Hideaway Island

Port Vila · Shefa Province · Vanuatu

Hideaway Island sits barely a hundred metres off Mele Beach, a tiny coral-fringed sanctuary where Vanuatu's government established a no-take marine reserve that has allowed reef life to recover to remarkable density. The island's claim to fame is the world's only underwater post office, but beneath the novelty lies a genuinely excellent shallow reef system that rewards both beginning divers and experienced photographers with healthy coral and unafraid marine life. The ferry from Mele Beach took ninety seconds, and I was geared up and in the water within twenty minutes of arriving. The entry is from a sandy beach on the island's western side, walking in over white sand before the reef begins at waist depth. The shallow reef flat extends thirty metres from shore in two to three metres of water, its surface carpeted in hard coral with damselfish, chromis, and butterflyfish in numbers reflecting years of protection. The reef edge drops as a mini wall from three to eight metres on the western side, undercut with small overhangs where lionfish hover and cleaner shrimp operate their stations. Schools of fusiliers cruise the wall edge, splitting around divers and reforming behind. The coral condition here is impressive for a site receiving daily visitors, testament to the no-touching, no-feeding rules enforced by the island management. Following the reef south around the island, the wall deepens to fifteen and then twenty metres. Sea fans extend from the wall face, and the light diminishes enough for soft corals to display their full extension. A Napoleon wrasse of perhaps a metre length appeared ahead, utterly unconcerned by my approach, allowing me within two metres before turning its massive body and gliding away with a single tail stroke. The underwater post office box sits on a sandy patch at three metres depth on the southern side, an actual metal post box on a stand. I deposited my waterproof postcard, a surreal but genuinely charming experience that captures Vanuatu's approach to tourism: unpretentious, unique, and sincere. Rounding to the eastern side, the reef becomes more exposed with slightly more current and correspondingly more fish activity. Giant trevally hunted along the edge, and a green turtle fed on algae growing on a coral bommie at eight metres. Blue starfish dotted the reef, their vivid colour almost garish against the muted coral tones. Hideaway Island demonstrates that marine sanctuaries work. A decade of protection has produced reef health and fish density that exceeds unprotected sites throughout Vanuatu, all within fifteen minutes of the capital and accessible to anyone who can swim.