One of the most popular and unusual diving and snorkelling sites is an underwater gallery of sculptures in the Grenada Marine Park (also known as the Moliniere-Beausejour Marine Protected Area) between Moliniere Point and Flamingo Bay on the west coast. It lies about two miles north of St George’s; roughly a 10-minute boat ride or 20 minutes from Grand Anse.
The Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park has a collection of sculptures which are fast becoming an artificial reef. The first statues were carved out of concrete in 2006 by Jason de Caires Taylor, who has been a prolific contributor to the park, followed by Troy Lewis, a Grenadian potter. There are Amerindian cultural influences to some of the works, together with a humorous cyclist and a man sitting at a desk, and the iconic Christ of the Deep statue, which commemorated 50 years since the Bianca C caught fire and sank. But it is perhaps the sculpture called Vicissitudes that has the most extraordinary visual impact: a circle of 26 life-size children holding hands and facing outwards.
The marine park is home to a shallow reef and the statues have been sympathetically making natural use of its varied topography of craggy gullies and sun-dappled sandy patches. The reef and its artificial components attract hard and soft corals, hawksbill turtles, moray eels and large amounts of schooling fish. There is a daily fee to enter the marine park, which is paid with your trip. See also www.grenadaunderwatersculpture.com.
