The following is a guest post submitted by Mia:

After a morning of much discussion about what would be our first activity in Grenada, we decided to go snorkeling. I’d never thought a non swimmer like myself would be snorkeling in Grenada.

Snorkeling in Grenada with Native Spirit Scuba

We chose Native Spirit Scuba on Grand Anse beach to do our snorkeling. When we arrived we were greeted by the owner Adrian and 2 of his divers. We filled out the necessary waivers etc, and then we were fitted for fins, and life jackets. We hopped on June, the dive boat, and headed up the western coast. We passed Pandy Beach, Port Louis Marina and took a tour around the inner harbor and Carenage. They were all beautiful.

Flamingo Bay

Our first destination was Flamingo Bay.  Dozens of Sergeant Major fishes surfaced as we threw pieces of bread into the water. Although I had on a life jacket when I got into the water I panicked. Shamar our trusted guide now seeing the magnitude of my fear immediately came to my assistance.

He calmly talked to me and was able to convince me to let go of the ladder on the side of the boat. He gently took me out into the water talking to me the entire time and was able to get me to relax and follow his instructions. I began to breathe and kick as instructed… low and behold we were over 150 feet away from the boat. I was constantly reassured, that I could do it. I couldn’t believe it… I did it!
There were so many beautiful fishes of all shapes, sizes and color. I was not able to see the true beauty of the corals because the water was a little murky.

The most awesome part was the feeding frenzy that took place right around us by the the Sergeant Majors. To feel the fishes against your skin was a little icky but nonetheless a fantastic experience at the same time.

Under Water Sculpture Park

The next stop was the world’s first Under Water Sculpture Park at Molinere. I again climbed into the water but this time it was a smoother transition. The water was very cold. I hate it when it’s cold so I was even more uncomfortable for a short while.

Shamar guided me to view all the sculptures. My favorites were the 26 life sized children holding hands while facing outwards, and the child on a bike. The rough sea had shifted some of the sculptures out of place but they were breathtaking. Surprisingly I continued to snorkel on my own and witnessed even more underwater beauty.

Native Spirit Scuba Rocks!!

My daughter with Shamar and Cheesy (Native Spirit) in background

I can not begin to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Shamar. I can’t begin to tell you how it felt to be at ease in the sea. Even so much as to gain the confidence to snorkel alone. The Native Spirit Scuba ‘crew’ are fabulous! The snacks on board were delicious and rum punch even better. This is a 5 star recommendation. Adrian, and his guys are the best!

One of Grenada’s most popular scuba dive shops is Native Spirit Scuba, located in Grand Anse on the grounds of the Grenada Grand Beach Hotel. The diveshop is owned and operated by a Adrian (Sarge) and Rahel.

Sarge, a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, is an expert on the Grenada Diving scene,so I thought it would be worthwhile to pick his brain on typical concerns/questions that a prospective Grenada Scuba Diver might have.

If you have never dove in Grenada before you will find the answers to these question very helpful when researching a dive shop, and planning your trip.I hope you get some benefit from it.

1. What is the typical visibility? – 60 – 80 ft
2. What is the typical water temp during the year? – 27 – 28 degrees celcius
3. How long is the typical boat ride? – About 10 minutes
4. Is there shore diving? – Yes, there is shore diving, but not a lot. The reef at Flamingo Bay is shore accessible, also Dragon Bay from which you could swim into the next bay “Moliniere” to dive the Under Water Sculpture Park. Once you are a certified diver you can rent tanks from us.
5. What unique and exciting creatures are to be seen? – eagle rays, moray eels, turtles, sharks, lobsters and all Caribbean reef fishes, also a variety of corals
6. Is there any wreck diving? – There are many wrecks, including the “Bianca C” which is the largest cruise ship wreck in the Caribbean, 200 m long.
7. Do you have NITROX? – No
8. How many divers to a boat typically? – 2 – 10 divers, depending on season.
9. How deep is the average dive? – 60 ft
10. What experience level do you recommend for the dives? – different experience levels for different dive sights; for people without any experience, they can do a discover scuba course, which gets them to dive within 2 – 3 hours on a shallow, beautiful reef ( 40 ft). The discover scuba dive can be credited torwards the open water certification course.
11. How healthy are the reefs? – Most are in great condition
12. How adundant is the fish life? – There are fishes in abundance
13. What certifications do you recognize (e.g. PADI, NAUI, SSI)? – We are a PADI dive centre, but recognize all of the other certifications.
14. Do the boats have rinse tanks for camera
    gear? – Yes
15. Can you rent camera gear? –
    No, but we offer to take pictures and videos which you can purchase
    afterwards
16. Can I get certified on the island? –
    Definitely, right here with us; anything from open water diver all the
    way up to dive master. We also offer referral courses and scuba
    reviews( including one dive ) for those who haven’t been diving for
    several months or longer.
17. Do you offer specialty classes? –
    yes, we do deep diver, boat diver, drift diver, multilevel diver, night
    diver, underwater naturalist, wreck diver