Under Water Post Office 10th Anniversary Special Issue

Vanuatu’s Underwater Post Office has become world-famous and 2013 sees it celebrate its 10th Anniversary.

First conceptualised by Vanuatu Post’s philatelic consultants, The Stamp Company, the plans were drawn up by Vanuatu Post and the process began. The Post Office was designed and manufactured by Fibreglass Vanuatu and the staff who would be involved in collecting mail underwater, were trained and certified.

The world’s only underwater Post Office was officially launched in 2003 and in conjunction with Hideaway Island, so began a tourist attraction that is still very active today. Offering specially printed waterproof postcards that can be written underwater, the Post Office does an active trade especially in weekends and when the many cruise ships visit Port Vila. Designated buses now visit Hideaway and the Underwater Post Office directly from the ships. Such is the success of this attraction that it rates in Vanuatu’s top five “must-visit” sites and has had excellent publicity from magazines, newspapers and even featured on Japanese television. Word-of mouth and the internet have also seen the visitor numbers escalate way beyond initial estimates.

The Underwater Post Office, located just a few metres under the surface is still receiving mail and processing the same with a dedicated postmark before sending these sought-after items worldwide. Vanuatu Post and Hideaway Island is looking forward to celebrating another ten years of underwater activity and recommends everyone to visit the Post Office in person or check it out on www.underwaterpost.com