Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park Molinere Bay Grenada

Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park: Art and Reef Since 2006

In 2006, British artist Jason deCaires Taylor placed 65 life-cast sculptures of local Grenadian residents on the seafloor of Molinere Bay, on the southwest coast of Grenada. The pieces were made from pH-neutral concrete with a textured surface specifically designed to encourage coral settlement – marine infrastructure disguised as art, or the reverse depending on your perspective. They sit at 3 to 8 metres in water clear enough to see the bottom from a surface snorkel. Nearly two decades later, the sculptures are not what they were in 2006; they are the starting point for a continuing biological process. You are diving through a living reef that started as a human figure.

The park is widely credited as the world’s first purpose-built underwater sculpture park and the most visited dive site in the Caribbean. That second claim is contested, but the concept – art that functions as marine conservation infrastructure, accessible to anyone who can snorkel – is genuinely unusual and has since been replicated in multiple countries.

What’s in the Water

The main collection includes a circle of figures holding hands (Vicissitudes), individual standing and seated figures, and a series of statues at various stages of coral colonisation. The most photographed piece is the ring of children, now heavily encrusted with coral formations and surrounded by juvenile fish using the structure as shelter.

Visibility in Molinere Bay is typically 15 to 25 metres; the water stays at 27 to 29 degrees Celsius year-round. The shallower sculptures (3 to 5 metres) are fully accessible to snorkellers without scuba. The deeper pieces require basic diving skills.

Hurricane Ivan damaged several sculptures before the installation in 2004, and subsequent storms have affected the site; conditions and sculpture integrity vary year to year. Check with local dive operators for current status.

Booking a Visit

The park sits within a marine protected area; permits are required and tour operators are the standard access point. Dive Grenada and EcoDive Grenada are established operators running regular trips from the Grand Anse beach area, about 6 km south by boat. A snorkelling tour costs around USD 50 to 70 per person including equipment; a diving trip runs USD 90 to 120. The boat trip takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Grenada Beyond the Sculpture Park

Grand Anse Beach is the main beach: 3 km of white sand on the southwest coast, with calm water and beach bars. The large hotel properties are here; independent beach access is unrestricted.

St. George’s, the capital, is one of the more attractive small Caribbean towns – a natural harbour (the Carenage), 18th-century British fort ruins (Fort George and Fort Frederick), and a busy produce market. Grenada produces about 20% of the world’s nutmeg, and the processing facility in town shows the post-harvest operation.

Concord Falls are three tiered waterfalls accessible via a 30-minute walk through nutmeg groves. The first is roadside; the upper two require more effort. Local guides at the car park charge USD 10 to 15 for the upper falls.

Carriacou, a smaller island 37 km north, is reached by ferry from St. George’s in about 90 minutes for EC$ 35 one way. Carriacou has a traditional boatbuilding culture – wooden schooners built by hand – good snorkelling at Anse La Roche and Tyrrel Bay, and a quieter character than the main island.

Where to Eat

Umbrellas Beach Bar on Grand Anse serves fish and chicken dishes with cold Carib beer directly on the beach; mains around EC$ 40 to 55. The correct post-snorkel lunch.

Aquarium Restaurant near Grand Anse is popular for seafood; the lobster and callaloo soup are the recommended dishes.

The national dish – oil down, a slow-cooked stew of salted pork, chicken, breadfruit, and callaloo in coconut milk – rarely appears on tourist restaurant menus. It is a Sunday meal prepared in Grenadian homes; asking your guesthouse for home cooking recommendations is the most reliable route to trying it.

Practical Notes

The dry season (January to May) has better underwater visibility. Hurricane season runs June through November. Grenada uses Eastern Caribbean Dollars, fixed at EC$ 2.70 to USD 1. No direct flights from the UK; connections go via Barbados, Antigua, or Trinidad.