes place from the shore and there are plenty of road links making it easy to get to. You can even stay at the Aore Adventure Lodge as part of your Aore Adventures package and we’ll take you a short boat ride across to the diving point if you wish.
The dive itself is suitable for beginners and more advanced deep-sea divers. Depths begin at around the 5m mark and you can still see a decent amount of stuff but experienced divers with the right credentials can make it down to 30m below the surface if they wish.
As you descend underwater, you see one of the craziest sites you’ll ever witness. The array of visible military equipment is unbelievable and it takes you a moment to realise it's real. You’ll see the following:
- Trucks
- Tanks
- Bulldozers
- Supply crates
- And much more!
All of these things have been surprisingly well-preserved and coral has grown all over the wreckage for a visually stunning dive. It’s awash with colours and there’s a true juxtaposition going on as you see the rusted machinery with brightly-coloured tropical fish and marine life floating around.
Aore Adventures will help you get the most out of this diving experience with our expert-guided dives and tours of the area. You’ll be in the safest hands possible as our professional team meets all the highest standards and is vastly experienced. We’ve done this dive hundreds of times over so know all the best places to give you the most amazing views.
Why Dive with Aore Adventures?
At Aore Adventures, we’re the premium provider of dive charters in Vanuatu and specialise in Million Dollar Point dives. It’s a service we’ve delivered over many years and our dive guides are vastly experienced in this specific dive and know all the right spots underwater to ensure you see everything.
This is coupled with our exceptional equipment. We use the latest diving gear and keep it well-maintained to give you the safest Vanuatu diving experience possible. Each dive typically has a ration of 2 or 4 divers to a guide, so we cater to group bookings and will keep you in check throughout. This gives you peace of mind knowing there’s one less thing to worry about and you can focus on enjoying the views!
We’re based in Vanuatu as well and our team consists of locals. We’re in the unique position to offer local expertise on everything relating to the dive - as well as friendly advice on what to do after so you can explore everything this beautiful nation has to offer.
Book A Million Dollar Point Dive Today!
Tick a special dive off your bucket list by booking a Million Dollar Point diving experience with Aore Adventures today. We offer amazing rates and will help you see the wreckages up close and marvel at the majestic marine life floating around. Click here to book with us or enquire about this dive.
