Apparently, Vanuatu has the distinction of being home to the world’s only underwater post office.

See that little white buoy in the middle of the picture? About ten feet below it sits the post office. You can buy a waterproof postcard from the shop on shore, dive down, and physically mail it from the ocean floor.

Unfortunately, it is Sunday, so the post office is closed. If it were open, there would be a flag flying on top of the buoy to let you know. Even more amusing, if you search for “Underwater Post Office” in Google Maps, it dutifully displays the opening hours, just like any other business.

Despite appearances, it was not built so that passing fish could keep in touch with one another. It was created as a tourist attraction while also promoting awareness of marine conservation.

I did not mail a postcard. For one thing, the flag was not up. More importantly, there is the rather inconvenient fact that I can’t dive.

The going down part of a dive comes naturally to me. It is the coming back up that is bothersome!