Big Blue Vanuatu

Meet Jayson, the captain who gets you out to the dive.

George "Jayson" Hambata grew up in Emau, in a village where everyone fishes and dives.

His dad owns a boat, and Jayson has been on the water since he was 10 years old. By the time he steps behind the wheel for us, reading the sea is second nature.

These days he runs the boat on our dives around Efate, keeping things smooth from the moment you step aboard to the moment you climb back in with a story to tell.

Ask Jayson what he loves spotting down there and the answer comes quick: sharks, every time.

Off the water, you'll find him on the football pitch or in a game with the crew.

Come say hi to Jayson on your next dive with us.

Book a spot by phone +678 5544054 or email [email protected].

📸 by Sean Su

Your guide just told you where the cuttlefish are. Here is how to catch every word of it.

Before you step off the boat with us, your guide runs through the plan standing right there on the back deck. A good briefing covers a lot, and five parts are the ones worth really tuning into. Catch these and you get more out of every dive, anywhere in the world.

There is the site itself, what you are about to see and where the good stuff lives.

There is the depth, how deep we plan to go and where we will spend most of the dive.

There is the plan, which way we swim, how long we are down, and the point where we turn around.

There are the signals, the handful of hand signs we will actually use, agreed before anyone gets wet.

And there is the air, the pressure where we start drifting back up so the dive ends easy with plenty left in the tank.

Your guide covers more too, the entry and exit, the marine life to look for, and what to do in the rare case you get separated. Listen for all of it. These five are the backbone.

One Big Blue thing. If you ever want the briefing slower, just ask. We will make sure you have it before you get wet.

Save this for your next dive trip. Tag the buddy you are diving with so you both know what to listen for at the next briefing.

Want to dive with us? Single dives leave at 1 PM most days, double dives at 8 AM, and we run dive packs for longer stays.

Call +678 5544054 or email [email protected] and we will match you to the right site for the conditions and for you.

Meet Dell, one of our divemasters and the guy who finds the things you would swim straight past.

Dell is from Emau and has been diving since 2017, the last two years of them with Big Blue. Ask him for his favourite dive site and he won't give you one. Every site shows him something new, and that is exactly how he likes it.

His thing? Nudibranchs. The tiny, ridiculously colourful sea slugs tucked into the reef that most divers never notice. Dell spots them, and once he points one out to you, you start seeing them everywhere.

When he's not on the water, you'll find him on the beach. Some people never really leave the ocean.

Come dive with Dell and see what you've been missing. Call +678 5544054 or email [email protected] to get on the boat.

📸 Photo thanks to Sean Su

Diver Tip: A leaky mask is almost never the mask

It's your face.

The seal holds on calm skin. Break it with a big facial expression, raised eyebrows, a stray hair under the edge, or a strap cranked too tight.

The fix is easy. Keep your face soft and neutral as you settle in, sweep any hair clear of the skirt, and go snug on the strap, not tight.

A little water now and then is normal, and we show you the easy way to clear it on every Discover Scuba dive.

Dive with us: +678 5544054 / [email protected]

Happy World Oceans Day from everyone at Big Blue 🩵

The ocean is our workplace, our classroom, and the reason we get out of bed early. Every trip across Efate's water reminds us how lucky we are to share it with you, from first-time divers on their Discover Scuba to old friends back for another loop of the reef.

We say thank you to the ocean the way we know best, by looking after it. Our team runs conservation dives all year, and the reward is showing our divers the healthy reefs and marine life that come from it, every time we head out.

Here is to clean water, healthy reefs, and many more days on the blue. Come dive with us.

Call +678 5544054 or email [email protected]

📸 Aerial image by Sean Su.

Big thank you from the Big Blue team. This article, prepared by Savvy Vanuatu and published by the Vanuatu Daily Post, spotlights our owner Josh and our manager and instructor Cathy, to tell the story behind Big Blue, from getting more local divers back in the water to the reef work we care so much about.

They told it beautifully, and we're grateful.

A big thank you to the team at Savvy Vanuatu and the post for sharing our story.

Have a read here: bit.ly/joshcathy

Taking the Plunge: Cathy and Josh Find Shared Future in Scuba and a Passion for the Ocean Cathy Savei, a determined ni-Vanuatu woman from Ambrym Island, and Joshua Ernst, a professional diver and businessman from Australia have turned a competition into a collaboration. Together, through Big Blue

🌴 Best seat in Vanuatu.

There's a moment after a dive that nobody really talks about. You're back on the boat, salt drying on your skin, legs kicked out, and the island just sits there in front of you looking completely unreal. No phone. No rush. Just you, the crew, and all that blue.

This is what a day in the water with us really feels like. Come find your seat on the boat.

Afternoon dives, morning double dives, or a dive pack if you're sticking around a while.

Call +678 5544054 or email [email protected]