News
Grenada Dive Fest – Our first taste of diving the Spice Island
After a stunning start to our Pure Grenada Dive Fest adventures on the smaller island of Carriacou, it was time for our first dives on the main island. And what a day we had planned – with 3 dives in the day and a night dive to look forward to.
We started the day meeting up with the team at ScubaTech who cater for both recreational and technical divers from their base at the Calabash Hotel. After a bit of discussion, we decided on a reef and a wreck for our two morning dives and headed out for a short boat ride to a site called Purple Rain. A great name for a dive site, that had us humming all the way round, especially when we saw how it got its name, as a huge school of Creole Wrasse descended on us.
Our second dive was on the Tyrrel Bay wreck, a recent addition to the huge fleet of wrecks that have made the diving here famous. It was sunk in 2018, and yet already had signs of life taking hold. The famous compass has a coral fringe and glass fish patrol the rooms within. The wreck lies just off the reef and so once we had explored the wreck fully, we made our way to the shallows along the reef, prolonging our dive time. In just a single morning set of dives, we had already seen why divers flock to the fabulous island.
The ScubaTech guys had dropped us off on the beach in front of Eco Dive Grenada and helped us with our gear, so we had time for a quick lunch from an eco-friendly vegan take away restuarant and we were ready for more diving. News of our love of frogfish had reached the team and so they took us out to a dive site where their resident photographer had found some the day before – Flamingo Bay. This is an easy going, shallow dive site with a mixture of reef and sandy seabed to explore. Sure enough, tucked under a sponge, there was well camouflaged frogfish for us to enjoy.
Our final dive of the day was to be a night dive on the wreck of the Veronica L. This was a dive we were really excited about, as we had heard it is covered in orange cup corals that open up in all their glory as the sun goes down. It exceeded expectations! While Christie modeled for Nick, I went in search of little critters and found tiny crabs covering the sponges, while octopus hunted them. We had to be dragged back to the surface!
After a truly wonderful day of diving the wrecks and reefs of Grenada, our perfect day was topped off by visiting the first craft ale brewery on the island, the West Indies Beer Company. Great beer, food & live music with friends made for a perfect end to our day.
Read more about our trip to Grenada in the new WINTER 2020 edition of Dive Travel Adventures magazine! You can find out where you can obtain your personal printed copy HERE or download a digital version for free, right HERE!
If you want to join in on all the fun at Pure Grenada Dive Fest 2020, save the date: 3rd – 9th October 2020. Watch out for more information coming soon here.
For more information on Grenada visit the Pure Grenada website by clicking here.
Dive Centres featured in this blog:
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Book Review: Shells of the World
Shells of the World: A Natural History by M.G. Harasewych
Shells of the world is a guide to the world of marine, shelled molluscs. And what a varied and interesting world it is. Some of my favourite things to find on a dive are detailed in this book, including disco clams (or Electric File Clams as they are correctly names), the cephalopods, giant clams and sea hares. There are also many on my wish list, top of which is the Nautilus.
Each chapter provides a detailed description of the species, along with beautiful images. You can dive deeper and discover where they live, both with global distribution and the habitat they prefer. Learn about their diet, reproduction and diversity.
Having dipped in and out of this lovely book over the past few weeks, it has inspired me to learn more about this group of animals that we see on most divers, wherever we are in the world. Some of the shells are incredibly intricate and beautiful. I have always agreed with never collecting, or touching, marine life. The description of a certain set of cone shells should be a warning to those that are happy to pick up marine life! One of the cone shells has a local name called the cigarette snail. Why? Because once the venom is in your system from this animal, you only have time to smoke one cigarette before the affects of the venom are fatal!
What the publisher says:
Mollusks are invertebrate animals with a remarkable natural history and a rich fossil record, and their shells are prized for their breathtaking variety and exquisite beauty. Shells of the World provides a wide-ranging look at the incredible diversity of marine mollusks. An informative introduction outlines the lineages covered, followed by a directory section, split into classes, that profiles a broad selection of different taxa to give a sense of their sheer numbers and variety.
- Features hundreds of beautiful color photos, depicting both the live animals and their shells
- Discusses mollusk evolution, anatomy, life cycles, behavior, and ecology
- Describes unique characteristics, distribution, habitat, and size
- Provides valuable insights into the conservation of the world’s marine mollusks
- Ideal for malacologists and shell collectors everywhere
About the Author:
M. G. Harasewych is research zoologist emeritus and former curator in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he is the author (with Fabio Moretzsohn) of The Book of Shells: A Life-Size Guide to Identifying and Classifying Six Hundred Seashells.
Book Details
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Hardcover
Price: £25
ISBN: 9780691248271
Published: 9th April, 2024
Gear News
Go anywhere with Stahlsac
Stahlsac dive bags and travel luggage are built for our community of divers, surfers, kayakers and outdoor explorers who need bags that are constructed with durability, toughness, and the highest quality the industry has ever seen. We were founded by one man determined to build better watersports and dive bags, and today, that mission is carried on by many. Adventure doesn’t just present itself; it requires discovery. When we design dive bags, we make sure they are tough enough for you to explore in all conditions—warm and cold, wet and dry—to the nearest and farthest reaches of the earth. And for those times you want to push the boundaries of adventure, Stahlsac dive bags make sure you can truly GO ANYWHERE.
Abyss Duffels
Made to be your partner-in-crime on every adventure, Stahlsac’s Abyss Duffels protects your gear from Mother Nature’s worst. Tough and 100% waterproof with double-TPU nylon material that shrugs off daily wear-and-tear, and RF-welded seams further boost the bag’s potential for lifelong exploring. Get Wet. Get Lost. Go Anywhere with Abyss.
- A weatherproof duffel for trips, travel, and adventure
- Ultra-durable double-TPU nylon protects your gear
- Material repels water and keeps your equipment dry
- RF-welded seams are flush, tough, and waterproof
- Removable straps transform duffel into backpack
- Zippered internal stow compartments carry essentials
- External zippered flap is easy to open and close
- Welded external handles make transporting a breeze
Panama Mesh Backpack
The most copied design in scuba diving, the Stahlsac Panama Mesh Backpack is the “original” design and features two high-density foam padded shoulder straps, extra durable polyester mesh, duffel bag handles and our unique zippered dry pocket inside that combines with a wet pocket outside. The bottom’s built from reinforced 18-gauge PVC nylon to combat the wear and tear of your active coastal lifestyle, and, as a bonus in every bag, we supply a 12″ x 12″ mesh drawstring satchel for extra stowing utility. Pack up your beach kit and go.
- Density foam padded shoulder straps
- Outside wet/dry pockets
- 2 Carry handles
- Tough, snag-resistant polyester mesh
- Reinforced PVC bottom
For more information about Stahlsac bags, visit www.stahlsac.com/dive-bags.
Sea & Sea is the home of Stahlsac and other leading diving brands in the UK.
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