Grenada Island

Grenada occupies the southern end of the Windward Islands chain, 140 km north of Trinidad and 270 km northeast of Venezuela, sitting at the point where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic-influenced waters of the SE Caribbean. The island is volcanic in origin — steep interior ridges, forested valleys dropping to sheltered bays and a reef-fringed coast. Tidal range here is among the smallest in the Lesser Antilles: mixed semidiurnal with spring range 0.3–0.4 m. Astronomical tide is a minor force; prevailing trade winds from the northeast and east-southeast, running at 15–25 knots for most of the year, set the dominant character of the coast. The leeward (western and southwestern) coast is sheltered from the trades and carries the calm water that supports St. George's harbour, Grand Anse beach, and the south coast anchorages that draw the regional sailing circuit. The windward (eastern) coast is exposed and rough, largely undeveloped for tourism. Grenada's underwater terrain is its defining asset for divers and snorkellers: the wall systems and reef structures in the south and southwest — including the wreck of the Bianca C at 55 m, the largest wreck in the Caribbean — make this one of the most consistent dive destinations in the eastern Caribbean. Sister island Carriacou, 27 km to the NNE, has the same microtidal regime and a quieter character, hosting the Carriacou Regatta in August — one of the oldest sailing events in the Caribbean.