Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park - Southwest Coast (Caribbean Side), Grenada

10m Max

15-25m Vis

boat

Site Overview

Installed in Molinere Bay in 2006 and widely recognised as the world's first underwater sculpture park, this site lets divers swim among dozens of life-size figures that have become a thriving artificial reef. Highlights include the Ring of Children circle, People Lying in the Sand and Man on a Bike, each now furred with coral and patrolled by reef fish; new installations and repositioned works keep appearing on successive trips. The shallow 4-10 m profile means long bottom times, superb light for photography and easy air consumption, so even nervous new divers can take their time with every figure. 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. It lies in Molinere Bay minutes from the south-coast hotel strip, and every southwest operator includes it on check-out and intro dives. Returning divers remark how much thicker the coral growth on the figures gets each year — an artificial reef doing exactly what it was built to do. 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 from the boat and descend to the sandy crater where the sculptures stand; a loose circle route takes in the main groupings, and the guide points out each work as you go. Depth management: plan the dive to a maximum of 10 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. Ascend directly under the boat — the bay is a busy mooring area, so surface carefully and signal. 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

Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park and 4 nearby dive sites in Grenada.