In order to truly appreciate all that the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park in Grenada has to offer, it is better to visit on a dive rather than snorkeling. But since I'm not PADI certified, snorkeling was how I'd be doing my visit. On that day, dust from a Saharan wind storm hazed the skies over the island, and I feared it might also diminish water clarity, spoiling my view of some of the 75 works below.
But as soon as I took the plunge from the dive boat into the marine protected area, both concerns were laid to rest. While some of the statues were 25 feet below the surface, clearly too deep to reach by most except for scuba divers and advanced freedivers, others sat closer at some 6 feet deep, and I was able to see all the fine details. One of those shallower pieces is one called "Bench + Selfie," which invites visitors to sit on a bench alongside a woman who's taking a selfie. While I consider myself a strong swimmer, my freedive skills don't match, so I opted to watch from above as one fellow snorkeler took out his GoPro and took a selfie with the statue.
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Another piece, and perhaps the most captivating one for me, was "Vicissitudes," comprising 26 children holding hands in a circular formation, meant to depict growth and natural transformation in the circle of life. One of the new statue series is "Coral Carnival," a collection of 25 works of masqueraders depicting the local carnival known as Spicemas, all with elaborate costumes, with faces carved in fine detail.
Other statues I was able to see clearly from above were "The Lost Correspondent," depicting a man typing away on a typewriter, and "Christ of the Deep"; one of three worldwide, this one was created by Grenadian artist Troy Lewis, who also contributed three new statues to the site. In addition to the sculptures, I was entertained by the many fish who darted here and there at every turn, attracted to the oceanic growth that encrusts some of the older statues.
British sculptor and ecologist Jason deCaires Taylor is the creator of the majority of the statues, the first ones installed in 2006. Last year, Grenada added 31 more. In late summer, Grenada along with Taylor will open a second underwater park off the waters of sister island Carriacou.
The park is accessible via various scuba diving, snorkeling and glass bottom boats, with departures from St. Georges and Grand Anse Beach.