The Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) has announced the completion of the renovation project for the Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park, located off the West Coast of Grenada in the Molinere Beauséjour Marine Protected Area.
Opened in 2006, the park was envisioned by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, and is accessible to both snorkelers and divers. It is one of the destination’s most popular attractions. The installation includes 82 life-size sculptures that reflect Grenada’s culture and are fashioned from a variety of media but predominantly from simple substrates, including concrete. They create an ideal substrate, relatively fixed and permanent, on which marine life may develop.
One of the park’s most famous sculptures is the “Vicissitudes,” a circle of 28 figures cast from local Grenadian children linked by holding hands. Other notable pieces include the “Lost Correspondent,” a man working at a typewriter on desk covered with historical newspaper cuttings; “Sienna,” an elegant sculpture that depicts the graceful figure of a young skin diver from a much-loved local story; and “TAMCC Faces,” a series of life-sized faces seemingly molded into the crevice of a large coral boulder which involved students of the local community college.
Over time, the sculpture park has been affected by natural environmental forces. Thus to preserve its integrity, restoration efforts were initiated to maintain the environmental suitability and contribution to the vast marine life that it brings. These efforts varied from repairing and cleaning specific structures to removing and relocating others.
“The Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park is a national treasure and its maintenance is important to the upkeep of the pure allure of Grenada’s waters,” said Petra Roach, CEO, Grenada Tourism Authority, in a press announcement. “Innovatively designed to act as an artificial reef, the park has attracted a stunning array of diverse marine life to the area since its installation and provided a surface for coral to grow, which is ultimately important to our ongoing preservation efforts and commitment to combat the ravages of global warming. We at the Grenada Tourism Authority will continue to advocate for and support such projects in order to ensure the destination’s viability and sustainable efforts.”
With over 50 dive sites, the destination attracts divers of all levels from around the world, who are drawn to the colorful coral reefs, spectacular shipwrecks, exhilarating drift dives and the unique underwater sculpture park in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
For more information about Grenada, visit www.puregrenada.com.
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