The beautiful island of Grenada has so much to offer visitors of all types, but is especially great for scuba divers. The waters surrounding the island are filled with interesting wrecks and reefs as well as a volcano. It is known as the ‘wreck diving capital of the Caribbean’ with an incredible 15 wrecks hidden in its waters for divers to choose from, as well as being home to the largest shipwreck in the Caribbean.
Easy access
Not only does the island have a huge variety of dive sites for visitors to choose from, the sites are also all incredibly easy to access. Most of the dive sites are located on the south side of the island and most are within 15 minutes of the island’s popular Grande Anse beach. The majority of the island’s hotels are located on this beach as well as a large number of dive shops meaning that the diving from the beach couldn’t be easier.
Cruise and dive
More and more people are visiting Grenada to scuba dive each year as word spreads about the fantastic sites and wonderful visibility. Many of the island’s visitors now arrive via cruise ships to the main town of St George’s which is just around a headland from Grande Anse Beach. In fact cruise diving is becoming a popular form of tourism in itself. It is easy to see the attraction as it is a holiday which enables you to dive sites is numerous locations allowing direct comparison of the dive quality in several regions. Grenada is ideal for cruise divers due to the cruise docks close proximity to the dive shops, and then the easy access of the dive sites themselves, as cruise visitors only have a limited amount of time to spend in each location. Many cruise divers are now choosing to plan in a stop-over in Grenada due to the large numbers of dive sites available from the island.
All abilities
Another aspect that makes Grenada such a popular choice is that fact that it has a range of dive sites to suit all ability levels, from the novice to the technical divers. Shallower sites such as the MV Veronica, Flamingo Bay, Dragon Bay, and the underwater sculpture park at Molinere Bay are great for less experienced divers. MV Hema, MV Hildur, King Mitch and of course the world-famous Bianca C are all exciting dives for the more experienced divers, some with challenging currents. There are an abundance of PADI instructors on the island so if you are a complete beginner you have a whole host of dive schools and instructors to choose from, with the added bonus that you will be learning to dive in some of the best diving waters in the world.
Conditions
Grenada is swept by the powerful Guyana Current so many of the more exposed dive sites are challenging and require drift diving skills. Depending on the location the current can range from a gentle drift to a pacey three and a half knots. The visibility in the waters surrounding Grenada is generally great, but can range between 30 and 100 feet depending on the location as well as the season. The water temperatures are blissful, ranging from 79 degrees in the winter to 84 at the peak of summer.
Famous dives
The Bianca C is one of the Caribbean’s most impressive dive sites, and is without a doubt Grenada’s most famous wreck. Known as the Titanic of the Caribbean, the enormous 180 meter long cruise liner sank in 1961 and sits upright on her keel in 50 meters of water. It has been listed as one of the top ten worldwide wreck sites by various diving magazines. A dip in the top deck swimming pool is always popular with visitors to the site, as well as viewing the ship’s impressive funnel and foremast. Spotted eagle rays, reef and nurse sharks, moray eels and barracuda are regularly spotted around the wreck. Due to its depth this site is only suitable for advanced divers.
Repeat visits
With so many dive sites easily accessible from Grenada, and 20 more on the neighboring island of Carriacou it is easy to see why so many divers flock to the island. Many of them are repeat visitors which speaks volumes for the quality of the diving to be had around this beautiful island.