Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

A Dive with Dolphins: One Epic Encounter with Aquanauts Grenada

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Anytime SVV and I arrive on a new island, the first thing we do to get the lay of the land is scope out the local dive scene. A friend who used to dive Grenada regularly had highly recommended Aquanauts, so on our third day kicking it on the island, we found ourselves up bleary-eyed just after dawn, heading down to True Blue Resort to arm ourselves in neoprene and submerge beneath the Caribbean’s glassy waters.

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

Aquanauts is extremely well-staffed—we met no fewer than 10 people working in various departments for the company—and has a nice operation going on with plenty of quality rental gear, always a must for us as we don’t own anything. The company also has a second location that operates out of Spice Island Resort on Grand Anse Beach, and it offers dives 365 days a year.

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

As we motored 15 minutes away from the resort, our dive masters briefed us on the site, the marine life we might see and the island’s volcanic origins.

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

Then, just as we arrived at our site, so did an ominous cloud, which opened up and started raining down on us. The captain switched his course and steered us another five minutes outside of the storm’s path before we dropped anchor and jumped in at a different site.

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

No matter if it’s one month or one year since my last dive, I still always get that initial sense of nervousness before I submerge. What if it’s cloudy and my claustrophobia creeps up on me and I can’t see and I get vertigo and I panic underwater? That all did happen to me, in Cabo, many years ago. It wasn’t fun, but I survived.

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

But there was no need to worry: Everything went fine, as always.

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

The first dive was great: The visibility wasn’t awesome with all the rain the island had recently had—given Grenada’s climate, it rains a lot for short periods of time daily, much like Florida I imagine—but we still had a good 30 feet of vis, and the reef was very healthy and teeming with small fish of all species.

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Focusing on finding macro life and other camouflaged posers hiding beneath rocks, coral and other ocean bottom debris always helps to calm me if ever I get a bit anxious at 70 feet below.

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

We did our 50 minutes beneath the sea before slowly ascending and taking the mandatory three-minute safety stop at 15 feet to get our bearings. It was there we saw something flitting about on the horizon, a rarity for this shallow of water when the ocean’s bottom was a good 60 feet beneath us.

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

You guys, I almost flipped out when we saw what it was—not a shark, but a DOLPHIN! And not just one dolphin but a pair of them. Robin, one of the divemasters with Aquanauts, took off after them with his flippers propelling him toward them, his GoPro tracing their swimming patterns.

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Meanwhile, they were leaving my line of sight faster than I could chase them, so I quickly surfaced, climbed into the dive boat, offloaded my bulky dive gear and grabbed my camera kit to film them from atop the ocean. They were everywhere! At least 20 dolphins, maybe more.

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

Combined, we got some pretty killer footage of one insanely awesome morning.

The captain started up the boat and we sped along for a good 20 minutes as more and more of the pod emerged to humor us and play in our wake.

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

We were so jubilant about frolicking with dolphins that I almost forgot how awesome the second dive was, too, until reviewing my photos.

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Turtles, puffers, rays, lionfish—we saw a little of everything in Grenada.

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

We also saw lobsters galore, lobsters by the dozen, poking our prodding hands with their antennae and hoping they weren’t to be our next snack (don’t worry, guys, I don’t eat shellfish).

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Grenada is definitely one of the most underrated dive paradises I’ve ever found. I’m hesitant to even share all this with you guys as part of me wants to keep this hidden gem to myself, while the other part of me wants everyone I know to experience the magic.

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

I’ve been diving for 10 years this summer, and this was by far the most extraordinary dive day of my life.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Aquanauts, for one epic experience in Grenada! One thing’s for sure: We’ll be back.
Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Diving with Dolphins in Grenada

Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Our Gear

Though the clarity wasn’t awesome, I was excited to try out our new dive camera, the Canon G7X Mark II, that we got for Christmas. We spent weeks, if not months, researching the best option for us, as well as the underwater housing. In the end, we went with the Recsea housing, though the Ikelite kits were more affordable.
Which Camera Equipment to Use for Diving
For those who want to try out gear before committing, we’ve been renting a lot of camera equipment—like my most recent obsession, the Canon 24-70mm lens—via Borrow Lenses before making any investment. You can also rent underwater camera gear for your next dive trip or buy used/pre-owned gear. And FYI, Borrow Lenses is offering 15% off rentals right now through April 3. Additionally, we also usually have a GoPro on hand as a backup, though I would never be comfortable making this my primary camera.
Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada

Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Diving with Dolphins in Grenada
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to products I purchased on my own.

 

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Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada
Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada
Diving with Dolphins: An Epic Day Out with Aquanauts Grenada
COMMENTS
  • March 23, 2017

    The photos are gorgeous!! Seeing a pod of dolphins up-close would be a dream come true. Could you please take me with you next time? 😉

    • March 24, 2017

      OK! Going on a dive trip with you would be awesome, Dominique. One day, let’s make that happen =)

  • March 24, 2017

    What an incredible experience!!! You saw so many amazing creatures, although I bet you’ve seen so many others since you’ve been diving for 10 years! Such breath-taking images too X

    • March 24, 2017

      I’ve seen a lot, Kate, but never dolphins while in the water! That was a whole other level of awesome.

  • March 24, 2017

    Beyond amazing! A little bit different from our Cuban dolphin experience hahaha!!! I miss diving sooooo much. One day! GREAT PICS!

    • March 25, 2017

      Well, diving will always be there whenever you get back to it…you’ll have to teach Joaquin when he’s 12!!!

      And yes, I totally forgot about that dolphin experience until you mentioned it. Dying.

  • March 24, 2017

    Wow, how I wish I could work up the courage to dive and have an experience like this!

    • March 25, 2017

      My advice: Go somewhere like the Bahamas with awesome visibility on a perfectly clear day and start out with a shore dive. When you can walk out into the water and see everywhere around you, it makes all the difference for your anxiety! I was terrified of the ocean before I started diving 10 years ago. I’m confident you can do it, too =)

  • March 25, 2017

    Love this!! Reminds me swimming with the dolphins and manta rays in Maui 🙂 I’ve only tried diving once and it totally freaked me out so I stuck to snorkeling. I might try it again one day.

    • April 3, 2017

      I bet that was an unforgettable experience! We wanted to do the iconic ray dive on the Big Island, but sadly it was closed due to a tidal wave the last time we were there.

      Diving is one of those scary sports I definitely recommend learning in the optimal setting (shallow, clear water with visibility for miles). I had a bad freakout in Honolulu one time, but then realized the quicker I jumped back in the water, the more likely I was to continue to dive long-term. It worked!

  • March 25, 2017
    Kris

    Oh my goodness, your underwater pictures are spectacular! It’s so cool that you got to see so much marine life up close.

    • April 3, 2017

      It really was a cool day, Kris! We’ve done a lot of diving over the past 10 years, and this was one of my favorite days, period.

  • March 25, 2017

    Your photos are awesome! 🙂 I definitely want to invest in an underwater camera now!

    • April 3, 2017

      Thanks, Julia! Having a camera with manual settings definitely helps the quality of your shots as there are so many variables underwater.

  • March 25, 2017

    This is literally a dream of mine and I am adding to my bucket list to make it happen – Hopefully I will make it to Grenada one day and get to have an inspiring experience just like you. Beat your not forgetting this anytime soon!

    • April 3, 2017

      I hope you make it there, too, Jordan! One of the prettiest islands I’d ever visited.

  • March 25, 2017

    Wow, that looks like an incredible experience! I enjoyed the video- you got such amazing footage.

    Adding Grenada to my bucket list! I’ve never tried diving before but would love to learn how.

    • April 3, 2017

      Thank you, Kat! I recommend learning to dive somewhere in the Caribbean (or another spot like SE Asia with great visibility). If you’re at all nervous about it, having all that water clarity does a lot to help the nerves. Grenada would be a great place to get certified!

  • March 25, 2017

    This looks beautiful! You are so lucky to have seen dolphins!

  • March 25, 2017

    The underwater photos are insane! Thanks for sharing the equipment that you are using for taking these great pics! Also, dolphins?!? How cool is that ?

  • March 25, 2017

    AMAZING! I’ve never gone scuba diving, but I can’t wait to try. If only I could be so lucky as to see dolphins 😀

    • April 3, 2017

      I hope you get to try it some day! Seriously, another world down there.

  • March 25, 2017

    Dear Kristin, this is beautiful. Did you take the underwater photos yourself? If so, congratulations – they really are gorgeous. I’m a divemaster myself and wanted to suggest you a place for more dolphins: Tofo, Mozambique! I used to work there and dolphins were often everywhere, as were whale sharks and humpback whales. It all just came back to me reading your article. Thank you!

    • April 3, 2017

      Thank you, Sissi! My husband and I took all the photos except the footage of the dolphins underwater (we were too far away to catch them so the divemaster got them). I would LOVE to go to Mozambique. It’s long been atop my bucket list of dive destinations! Maybe someday we’ll get to dive together =)

  • March 25, 2017

    So awesome!! Swimming with dolphins is one of the most amazing things in the world. I just wrote about it too, coincidentally!

    • April 3, 2017

      I read yours! SO awesome. You saw so many of them underwater!

  • March 28, 2017

    This sounds and looks amazing! Great photos and footage, it’s so exciting coming across a pod of dolphins, never mind swimming with them – wow!

    • April 3, 2017

      Thank you, Laura! It was definitely one of those indescribable encounters I’ll never forget.

  • March 31, 2017

    Your video of the dolphins playing gave me the shivers. After following the horrors of the taiji dolphin hunt this year, it’s even more special to see these beautiful creatures wild & free – doing what they’re supposed to be doing and not locked up in some aquarium forced to perform tricks for food. Anyway, your post has inspired me, once again, to learn how to dive! Thanks 🙂

    • April 3, 2017

      I (now regrettably) swam with one in an enclosed tank out in the middle of the ocean in Cuba a decade ago. I agree, this was so much better than that! I really hope you learn how to dive someday, Nadine. It’s scary at first, but so so worth it =)

  • April 5, 2017

    I am impressed with this site, very I am a fan.

  • November 28, 2020
    Steve Canary

    Wow! Awesome underwater pictures. I’d like to go scuba diving for myself. Never tried it, but I think it’s time to do it now! 🙂

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