Happy Hill - Southwest Coast (Caribbean Side), Grenada
Site Overview
Happy Hill is the bay where a lot of divers fall in love with diving: a protected, shallow embayment of coral heads, sand corridors and seagrass with almost no surge and no depth pressure at all. The charm is in the small and colourful — damsels zipping through coral, juvenile fish in the seagrass edge, sponges in every shape, and a reef profile you can read like a book at snorkel depth. Maximum depth around 14 m with most of the fun in 3-9 m — long bottom times, no decompression pressure, and easy mask-clearing terrain. The site sits in Southwest Coast (Caribbean Side), one of Grenada's core dive areas, with water at 27-29 °C and typical visibility of 15-25 m. On the Caribbean side near Flamingo Bay — operators pair the two for a two-tank beginner morning. Every diving island needs a bay like this, and Happy Hill earns its name daily. Trade winds blow almost constant over the Caribbean, and it is their lulls and builds that set the daily diving schedule around Grenada. Water temperature stays in the high twenties year-round and the island sits outside the main hurricane belt, so the dive boats run twelve months a year.
Dive Briefing
“Enter gently from the beach or the boat's ladder, stay in the shallow bowl, and the guide runs skills or a slow tour around the coral heads depending on the group. Depth management: plan the dive to a maximum of 14 metres and turn early. The sheltered Caribbean side is usually glassy, while the Atlantic-facing south coast runs with the trade-wind current that makes its drift dives so special. Free-ascent territory — rises are short, calm and straight up to the bay surface. Newer divers can comfortably dive this site, staying within the range flagged by the guide. Several of Grenada's best waters are protected - the Grand Anse Marine Protected Area, the south-coast preserves and Carriacou's Sandy Island/Oyster Bed MPA all use mooring buoys and small user fees to keep anchors off the coral. Local operators hold the final say on which sites run each day, because a shift in wind or swell can change conditions between two bays.”
Location
Happy Hill and 4 nearby dive sites in Grenada.
Signature Marine Life
Bluehead damsel
Chromis cyanea
Best: January, February, March
Queen conch
Aluterus scriptus
Best: January, February, March
Green sea turtle
Chelonia mydas
Best: January, February, March
Juvenile nurse shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Best: January, February, March
Bermuda chromis
Chromis armatus
Best: January, February, March
Southern stingray (sand)
Hypanus americanus
Best: January, February, March
Safety & Hazards
- Swimmers and snorkellers sharing the shallow area
- Shallow coral heads to watch fins over
- Boat traffic near the moorings during lessons
- Hot midday sun on a very shallow dive
- Seagrass sand bloom from heavy fining
Traveler Notes
Who is this for?
Students, first-timers and anxious divers: this is Grenada's happiest training bay, and non-divers can snorkel beside the coral heads. The 3-14 m range suits divers of most certification levels. Even certified veterans use it as a mellow second tank when the ocean elsewhere is unruly. The crevices, wreck rooms and sculpture plinths hold the usual Caribbean small life - damsels, blennies, shrimps and the occasional rare frogfish or black seahorse. Night dives on the shallow reefs and harbour wrecks turn up a completely different community of hunters.
For Non-Divers
Gouyave is easy to enjoy without a cylinder, and most operators run snorkel trips on the same bays. Several of Grenada's best waters are protected - the Grand Anse Marine Protected Area, the south-coast preserves and Carriacou's Sandy Island/Oyster Bed MPA all use mooring buoys and small user fees to keep anchors off the coral.
Quick Stats
Dive Logistics
- Coyote Dive Grenada
- True Blue Adventures
- Aqua Surf Grenada
Photography Info
Best for: wide_angle, macro
Nearby Stay
Vic's Rock Guest House
Annandale / west coast • 2km away
The Carenage Hotel
Grand Havage • 5km away