The SS President Coolidge is the world's most accessible large wreck and the reason many divers make the journey to Vanuatu. The 200-metre ocean liner lies on its side at depths of 21 to 65 metres, putting most of the ship within reach of recreational divers. The wreck is intact enough to be genuinely eerie: artillery shells, jeeps, rifles, gas masks, and personal effects are still in place after more than eighty years on the seabed. The "Lady and the Unicorn" mosaic near the first-class dining room is the most-photographed underwater feature on the island.
Dive operators in Luganville run multiple trips daily. The standard entry point is at the bow, swimming down and along the hull through a series of penetrations. Night dives reveal different marine life — lionfish, crabs, and sleeping reef fish. Non-divers can snorkel the shallower sections. The wreck is a few minutes by boat from Luganville.
The Coolidge is consistently rated among the top ten wreck dives in the world. No special certification beyond open water is required for the shallower sections, though advanced certification opens up the deeper parts of the hull.