The natural beauty of Grenada has been a treasure to its people since they first arrived. To this day, efforts to preserve the Island's diverse ecosystems continue to be a major priority among the Islanders. From dedicating land and nature preserves to introducing artificial reefs in order to encourage marine life, work to maintain Grenada's pristine environment is well underway.

To prevent the over encroachment of people to the Island, the Government of Grenada has dedicated 1/6 of its current landmass to national parks, nature preserves and wildlife sanctuaries. Among the most treasured of these is Levera National Park. Adorned with some of the Island's most picturesque beaches, lagoons and ponds, Levera National Park is home to a diverse range of wildlife and fauna. At anytime, bird enthusiasts can catch a glimpse of herons, black-necked stilts and common snipes among the mangrove swamps.

From May to September, the shores of Levera National Park are closely guarded as hundreds of sea turtles climb ashore to make their nests. Naturalists and volunteers are on hand during these months to ensure that no harm comes to the turtles or their nests. Levera National Park also sports an equally impressive underwater eco-system, with a vast reef system that offers shelter to lobsters and colourful reef fishes.

Maintaining Grenada's natural beauty has extended from its shores to the depths of its surrounding waters. In the past few months several exciting steps have been taken to develop the Island's coral reefs including the world's first statue park (www.underwatersculpture.com), and the sinking of the MV Hildur to act as an artificial reef.

Creating artificial reefs is a practice that has been in use for centuries, across the world. The artificial reefs, traditionally made of sunken ships and construction material, assist natural reefs that have been damaged or destroyed by providing a place for corals and other organisms to attach themselves and re-grow. A flourishing reef will encourage the return of marine life, including mollusks, crustaceans, and tropical fish species that make the reefs so enchanting. Artificial reefs are also used to alter the hydrodynamics of an area, preventing shore erosion and redirecting problematic currents to make the waters safer for surfers and swimmers.

Innovative artist Jason de Caires Taylor designed the world's first underwater statue park (located in Moliniere) with support from the Grenada Board of Tourism. The statues not only create a unique underwater world for aquanauts to explore, but also create artificial reefs to encourage the development of marine life. The statues have been carefully placed in shallow waters so divers, snorkellers, and passengers of passing glass-bottom boats can access and view the statues.

The sinking of the MV Hildur, a 30m Coastal Freighter that was no longer seaworthy, was a joint effort between the Grenada Scuba Diving Association and the Peter de Savary Development Company. The ship is currently sitting perfectly on her keel in the sand at Grand Mal Bay, and is rapidly becoming home to migrating fish from adjacent reefs. The MV Hildur is the 20th wreck to be sunk off the shores of Grenada in hopes of maintaining the diversity of the Island's underwater ecosystems.

For more information regarding ecotourism and preservation efforts in Grenada, visit http://www.grenadagrenadines.com/softa.html

back to top

Island News

LaSource to Re-Open After Three Years:

After three years of extensive renovations and revitalization, LaSource, a luxury spa resort in Grenada is set to reopen on December 15, 2007. The resort will start taking reservations on September 1, 2007 for travel beginning February 1, 2008. With just 100 guest rooms, LaSource offers a personalized first-class, all-inclusive holiday experience that imaginatively combines the best of an active beach vacation with a relaxed spa retreat, designed to provide complete body and mind rejuvenation. Note that the minimum age for guests at LaSource is 16 years, except from June 20, 2008 to September 8, 2008 when the minimum age is 10 years. For more information, please visit www.theamazingholiday.com or call 1-888-527-0044.

Port Louis Marina to Sponsor the Grenada Sailing Festival in February:

Port Louis Grenada and the Grenada Sailing Festival have announced that Port Louis will be the new title sponsor of the Grenada Sailing Festival. As title sponsor, Port Louis Grenada will make a significant contribution to the festival over the next three years. Additionally, Port Louis will also provide the needed infrastructure for the successful staging and growth of the event by providing berthing facilities for over 300 boats that will enhance the International Keelboat event. Since its development, Port Louis Grenada has ensured its commitment to developing Grenada's tourism industry and its role as a world-class marina and yachting developer with a number of generous community initiatives.

back to top

First Participant in the Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta has Been Registered:

With seven months to go before the first Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta in February 2008, regatta organizer West Indies Events has received their first official registrant. St. Barth's based and well-known classic 'Lone Fox' was the first to officially register online at www.classicregatta.com. According to the organizers, several other yachts followed the next days but nobody could beat the excited owner of Lone Fox. Lone Fox was built in 1957 for Colonel Whitbread of Whitbread Breweries, the original sponsor of the Whitbread Round The World Race. It was Colonel Whitbread's personal yacht until his passing in 1983. Lone Fox is the first of many prestigious yachts expected to register for the Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta. For more information, visit www.classicregatta.com

back to top

Grenada Poised to Become the Wreck Diving Capital of the Caribbean:

The recent sinking of the MV Hildur has propelled Grenada into the realm of 'hot' destinations for pristine reef and wreck diving in the Caribbean. This sinking brings the combined number of wrecks to 20 that now exist between Grenada and its sister island Carriacou. This latest project of the Grenada Scuba Diving Association is linked to its environmental objectives that are designed to create artificial reefs and habitats for marine life around Grenada. Among them is the famous 200m (600ft.) Italian cruise ship - the Bianca C, which sank in 1961. Most of the other exciting wrecks are in fantastic condition with a wide diversity of marine life. Given that the depth range of these wrecks averages between 12 to 50m, all levels of divers can be accommodated. For more information, visit http://www.grenadagrenadines.com/scuba.html

back to top

Carnival Festival Wrap-up

In August, thousands of revelers gathered across Grenada to celebrate Carnival. The weeklong festival was a spectacular march of vivid costumes and soulful island culture including traditional Calypso and Soca Monarch competitions, steel-drum showdowns and Fancy Band Mas.

At this year's celebration Kelon & Kelson Ogiste 'Luni Sparks & Electrify' were crowned Soca Monarch. Also honoured in the festival's musical competitions were Christopher Antoine 'Squeeze', who was the finalist in the Calypso competition, and the C&W Commancheros, who won the junior steel-drum panorama.

The festival was an incredible success, drawing crowds from a variety of destinations to enjoy the vivid island pageantry. For full Carnival results, visit www.spicemasgrenada.com

back to top

Spice-tivities

There is always something exciting taking place in Grenada, from local parish festivals to vivid island-wide celebrations. Each month, we will highlight upcoming activities ('Spice-tivities') that make Grenada such a unique destination. In October, visitors to the Island can enjoy the Grenada Cricket Classic and a very special island-style Thanksgiving.

The Grenada Cricket Classic, taking place October 6th & 7th, 2007, is an excellent opportunity for cricket fans to meet some of the greats from the England and West Indies test cricket teams. Fans can travel about with the England Classics team and enjoy a week of rubbing shoulders with many of the cricketing legends of recent test cricket. Attend the Classics parties and enjoy the unique atmosphere of the Classics match, all while spending time with characters such as Allan Lamb and more.

Thanksgiving, taking place on October 25th, 2007, is a special occasion on the island of Grenada commemorating the 1983 Caribbean and American military intervention. On October 25th, 1983, a joint military force landed in Grenada to restore order to the country following the deaths of then Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and a number of his colleagues. Today, more than 20 years after the event, Grenada remains a peaceful society, welcoming visitors from North America and Europe on a daily basis. Visitors to the Island should keep in mind Thanksgiving in Grenada is a public holiday, which means banks and most shops are closed.

For more information on Spice-tivities in Grenada, visit http://www.grenadagrenadines.com/adv_events.html

back to top