The World's Underwater Post Office: Send a Postcard From Beneath the Sea

Imagine sending a postcard from your vacation, but instead of walking into a post office, you put on a snorkel mask and fins and dive beneath the ocean's surface.

That's exactly what visitors can do in Vanuatu, a beautiful island nation in the South Pacific, east of Australia, where one of the world's most unusual post offices operates entirely underwater.

Located in the marine reserve off Hideaway Island, the underwater post office sits approximately 10 feet (3 meters) below the surface. Opened in May 2003 by Vanuatu's postal service, it's an official postal facility where visitors can send postcards to friends and family around the world, all while surrounded by tropical marine life.

How Do You Mail a Postcard Underwater?

Naturally, an ordinary paper postcard wouldn't last long beneath the waves. That's why the underwater post office uses specially designed waterproof postcards that can withstand being submerged.

And instead of a traditional ink stamp, which would wash away or smear, postal workers use a special device that embosses the card, leaving a permanent mark to show that it was mailed underwater.

The post office operates during designated hours, which are displayed on a sign on the beach. When it's open, postal workers wearing scuba gear are stationed beneath the surface, ready to receive postcards from visiting snorkelers and divers.

A special flag attached to a buoy above the post office lets visitors know when staff are underwater and the branch is open for business.

What Happens When the Post Office Is Closed?

Even if you arrive outside operating hours, you can still send your postcard.

An underwater mailbox beside the post office allows visitors to drop off their waterproof postcards whenever the branch is unattended.

And if you're not comfortable diving down to the post office yourself, staff on Hideaway Island can help you send your postcard.

Once collected, the postcards enter Vanuatu's regular postal system and continue their journey to their destinations around the world.

It's a wonderfully unusual way to send a vacation greeting, and one that turns an everyday activity into a memorable underwater adventure.

After all, receiving a postcard from a tropical island is lovely. Receiving one that was actually mailed from beneath the ocean is something else entirely.