Diving the island of Grenada | Caribbean

DESTINATION OVERVIEW | Grenada is the most southerly of the Windward Islands and along with her smaller sister, Carriacou, is located at the very bottom of the chain of islands that form the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea.

In scuba diving terms, what differentiates the nation of Grenada from her neighbours, is the wealth of wrecks that litter these shores. Nicknamed the wreck capital of the Caribbean, you could dive a different one every day of the week and still miss a couple. The most famous is, of course, the Bianca C, a huge luxury cruise liner that sailed into Grenada with a full compliment of passengers when fire broke out. She is not the most exciting wreck dive in the area as she is now slowly imploding on herself but the Shakem and Veronica are excellant dive sites, more stable and easy to explore.

While the reefs around Grenada are typically Caribbean with plenty of marine life, they fade a little when compared with the wrecks and the unique and fascinating sculpture park. This was the brainchild of English sculptor, Jason de Caires Taylor who created and installed a dozen or so works of art on the sea floor. It is a very unexpected but fascinating dive as each one is slowly evolving into being part of the reef.

Grenada diving features

We dived with Aquanauts who are in the True Blue Hotel and Dive Grenada on Grand Anse Beach.

PROS AND CONS | Grenada is easy to reach and a truly beautiful, rainforest clad island – once you get away from the very touristy southern corner, which is also where the majority of dive sites and hotels are. The contrast between that small area and the interior of the island is quite significant so make sure you see the 'real' Grenada.

SCUBA DIVING | Although the Caribbean doesn't have the quantity of marine species that are found in some areas of the world, the reefs around Grenada's Grand Anse bay are in great condition and the wrecks are splendid. Reefs off the southern coast are barren as strong currents rush through the Grenada Channel, but these attract some bigger species.

OPINION | We like wreck diving: poking our noses into the cracks and crevices to see what is lurking, the stark reality of the ocean reclaiming something man-made. And we just loved the underwater sculpture park, the humour and diversity of the works was really something unusual. The reefs were just Caribbean reefs, not really thrilling but a perfect backdrop to the shipwrecks that sat on them.

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