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08/29/2008: "Deeper Catherine"

Million Dollar Point at Luganville, Santo, Vanuatu - tanks, ships, generators, bulldozers, guns, etc litter the deep dropoff at the end of a jetty that adjuts into the passage into Luganivlle. Estelle, Baden and I scuba dived the area - and at 27m were still able to see the debris continue into the dark. Catherine, keen not to miss out, freedived to this ship rail at 6m to just get into the picture.
The story is that the Americans offered the war surplus to the local government for a low price. When it came time to settle the local government reneged and tried to negotiate down further, expecting the Americans to go and leave it all anyway. Rather than just give the stuff away they simply drove and pushed it off the end of the jetty which became known then, as Million Dollar Point. Sixty years down the track it is a great snorkel and dive and probably will (and has) benefited the community more than the surplus would have done had it been bought. You have to love the way the world turns.
We picked a magic day - calm enough to pick up the dinghy mooring rope that is marking the site. The crew from the monohull Carl joined us for the run, a pleasant motor sail from Luganville.