Dive sites on Carriacou
  
While planning a dive trip to Grenada, you must include an excursion to
Carriacou (which means "Land of Reefs"). Both islands have spectacular diving —
suitable for everyone from beginners to experienced divers. Advanced divers will
find a lot of high-voltage diving opportunities. Most diving is conducted from
boats and drift diving is standard fare throughout the Windwards. Dive operators
typically use guides with surface marker buoys to lead groups. Because of the
strong currents sometimes involved, I’d recommend carrying an inflatable surface
tube, Dive Alert® audible signaling device or whistle, small signal strobe and
reflector in your buoyancy compensator (BC) pocket for safety — just in case you
get temporarily separated from your guide. Grenada does not have a recompression
chamber; Trinidad and Barbados both have recompression facilities, about 30
minutes away by air ambulance. All members of the Grenada Scuba Diving
Association have an emergency plan and oxygen on board their dive boats.
Carriacou and Grenada are getting more and more visitors every year. However,
since Grenada and Carriacou are charmingly off the beaten track, the reefs,
wrecks and corals remain unspoiled. Grenada’s dedication to preserving its
marine resources is evident; a large portion of the island’s offshore real
estate has been designated as an underwater marine park that features moorings
installed at popular dive sites. A park ranger patrols the area by boat. The
area is a no-take zone and divers are reminded not to disturb coral or marine
life within park waters. On this last trip, I was impressed with the continued
health of the coral reefs. Overall, there is a larger variety of fish life in
the Windwards than in other upper Caribbean destinations. It would be impossible
to visit every dive site while on a weeklong vacation, but here is a list of
some of the sites I enjoyed on my visit:
Carriacou Dive Sites
Sisters Rocks
This site has become one of my all-time favorites in
the Caribbean. Some of the locals call them the "brothers" and there are the
"Twin Sisters" out near Isle de Ronde, so don’t get confused. Depth can be to
100 feet (30 m), with spectacular walls, large rocks and many barracudas
cruising about. This is typically a dive with strong currents and you simply
dive around the rocks following the currents. This is a good dive site for your
wide-angle lens.
Mabouya Island
This small island just off Hillsborough Bay offers a
variety of interesting reefs and abundant coral types. The wall starts at about
35 feet (11 m) and slopes to 70 feet (21 m). Lots of purple vase sponges and
dramatic backdrops. On the backside of the island are several small overhangs
and shallow caves with hundreds of copper sweepers. If you are a macro
photographer, this is a wonderful place to get all kinds of shots.
Jack A Dan
A shallow reef that makes an excellent dive training
site or reef for beginners. The top of the reef is at 20 feet (6 m) and is
almost always calm. Lots of sea fans and a variety of hard corals.
Grenada Dive Sites
Boss Reef
This is an extensive reef that reaches from the red
buoy outside the harbor entrance towards Point Saline. There is a vast expanse
of soft brown coral trees which form an "other-worldly" landscape. There are
large shoals of tropical fish, often including clouds of blue creole wrasse.
Lobsters can often be seen peeking from crevices.
Twin wrecks
On this dive you will see the wrecks of the Veronica
and the Jeannie S, which are just to the northwest of St. George’s Harbor
entrance. The Veronica is a small, barge-like cargo vessel lying upright on the
bottom in about 45 feet (14 m) of water. There is a crane on board with its
derrick extending outwards, covered with colorful marine growth. The hold is
open and you can swim around inside. The Jeannie S is a cargo vessel about 120
feet (36 m) in length, which sank recently and is still quite intact. You can
see the radar console and instruments in the wheelhouse, and the radar scanner
still turns freely. The wreck lies on its port side in about 50 feet (15 m) of
water. You can swim around in the hold but some care is required, as the
contents of the hold may not have fully settled. The two wrecks are within a
five-minute swim of each other.
Molinere Reef
Molinere Reef is part of Grenada’s underwater marine
park, which extends to Flamingo Bay and offers excellent diving for beginners
and the more-experienced. The dive starts at 20 feet (6 m), and the reef leads
to a wall that slopes down from 35 to 70 feet (11 to 21 m). Around the top of
the reef there is a variety of tropical fish including yellow-headed and mottled
jaw fish and spotted drums. A short distance away from the wall is the wreck of
the Buccaneer, a steel schooner lying on its side in about 70 feet (21 m) of
water.
Bianca C Wreck
Grenada’s most famous and spectacular dive. After
catching fire in St. George’s harbor in 1961, she was towed out to sea by a
British warship. During towing, she sank close to Whibbles Reef. The ship is
encrusted with hydroids as well as black, hard and soft corals. There are
schools of jacks and barracuda, and spotted eagle rays can sometimes be seen.
The Bianca C is 600 feet (182 m) in length and lies in about 160 feet (48 m) of
water, with its highest point at about 90 feet (27 m). The normal dive profile
on the Bianca C is from 90 to 130 feet (27 to 39 m). This is an awe-inspiring
dive, but due to the depth and the possibility of strong currents, it is only
suitable for confident divers, and a checkout dive will normally be required.
Whibble Reef
This dive is generally the shallow leg of a
multilevel dive from the Bianca C. Depths range from 60 to 100 feet (18 to 30
m). It is a drift dive for the advanced diver accustomed to dealing with strong
current. The water carries you swiftly along the reef, with small sand sharks,
barracuda and larger grouper browsing among the coral heads.
Shark Reef
Just off Glover Island, this is a reef abundant with
all types of fishes and rays. On almost every trip, southern stingrays and
juvenile nurse sharks are seen. A fun dive at 40 feet (12 m) with lots to see
including a giraffe-shaped pillar coral.
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Paradise Inn Carriacou 
Carriacou 
