Diving around Carriacou has been praised for years by tourists, journalists, researchers & tour operators for its unique marine life and unspoiled reefs.
In contrast to touristically well developed destinations as e.g. Bonaire, Carriacou’s underwater landscape will not offer shore diving, but delightfully short boat rides of only 10 to 15 minutes to the majority of the dive sites.
That gives divers the comfort of not having to spend the whole day on the boat...single tank diving in small groups with a lunch break to unwind is the rule here unless business demands differently.
The diving experience the visitor finds around Carriacou is inimitable in the encounter of the U/W-World: Forests of soft corals with up to 10 feet in height and underwater fauna ranging from the tiny critter of a Flamingo Tongue to a 10 feet long Reef or Nurse shark; Giant Green or juvenile Golden-brown Moray eels, turtles, Eagle and Sting rays and whole lobster colonies in sizes from ‘youngsters’ to ‘elders’.
Reef tops and reef edges are located at a depth of about 7 meters (20 feet) to 9 meters (30 feet) and the maximum depth at the dive-sites varies from app. 22 meters (70 feet) to 40 meters (130 feet) – ideal dive profiles for sport diving.
Carriacou Silver Diving, together with local agencies and other partners is working presently in establishing a marine park for the destination as a commitment to preserve its U/W- world for the coming generations and to create new attractions, like artificial reefs, as the following story tells:
Both months of September - in 2004 and 2007 - became notable dates for Carriacou’s underwater dive scene. In 2004 for the first time ever, a wreck was sunk in local waters as an artificial reef, with permission of the Grenada Ports Authority and the 2nd wreck followed in 2007 creating the "Twin Tugs".
The diversity of Carriacou’s dive site offerings is now complemented by adding the thrill and adventure of wreck diving to the beautiful reef-diving.
Leader of both projects was the Grenada Scuba Diving Association in conjunction with the patronage of Jerry Stewart /Tyrell Bay Yacht Haul Out, who also generously donated the tugboats "Westsider" (2004) & "Boris"(2007):
Both wrecks have now found a revered resting place within the boundaries of the planned marine park, where they give marine life a new habitat and receive the well-deserved appreciation from divers.
The passing of Hurricane Ivan, on the 7th of September 2004, created no damage at all to the "Westsider" but rather added a nice touch to this new dive site, moving the wreck right on the keel, giving it the perfect position to be viewed by admiring divers.
The "Boris" sunk in September 2007 is the more recent wreck and it is
astonishing to see that already after only a few months it has been accepted by Barracudas, Angel Fish and also much smaller marine-life as a new habitat.
The "Twin Tugs" can be dived on a single-dive within sport diving limits,
but also as two single dives and many of our divers have noted how fast these artificial reefs create an incentive for those who live below and
above the surface. |
