Article: "From Scuba Diving Magazine, February 2007"

Grenada is a colorful, hearty travel destination, dubbed the "Spice Island" for its impressive production of nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. It has a rugged, mountainous terrain and interior of rain forests and waterfalls and an indented coastline with protected bays and beaches. St. George's is the capital of Grenada, boasting one of the prettiest harbor settings in the Caribbean.

Since Grenada and Carriacou are not as heavily frequented by visitors as other Caribbean destinations, the reefs, wrecks and coral walls remain unspoiled by crowds and many have yet to be explored. Divers will discover nearly every kind of coral imaginable, along with sea fans, gorgonians, sea horses, rays, barracuda, dolphin (dorado) and colorful reef fish.

The reefs are composed of finger coral, sea whips, sea fans, brain coral, pillar coral, black coral and deep-water gorgonians plus lost of colourful sponges, hydroids and soft coral.

Some of the marine life you will encounter include: rock beauties, angel fish, tang, grunts, damsel, blennys, parrot fish, trigger fish, jaw fish, spotted drum, moral eels, snake eels, lobsters, nurse sharks, barracudas, eagle rays, turtles, groupers and mackerels.

Grenada, Carriacou (pronounced Carry-a KOO) & Petite Martinique (pronounced Pitty Mar-ti-NEEK) are three beautiful islands located in the eastern Caribbean at the southern extremity of the Windward Islands, only 100 miles north of Venezuela. The islands are threaded by the Caribbean Sea, connecting North and South America. The Caribbean Sea laps gently on the western shores of these islands, while the Altantic casts magnificent swells onto the eastern coastline. To the north lie St. Vincent and the Grenadines and to the south lie Trinidad and Tobago.

Grenada is by far the largest of the three, with a width of twelve miles (18 km) and a length of twenty-one miles (34 km). Its 133 square miles are mountainous, volcanic terrain, reaching heights of over 2,750 feet atop Mount St. Catherine. This topography provides Grenada with one of the loveliest and most varied environments in the Caribbean, including crater lakes as well as a variety of plant and animal life. Dwarf forests high atop Mount St. Catherine descend to the montane rainforests of middle altitudes, which give way in turn to the dry forests of the lowlands. Those forests shift to mangrove at the coast, giving way to stunning white sand beaches, brilliant blue water and exquisite coral reefs.

Grenada’s smaller sister island, Carriacou, is hilly but not mountainous. With smoother terrain, Carriacou is an ideal destination for walking. It possesses fine sand beaches and natural harbours, as well as excellent views of the northern Grenadine islands.

Petite Martinique, the third and smallest island in the state, consists of little more than the tip of a volcanic cone poking through the water. It lies 2.5 miles off the northeast coast of Carriacou. It is only now being developed for visitors.

Average temperatures range from 75ºF to 85ºF (24ºC to 30ºC), tempered by the steady and cooling trade winds. The lowest temperatures occur between November and February. Due to Grenada’s remarkable topography, the island also experiences climate changes according to altitude. The driest season is between January and May. Even during the rainy season, from June to December, it rarely rains for more than an hour at a time and generally not every day.

Approximately 101,400 people inhabit Grenada, including the 8,000 inhabitants of Carriacou and the 600 residents of Petite Martinique. The nation’s citizens are primarily of African, East-Indian and European descent, with the largest proportion of the population, approximately 75%, of African descent. Grenada is an English-speaking nation.