MITSUGIRLY has a JEWEL of a time on my 1st RC cruise in years!

[Pellaz]

I've got to give Sakari mad props for her free-diving skills. I can freedive pretty well (35 or 40 ft down at Grand Turk is my personal record), but I shudder to think of freediving a lot in the ocean wearing just goggles. :) (Any reason why she doesn't use a mask?)

 

Amazing photos in this review from you and Sakari. Did you say which camera you were using for those sunset photos? I thought you said all of yours were from a GoPro, and I have higher hopes for the one I just bought.

[mitsugirly]

I would like to thank you Mitsugirly. My wife and I just got back from Jewel of the seas and 2days before and 1 day after the cruise in Puerto Rico and did most of the beaches you recommended. They were great but the best of all was the Restaurant La Cueva Del Mar, the food was great. Again Thank You. Paul and Vickie

 

 

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Glad to hear you had a great time and loved the restaurant. :)

 

I've got to give Sakari mad props for her free-diving skills. I can freedive pretty well (35 or 40 ft down at Grand Turk is my personal record), but I shudder to think of freediving a lot in the ocean wearing just goggles. :) (Any reason why she doesn't use a mask?)

 

Amazing photos in this review from you and Sakari. Did you say which camera you were using for those sunset photos? I thought you said all of yours were from a GoPro, and I have higher hopes for the one I just bought.

 

She learned to swim when she was 3 and she had goggles on. It's just always been her thing. I'm sure if there was a way for her to wear only goggles when scuba diving she would. She just doesn't like to wear a mask.

 

 

I use the same cameras for all my pictures (the ones listed in the beginning of the review): mostly the Olympus Tough TG4. I've never owned a GoPro yet because it seems like it's more for video than pictures and I'm a picture girl. :D

Edited May 1, 2018 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

So we have arrived at the statues. My anxiety was building on the way there but I was trying to not think about things by laughing and joking around with everyone.

 

Then we are told to gear up and then he looked at me and said "you first, come here". He took me toward the back of the boat and told me to sit down. He said "now hold your mask" and grabbed both my shoulders. I felt the slightest little tilt coming on and I jumped up. "Wait, what are you doing???" He said he was pushing me off....BACKWARDS!!! :o Um...no your not are you crazy?????!!!! He said, "yep, you are going off backwards". Ohhhh no I'm not! Panic mode set in and at that point we were arguing back and forth about how I was/wasn't going to do this. I mean why can I just jump off the back or slide in?

 

So, the hubby said "I'll go first". This scuba thing doesn't seem to bother him at all and you'd think it would because of his ears.

 

He sat beside me and I turned the camera toward him and he was already flopping backwards. :o

 

 

They kept telling me not to worry because my bsc was inflated and it's not like I was going to flop in and sink to the bottom. Well I know this, but still!!!

 

At this point Sakari ran to the front of the boat "I'm not doing that!" Now I felt bad for freaking her out about it. I HAD to do it darnit.

 

Ok, here we go....no wait. Not yet. Gulp. Ok, I'm ready...no wait. OMG, just do it! Kerplunk and over I went. WOO HOO...that was actually fun!!! I can't believe I was so worked up about it. I enjoyed it. I wanted to do it again! LOL

 

Then came Michaela while Kia looked on in excitement...or fear, I wasn't sure which one her reaction was with the flailing hands and arms.

 

Video:

 

7199DLK09Sk

 

Up next was Kia. But no worries, if she didn't make it, I'm sure he would have gently swooped her up in his arms and carried her off the boat. hehe

 

Kia going off the boat (video)

 

rbNV79SLs1w

 

 

She thought it was fun too. Up next was Sakari. She was still hiding in the front of the boat and around the corner. She was screaming she wasn't doing it. She said she wasn't diving now. She had some alligator tears in her eyes I could tell by her voice trembling. I felt so bad because I'm the one that she is supposed to look up to and find comfort in and reassurance. I had failed at the good mommy part today. I felt so bad. I kept assuring her that it was fun and not at all scary. She wasn't having it. She had she was not going to dive. Then the stern parent kicked in..."oh yes you are! Get in here".

 

 

 

This was the only way they were getting her in....(video)

 

O3TG1ddT7R8

But hey, she made it right? I still wanted to know if we could climb back on the boat and flop off again. I'm pretty sure he gave me this "really??" look like "you made such a big deal of it the first time and you think I'll let you do it again?" look.

[mitsugirly]

I have learned that diving from a boat seems to go a little better for me because if we are in an area and there's things for me to concentrate on below me, it takes my mind off of things that are racing in my head.

 

So immediately I look down to try to focus on what's under me and start taking pictures...only there wasn't really a lot there. A few fish and some rocks. Nothing too interesting. Honestly, I didn't expect to see much as far as fish or coral. We were diving this place strictly for the sculptures and it was one of the big attractions here in Granada.

 

 

I also thought this place would be good because I already knew it wasn't in too deep of water. There wasn't any drop offs or walls or anything that I thought would freak me out. I believe I had read it's only around 15-20 feet down and figured it would be an easy dive for everyone.

 

Then I see him (Adrien) start to let the air out of my hubby's bcd and he went under. (Every DSD is different. Some won't let you control your own BCD and others want you to control it. This one wouldn't let you). Then they did Sakari. Two down, three to go. Time to run...or swim.

 

I was up next, he came over to let out my air and I was like "wait, you are doing it right here? No" I need to get to the line. Last scuba we did they had us hold on to the line and they let our air out and we went down the line to the bottom. This time they were just trying to do it out in the open. I wasn't having it. I needed something to hold on to for safety. I'm just not to that point. He kept asking me "where you going?" I told him to the line. So Kia was closer to him now...so that meant she was next in line to go under. (Sorry Kia, that's what you get for being over there by Mr Deflater).

 

I made it to the line and our guide was Dextroy and he let the air out of my bsc. Then they did Michaela. Michaela and I were both hanging onto the line and not letting go. I kept telling him to wait...I wasn't ready. Gosh why am I like this? I love the ocean so much so why do I have such an issue in the beginning? UGH!

 

I look over and Adrien is holding Kia and Sakari's hands and swimming away and Dextroy took mine and Michaela's hands and off we went. The hubby...well, he was just doing his own thing.

 

 

Finally we (well I know I did) felt comfortable enough to let go (honestly, I just wanted to focus on taking pictures and that would get me through my anxiety). Then somehow Michael and Kia ended up with Adrien.

 

 

 

Sakari was having some issues and now Dextroy was dealing with her. I had no idea what was going on but seen her go up several times.

 

Meanwhile...these guys were going deeper and deeper and seemed to be doing good.

 

 

I was trying to take a bunch of pictures of Kia and Michaela because the day before (in Barbados), when we were swimming with the turtles, Kia got back to the boat and noticed her camera lid was open. It soaked the inside of her camera and the sd card and she no longer had a camera or pictures from the cruise. I brought all 3 of our cameras with me and meant to hand her one to use but in the commotion of Adrien trying to throw me overboard in the beginning...I completely forgot to tell her to grab it. Darnit.

 

 

 

 

[lovespositano]

Hello - Enjoying your posts. I hope you can answer a question about bands onboard. We are getting on the Jewel on Sunday for the TA and we love to dance. Can you tell us anything about the bands/dancing on the Jewel right now?

Thanks!! Shirleen

[mitsugirly]

I spotted something in the distance...could it be? No, no way, it couldn't be...the Nutmeg Princess?

 

Yep, it sure was. It was nothing like I expected. For some reason I thought it was much much bigger. I also thought that we would be going down and exploring around it and getting some good pictures. All we did was pass over top of it and kept going. Wait, this is not what I signed up for! I want pictures! I only managed to get 1 picture. Boo!

 

 

21st July 2015 – The Nutmeg Princess has been added to the world’s first underwater sculpture park at Moliniere Bay in Grenada. The statue depicts Grenada’s first fairy tale princess emerging from a large nutmeg pod, reaching to the heavens with a handful of Grenada’s most famed spice, the nutmeg. The 11-foot tall sculpture was inspired by the 1992 book The Nutmeg Princess by Grenadian author/playwright Richardo Keens-Douglas and designed by artist Lene Kilde

 

Just a little selfie along the way...

 

 

So there was a few fish and coral along the way...just not much, which I expected there wouldn't be much anyhow.

 

 

 

A few parrot fish and blue surgeon tangs.

 

 

 

Notice all the dots? Yea, I had my flash on and didn't realize it.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

More coral along the way...

 

 

 

 

I think these pictures have a super weird look (color) to them. Maybe that's what happens when you have the flash on? I'm not sure. I have never tried to scuba with the flash on and that far down. It's a really weird blue-green look to it.

 

A four-eyed butterfly fish in this picture below.

 

 

Then I started seeing....people? Wait...is this this circle of people? Seriously?? What the heck happened to it? This was the reason I wanted to come here. I'm pretty sure this is the reason most people come here and this is what it looks like? Shouldn't they tell you about this?

[mitsugirly]

A little about the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park:

 

This underwater park was created in 2006 by Jason deCaires Taylor. He wanted to engage the local people with the underwater environment by using his art, derived from life casts of the local community. These concrete figures were created and installed on the ocean floor. Most are some form of human. It is placed on the sandy ocean floor and was also created to aid in creating more reefs and to relieve the pressure on the natural reefs close to Flamingo Bay. There are over 65 concrete individual sculptures that cover 800 square meters. It can be accessed by either St Georges main port or Grand Anse Bay, both by boat only.

 

The coral reef around Grenada suffered damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Emily in 2005. Only 10-15% of the seabed has a substratum solid enough for natural reefs to grow upon. It can take between 10 to 80 years for hard coral to develop. These sculptures are designed to promote coral growth using techniques to reduce the pH of the cement, which encourages coral polyps to attach onto the surface and grow.

 

Over time, the tides will enhance the texture and new inhabitants will grow.

 

There are several sculptures within the park and new sculptures are being added. I will give a description of each sculpture and their history as I encounter it within my review. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

So first up was a circle of people. I had no idea that they were falling over and had not read anything or seen any pictures prior to the trip about them falling over. I was a little shocked to say the least.

 

 

 

I'm kicking myself for having the flash on. It pretty much ruined most of these pictures.

 

Then there was a small circle of people, which were in good shape and not falling down. Still, I can not find anything online about this small circle either.

 

 

I'm really not sure what this circle was supposed to be about and I can't really find information online about this particular circle.

 

 

You could definitely see the coral growth taking place though...so it has been there for awhile.

 

 

Maybe they are not moving them and repairing them to be put back in place because of the coral growth.

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

Well hello there Kia! She was diving like a pro now and no more hand-holding.

 

 

The only thing I can come up with is this is the circle of children.

 

The first sculptures were constructed mainly of cement, which has been damaged by the conditions of the seas, and despite attempted repairs the Circle of Children in particular has suffered damage and collapsed in places. The replacement 26 Children are currently being built, using more durable materials, including a more substantial interlocking marine-grade concrete base, ph neutral micro silica, and fibreglass reinforcing. The entire piece will weigh roughly 5200 kilograms (11,464 pounds)… this should provide a long-term solution for both marine life and visitors to the site!

It looked like a graveyard here. There were bodies everywhere. Little did I know, I was actually seeing something I had no clue about.

 

 

These "dead bodies" were actually called "Grace Reef". It was installed in 2006, at a depth of 12 feet. There were 16 concrete statues cast from the body of a local Grenadian woman and positioned lying down on the sea floor. This is an extensive sandy area within the reef. They are exposed in an area that has direction and strengths of currents that the sand beds will completely cover the work and you cannot see any of them...or they will be completely exposed and fully visible.

 

So...since we were seeing them, I guess we got lucky.

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2018 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

 

Then we were moving on...

 

 

We sure did see a lot of squirrel fish this cruise. They were just everywhere.

 

 

I still see Sakari over there struggling and Dextroy trying to help her...and not letting go of her. I started to wonder if this might be the problem. She does NOT like anyone holding her. She says it's hard to swim that way (even though when scuba diving you don't use your arms/hands) and she feels like she's being pulled along and going sideways.

 

 

Poor Sakari, she just wasn't having a good experience (and she's usually the pro at this).

 

 

She would later tell me it was an issue with her mask. It wasn't sealing very good and he adjusted it...only when he adjusted it, it got really loose and caused it to flood over and over. Ugh! Then she said that every 1-2 minutes he was giving her the "are you ok" (thumbs up) symbol and she'd give it back, but then said he'd keep doing it and getting up in her face. She said "I done told him I was fine over and over and it was annoying every time he got in my face. I couldn't even swim because he wouldn't stop". Poor baby. I told her that he had to be sure that she was ok...especially if she was having issues with her mask.

 

[mitsugirly]

We came up and around a corner and headed toward a small valley. Had my husband not pointed, I think I would have missed the next sculpture...which was one of the main reasons Sakari wanted to go here.

 

THE MERMAID!!! (Once again, I pictured it to be a lot bigger than it was. You could easily pass this by and not know it and I'm pretty sure Kia did just that).

 

The mermaid was created by a local craftsman named Troy Lewis. She lies on her side, so she doesn't stand tall and it's easy to miss her.

 

Can you see her?

 

 

 

Good thing she was pointed out to me or I wouldn't have been able to come around and get closer for some better pictures.

 

 

Sakari was able to see her and that made her day.

 

 

 

 

So...I had no idea what this was and once we got home and I ask Sakari if she had seen it, she informed me "That's like a submarine mommy...like the sand is supposed to be the ocean and the water above it is where the submarine is sticking out of the water". Hmm, I wasn't buying it.

 

Here's the real info on it:

 

This piece was also created by local Troy Lewis and are influenced by the form of the intricate Petroglyphs and ceremonial carvings made by early Amerindian tribes. It was thought that the Caribs created these stone carvings to represent their belief in many gods controlling the sun and moon as well as plant and animal life. There were 14 sculptures made total. They are re-creations of traditional Arawak Art with Zemis and tokens of worship.

 

 

 

And Sakari is still being held by Dextroy but as far as I could tell, she was doing just fine.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

A little more coral here and there. Still, not many fish.

 

 

Still being held.

 

 

Daddy was busy exploring.

 

 

I felt so bad for Sakari. I knew she was struggling with her feelings and emotions about being held on to. I completely understand Dextroys concern and being responsible for her and all but I do know that Sakari would have done much better had he just let go of her and stayed beside her. My anxiety increases when I first go in the water and getting used to it. Sakari's anxiety increases once she's been in the water for a long period of time and she's still being held on to.

 

 

Here's a video of all of us. Adrien was leading us to the next sculpture. Kia and Michaela were paired up and Sakari and Dextroy ahead of me. I'm trying to watch everyone and I look back for daddy...and he's gone!

 

 

VIDEO:

 

[YOUTUBE]HUb4gEhO2K4[/YOUTUBE]

 

 

Oh wait, he's below me. LOL Well that's probably a first. Do you see him on the bottom of the ocean???? Wow! He's usually up at the top! I guess his new mask with ear covers actually work! I couldn't wait to hear his report on how they worked out. I'm so happy he was getting to enjoy himself this time around with no worries about an ear infection.

[mitsugirly]

Up next was a praying woman. I have seen her pictures online before, but there's absolutely no information on her or what her name is. Everyone just seems to call her "Praying Woman".

 

 

 

 

 

And moving on...

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

FINALLY....there is was! The people I was looking for. So, I was totally confused at this point. Not knowing what the first "people" we came across was and thinking that it was this instead. I was devastated that they were all torn up and I had never seen anything stating they were no longer standing.

 

Now I know why...this is totally different.

 

This is called Vicissitudes. It was installed in 2007 and is around 14 feet deep in the water. This was also done by Taylor and is the most recognized sculpture in the park. It has 26 standing people (children), of different ethnic backgrounds, that are holding hands and facing outwards into the current. It took over 6 months to make and was constructed to withstand strong currents and tidal motion. The ring symbolizes the concept of life's ongoing cycle and the importance of creating a sustainable and well managed environment for future generations. The children show the ability to adapt to their surroundings and any environment as the sea embraces them and they become a part of their new environment.

 

 

Oh boy...she broke loose finally.

 

 

 

At some point, I must have discovered my flash was on because the pictures got better by the time I got here (and a little before).

 

Sakari had told me before we left for vacation that when we went here, she wanted to go down the middle of the people and get a picture. She was on a mission!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

I thought the pose she decided on was funny.

 

 

Now my original thought was to go down and stand on the ocean floor and take pictures with the people. Possibly "join" the circle in the opening or go in the middle like Sakari thought about. But, Adrien started heading around the people (and I thought we were going to circle them and figured I'd use this opportunity to get close ups of them and really check them out).

 

 

 

I was circling around them and checking each out and snapping pictures as I went along.

 

 

It was so neat to see the growth on them and what shapes they had taken. I particularly liked this one. She looked like she had lipstick on with the coral over the mouth.

 

 

Holding hands

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

I looked up and everyone was gone! Wait...where did they go???

 

 

I thought we were circling them and getting better close up pictures. I thought I could get some pictures of us with them. What the heck. It felt so rushed! The entire trip felt rushed.

 

There was some type of bench over here. I'm not sure what it was for. I had seen divers go over and take a picture sitting on it before. I guess I wasn't going to get any pictures like I wanted.

 

 

I caught a glimpse of Kia and Michaela off in the distance and instead of going around the circle sculpture, they went straight. I hurried to get caught up.

 

A few fish to keep me company.

 

 

 

[LuCruise]

Incredible photos and your exploring! You all amaze me everytime! Very cool with the underwater sculptures. Do you find it creepy at all? Like they were actually people that got shipwrecked and now bottom of ocean? I watch too many movies..lol.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[mitsugirly]

At this point, I decided to take a picture of my gauges. I knew we weren't very deep at this point, but still wanted some type of record. This type of gauge records the deepest you have went during the dive and I liked that.

 

 

Hmm, looks like we had been down at least 34-35 feet.

 

Some of the coral and our surroundings at this point.

 

 

 

 

Oh look a fish...

 

 

Actually a few fish in this area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

All of a sudden Adrien started pointing at something. He kept looking at us to get our attention and pointing. I'm really struggling to see what the heck it was. I'm thinking an eel or maybe a shrimp or something really cool.

 

 

Can you see it? It was a feather duster! Awww man! I thought it was going to be something cool. I can see a feather duster everywhere I go snorkeling. When I'm in the ocean scuba diving, I'm hoping to see something really cool! He touched it. It retracted like they do and then I knew what it was he was pointing at.

 

On we went...

 

 

We came to this valley of sand. It was very weird and spooky looking. Hmm, I wonder what it leads to.

 

 

Oh, now I see it.

 

 

It was so weird how it was dark and dreary along the edges with the rocks and coral. Then in the middle all sand and it opened up to above with the sun beaming in.

 

 

This is the "Christ of the Deep" statue. This was designed by Troy Lewis. It is a replica of the "Christ of the Deep" statue donated by the Costa Cruise Lines to thank the Grenadian people for their generosity all those years ago in opening their homes up and rescuing over 600 people from the sinking luxury liner Bianca C in 1961.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

Now take a good look at the base of the Christ statue. I swear I see another small statue that looks like a skeleton head with some type of sun-like halo around it. Do you see it? I can't see anything mentioned about it online. I have looked at other pictures online too and don't even see it in those pictures. It's like someone has laid another statue there. It looks like it could be something made by Troy Lewis with his Aztec collection. Cool huh?

 

Moving on...

 

 

 

Then I spotted "The Lost Correspondent". He was installed back in 2006, in about 22 feet of water. His designer is Jason Taylor. He is a man who is sitting at his desk working with his hands over an "antique" typewriter and relic of being passed over by modern technology. The surface desk is supposed to be covered with a selection of newspaper articles that date back to the 1970s with some political significance from the Cuban alignment before the revolution.

 

 

 

 

Another selfie with the hubs...I look like a dude! A dude with bubbles in my hair. What the heck?

 

 

A few fish I have never seen before.

 

 

 

[TONYnDEB]

 

 

Now take a good look at the base of the Christ statue. I swear I see another small statue that looks like a skeleton head with some type of sun-like halo around it. Do you see it? I can't see anything mentioned about it online. I have looked at other pictures online too and don't even see it in those pictures. It's like someone has laid another statue there. It looks like it could be something made by Troy Lewis with his Aztec collection. Cool huh?

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for this review (and all of your other reviews!) they are incredibly helpful. You have a beautiful family!!

 

Could the head of this statue (La Diablesse) be what’s at the base of the Christ of the Deep statue?

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited May 2, 2018 by TONYnDEB
photo sizing

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for this review (and all of your other reviews!) they are incredibly helpful. You have a beautiful family!!

 

Could the head of this statue (La Diablesse) be what’s at the base of the Christ of the Deep statue?

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Yes, that's exactly what I thought it was and had seen pictures of this statue. But, it was only the head. But that's exactly what it looked like. (But the entire sculpture is supposed to be there)

 

 

Thanks for the kind words. I'm so glad they have been helpful.

Edited May 2, 2018 by mitsugirly

[NemoCrownie]

Kim, I am still loving your review, you pictures and your wonderful attitude - your sense of humor is fun, too.

 

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

[Russ Lomas]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loving your detailed review. We went to Grenada for the first time on a cruise in December. We had planned to go to this beach but when we arrived, it was pouring. It stopped for an hour and then poured for another hour...and then repeated the cycle for most of the day. You have sold me on the beauty of the beach. Next visit to Grenada, we will be going to this beach. Thanks.

[mitsugirly]

 

Adrien pointed up and we started to go up...

 

 

Everyone was at the top and he ask us how we liked it. It was amazing! But I kept thinking...is this it? There were so many other sculptures that I remember seeing online that we hadn't seen. Maybe I missed it? (Nope, confirmed by the rest of the family that I saw what they saw). Hmmm.

 

So we didn't see The Unstill Life-which was a still life model of a table, vase and fruit bowl. We didn't see The Fall From Grace, which was a guy riding a bicycle (and I really wanted to see that). We didn't see Tam CC Project, which was 18 heads fixed to a rock. We didn't see Sienna, which is a metal structure that allows water currents to flow through the body of the sculpture. And we didn't see La Diablesse (lady with the skull face and brimmed hat).

 

I did find this "map" of sculpture park.

 

 

So looking at the things that I missed and looking at the things I did see...I'm not sure how I missed most of them. The only one in question might be the Tam CC (which are the heads) and only because they were so far over and maybe we just didn't go that way. But we went as far as Grace Reef..so coming back (or even going there), we should have seen Fall from Grace (the bike), La Diablesse (the skull). Then we should have passed Unstill life (table) between the Lost Correspondent (typewriter) and Vicissitudes (the circle of children).

 

I guess I must have been the first one on the boat and managed to get this picture. Do you notice that Dextroy is wearing Sakari's pink goggles? How and when did that happen???

 

 

 

 

Michaela made it back on the boat and said she enjoyed it.