Grenada’s undersea world remains one of the Caribbean’s best-kept secrets: from its world-renowned Underwater Sculpture Park to a host of world-class diving and snorkeling sites, the Eastern Caribbean destination is a haven for enthusiasts.
Grenada is also one of the region’s epicenters of marine conservation and sustainability.
That is precisely the point behind the second annual edition of the island’s weeklong Dive and Conservation Festival, a unique hybrid festival combing traditional dive events with forward-thinking conservation and sustainability events, running from May 29 to June 5.
The festival is what organizers call an “unprecedented gathering of global leaders in marine conservation, will bring together many experts, including government representatives, environmental advocacy organizations, scientists, researchers, and tourism industry partners.”
While the event began in 2018 as the Grenada Dive Festival, last year things went to another level, with the festival evolving to incorporate conservation activities.
This year’s festival is a partnership and collaboration between the Grenada Tourism Authority and the Grenada Scuba Diving Association, and several conservation groups including Grenada Coral Restoration Foundation, Ocean Spirits, Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and Women in Cleantech & Sustainability – Caribbean Hub.
“Sustainability is central to our value set as a destination,” stated Petra Roach, CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority. “Grenada is leading the way in marine conservation by creating protected areas for endangered species, coral gardening and restoration, regulating plastic waste, and promoting sustainable fishing practices. The Dive & Conservation Festival aims to provide a platform to raise awareness of these efforts and bring together global marine conservation leaders to discuss further ways to protect our oceans.”
The agenda includes a full slate of events from wreck diving and reef diving to “conservation conversations” and even a screening of the landmark film Chasing Coral.
“We chose to live in Grenada because of the incredible diversity above and below the surface,” said Tiffany Geer of Aquanauts Grenada We saw how many groups were taking action towards sustainability and we knew this would be a place where we could collaborate with other organizations and make a lasting impact towards a sustainable future.”