Two totally different Pacific Swim experiences....

Quickly becoming the "MUST DO" event on the international swim calendar, the Vanuatu Ocean Swims ie. Port Vila & Espiritu Santo Aorea swims, take place in the South Pacifics most beautiful oceans with a perfect mix of challenge, fun and adventure.

Port Vila Swim
Saturday, June 7th, 2008

There are not many harbours in the world that can boast the clear waters and reefs of those found in Port Vila, Vanuatu and Iririki Island, nestling in the Harbour just 350 metres offshore from Port Vila Town, provides a natural and inviting challenge for any swimmer, whether it be to swim across from the town to the Island’s Jetty, or to swim around the island.

The inaugural event, known as the Rossi to Rossi Swim, a 3.2Km course starting and finishing at the Rossi Restaurant with a circumnavigation of Iririki Island, was held in 2002 when 46 swimmers from Australia, New Caledonia & Vanuatu took part, 39 in the 3.2Km and 7 in the 1.5Km. In recent years, the event has grown to include over 200 swimmers annually and in 2006 moved to its new venue at Iririki Island.

The Vanuatu Ocean Swim has spawned an interest in swimming for fitness among Port Vila residents and most weekday lunchtimes and Saturday mornings will see swimmers, the famous “Port Vila Masterbathers”, taking to the harbour waters just off Nambawan Café adjacent to the ‘Mamas Craft Market’. There are also several “Masterbathers” Swim Championships held throughout the year.

The Vanuatu Ocean Swim features a swim clinic with some of the world’s top swimmers, welcome functions, unique cultural entertainment and Awards Dinner.

Espiritu Santo Aore Swim 
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

Espiritu Santo is Vanuatu's 'Big Island', lush green rain forest, valleys and rivers,  idyllic beaches and reefs and, like almost everywhere else in Vanuatu, is steeped in history, tradition and culture. Evidence of settlement dates back to 1400 BC. The Portuguese explorer de Quiros sighted the island in 1606 naming it Terra Australis del Espiritu Santo.
   
At the southern coast of Espiritu Santo is the port town of Luganville on the edge of the Segond Channel which separates  Espiritu Santo's south coast from the island of Aore.
The course of the Espiritu Santo Aore Swim runs from Unity Park in Luganville across the Segond Channel to Aore Resort Beach.

The Channel was an important WWII anchorage and staging point for the American push on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, with Luganville transforming in a few short months from a sleepy one street, two store village to a bustling base housing 40,000 troops, four airfields, cinemas, hospitals & wharves carved out of the bush.

The Eastern end of the Channel is home to the President Coolidge, now one of the most famous dive sites in the world. The Coolidge was sunk after hitting a friendly” mine. Miraculously, all but 2 of the more than 5,000 troops and crew on board were able to escape the sinking ship after the Captain had the presence of mind to run it up onto the reef, before it finally slipped into deeper water and sank.

Modern day Espiritu Santo is one of those slightly off-the-beaten-tourist-track places that is full of surprises and interesting “discoveries”, from the adventure of Millennium Caves, exploring the famous Blue Holes, Champagne Beach, the cultural experiences of Vil Vil Village to the gourmet delights of Oyster Island, plus, some of the world's nicest places to stay and just relax.

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