In the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, the reefs aren’t just made of coral—they’re paved with history. Specifically, thousands of 1940s Coke, Pepsi, beer and wine bottles!
During the Second World War, Aore Island, located off the southeast coast of Espiritu Santo, was home to the ‘Fleet Recreation Center’ where U.S. troops would head for some much needed R&R. They would often sit on the white sand beaches, enjoying a cold drink, and then toss the empties into the water.
80 years later, these vintage Coke, Pepsi, beer and wine bottles – the litter of the 1940s – have become today’s treasure for divers.
At sites like Million Dollar Point, you can walk the shore and discover these bottles literally cemented into the reef.
Reef Smart Guides has created five 3D maps to promote the diving in Vanuatu and featuring the island’s most iconic sites, which you can explore for FREE: Million Dollar Point, F4U Corsair, MV Henry Bonneaud, USS Tucker and of course the SS President Coolidge.
Images below courtesy of the South Pacific WWII Museum, the U.S. National Archives, Wikipedia Commons, Reef Smart Guides and Candice Landeau.
