Reef scene at Purple Rain
Sponges are typically Caribbean
A statue at Molinere Bay
BEST FOR Wrecky-reefy goodness
Grenada
What to expect: Grenada is known for its shipwrecks – there’ s enough here to fill at least 10 days of diving. Start with MV Shakem, which sank back in 2001, weighed down with an unstable cargo of cement. It’ s one of the prettiest wrecks in Grenada; the stern is smothered with gorgonian fans and the hull is bearded with encrusting sponges.
The most famous wreck is the Bianca C, an Italian-owned liner that sank in 1961 after an explosion in the engine room. The maximum depth is 50m, so you’ ll need several dives if you want to see most of the 182m-long vessel, which gets a bit more broken up each year. This wreck is peeling open around the starboard hull, opening up new parts of the ship.
For an alternative, Molinere Bay Underwater Sculpture Park started as an experimental‘ underwater garden’ project by British artist Jason de Caires Taylor, acclaimed as the first of its kind when installed in 2006. There are 75 individual sculptures by various artists, with more being added every year; but the signature piece is probably Taylor’ s‘ Vicissitudes’, a circle of life-sized figures cast from local children holding hands. The park also has work by local artists, including a concrete model of a writer at his desk( The Lost Correspondent), and a saucy female devil( La Diablesse).
Diving is not especially expensive in Grenada, but costs can mount if you try to go it alone. Our advice is to use a tour-op to secure a competitive hotel and diving package. Don’ t leave without... Enjoying the public beaches. When you go for a stroll along the white sands of Grand Anse you’ ll be among the locals; and that’ s how the Caribbean should be experienced, not shuttered away in corporate hotels.
Smugness rating: Wrecks, reefs, beautiful beaches, underwater art and rum runners in the evening. Totally tropical smugness.
Spiny lobster at Carriacou
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