Whether about water temperature or hire gear, here are some of the questions we get asked most frequently. Should you have any more, please contact us and we'll do our best to answer them.

EQUIPMENT

What sort of wetsuits will we need?
We dive in 3 mm steamers all year round. If you feel the cold, we recommend a vest under the steamer.

What type of equipment do you hire out?
Aqualung Titan regulators, Seaquest BCDs, 3 mm steamer wetsuits, fins, booties and Underwater Kinetics torches. Our regs and BCDs were purchased recently. We also have Nitrox.

What sort of tanks do your guests dive with?
We use Aluminium  95 cu ft tanks with K and DIN valves, and we have plenty of them and if you use twins that's no problem.

Do you provide hire gear, and do you have any plans for installing nitrox?
We purchased brand new sets of hire gear in 1999. It's very important with this type of diving that equipment is in excellent condition and that people are comfortable with it. We do offer nitrox - for use at the moment at the deco stops whereby we build in more safety to our existing dive practices.

THE DIVES

How many dives do your clients usually do on the Coolidge and other sites?
As there is so much to see on the Coolidge, divers do anything from a couple of dives to packages of ten or more - on the Coolidge alone. Million dollar point is popular and we go to other sites depending on customer demand.

How many people does one guide lead during the dives?
Numbers vary with group sizes. Average group sizes are 2 - 4 divers. The largest group you would probably dive with would comprise of one guide with five divers. Exclusive guides can be booked.

How many dives can we do a day?
Due to the depths of the average dive on the Coolidge, we recommend no more than two dives per day.

What safety/decompression stops do you use?
Stops are conservative; your dive guide will inform you what stops are required for your dives.

Why are shore dives preferable to boat dives for the Coolidge?
Because we've made shore dives here so easy - more convenient in fact than boat dives. From your pick-up, it is a 10 minute drive down to the dive site. There, in a purpose-built area, you can gear up without getting sand all over your equipment. From there, it is a short walk out for the dive. The water is normally flat and calm, but for those times when there is a swell coming in, we've built a wall which will shelter you as you walk out. The wall has a metal railing to hold onto and space to put cameras etc. as you put your fins on.

What is the water temperature?
Varies with the season, between 26 and 32 degrees C.

Do you offer boat dives?
We have a customised dive boat giving people the option of diving sites in addition to the Coolidge. It also makes some of the deeper penetration dives more accessible for people with a lot of equipment. The boat is a nine meter (30 feet) aluminium boat with an inboard Volvo 230 hp. She takes 14 divers comfortably. There's easy access in and out of the water.

What's the deepest dive and what do you see there?
There is a code of practice adhered to by all Santo dive operators which states that the maximum depth of any dive will be 60 meters (198 feet). You can get to 60 meters on the stern, here you get a great view and a good feeling for the size of the ship.

What's a typical day's diving?
In the morning, around 8 am, we pick up divers and take them to the site or wharf. All the tanks will be in place at the dive site or on the boat. Larger groups will be split into smaller groups with an experienced dive guide giving a thorough briefing which includes safety procedures.  After the morning dive, everyone is invited back to Allan's for a drink and some buns (cakes). Here you can talk about the dives or ask questions. Allan's house is like a small museum - he's collected artefacts as well as books and old photos of the Coolidge. Divers are then dropped off at their accomodation. We pick them up for the afternoon dives around 2.00 - 2.15 and drop them off after the dive. Night dives commence at 6.00, with pick ups from 5.30.

What visibility can we expect?
Anything from 10 -30 meters (33 -100 feet). Visibility inside the wreck is usually good.

GENERAL

How many times has Allan dived the Coolidge?
He's done over 15,000 dives with an estimated bottom time on the Coolidge of one and a-half years! He has taken over 20,000 divers to the Lady alone. He's got a vast knowledge of the Coolidge.

Does Allan still dive?
Yes, very much so. He might take you down to see the Lady or perhaps you would see him during your safety stops as he works on the Coral Garden.

Do you offer courses?
Yes, we have two instructors who can train from open water to wreck speciality, advanced, rescue diver right through to divemaster. We often mix in training and pleasure dives.

VANUATU

Where can we change money in Santo?
In Santo, there is an ANZ bank in town, the Sports Club also changes money at a good rate.

Where is the nearest hyperbaric chamber?
Santo general hospital had a new chamber installed in 1999.

How do we get to Vanuatu?
Fly into Port Vila, then on to Santo with VanAir. A new International Airport has been built in Santo, but currently there are no direct International flights. For information on flight schedules, please visit Pacific Blue (Virgin) and Air Vanuatu.

My partner doesn't dive - are there lots of things for him to do while I'm diving?
There's plenty for him to do. He could always come along with us and snorkel above the coral garden or we could teach him how to dive. Alternatively, he could visit:

• Fanafo custom village
• Visit to Golden Beach - picnic and swimming
• WWII History tour -  visit historic sites
• Pekoa Bay Beach - swim and relax
• Riri Riri River - canoeing and visit to blue hole
• Vil Vil Custom Village - culture and tradition of Ni-Vanuatu people
• Millennium Cave - trekking adventure not for the faint-hearted

What sort of climate does Vanuatu have?
The climate ranges from oceanic tropical to sub-tropical in south; November to April hot and wet, with occasional hurricanes; temperature range 16 to 33 degrees Celsius; and, average rainfall ranges from 225 centimetres in south to 387.5 centimetres in north.

What languages do the locals (Ni-Vanuatu) speak?
Bislama (a type of pidgeon english), French and English.