Green Grotto Caves
Encyclopedia
The Green Grotto Caves are show caves and a prominent tourist attraction
in Discovery Bay
, St Ann
on the north coast of Jamaica
. Named for the green algae that cover its walls, the structure of the cave is strikingly different to inland systems; the cave is a Flank Margin Cave (old mixing chambers at the edge of the fresh water lens with the sea water) with two well-defined levels apparently indicating two periods with differing sea-levels. The innermost cavern contains a crystal-clear underground lake.
In addition to the publicly accessible sections of the cave there is also a section of "wild caves" with relatively undisturbed ecology. Hydrologically, the cave system is connected with the adjacent coastal waters.
The first know inhabitants of the caves were Arawak Indians who left pottery fragments and adzes. When Jamaica was a British Colony the caves were used as a hideaway by the Spanish who were being driven out by the British settlers. The caves were also know to have been used by escaped slaves, hence the name Runaway Caves. Between the two world wars they were used by smugglers running arms to Cuba, while in the latter years of the Second World War the Government of Jamaica used the entrance of the cave as a storeroom for rum in barrels.
The brackish water in the lower levels is full of marine life including small barnacles and various unidentified small swimming creatures.
film Live and Let Die
, used the caves for villain Doctor Kananga's underground base beneath a cemetery on the fictional island of San Monique. It is most memorable for being the location where Bond (played for the first time by Roger Moore
) kills Kananga (played by Yaphet Kotto
) by forcing him to swallow a bullet of compressed air, causing him to float up to the ceiling like a balloon and explode.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070328/locations
Ian Fleming
's original novel had the villain
using the real-life Jamaican caves as part of his SMERSH
-funding smuggling operation.
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
in Discovery Bay
Discovery Bay, Jamaica
Discovery Bay is a town in Saint Ann Parish on the northern coast of Jamaica. The city is also known locally as Dry Harbour Bay, because it sits in the shadow of the Dry Harbour Mountains in St. Ann. There is a dispute as to whether Christopher Columbus first landed in Discovery Bay or Sevilla la...
, St Ann
Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica
Saint Ann is the largest parish in Jamaica. It is situated on the north coast of the island, in the county of Middlesex, roughly halfway between the eastern and western ends of the island. It is often called 'the Garden Parish of Jamaica' on account of its natural beauty...
on the north coast of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Named for the green algae that cover its walls, the structure of the cave is strikingly different to inland systems; the cave is a Flank Margin Cave (old mixing chambers at the edge of the fresh water lens with the sea water) with two well-defined levels apparently indicating two periods with differing sea-levels. The innermost cavern contains a crystal-clear underground lake.
In addition to the publicly accessible sections of the cave there is also a section of "wild caves" with relatively undisturbed ecology. Hydrologically, the cave system is connected with the adjacent coastal waters.
History
At various times they have been known as the Runaway Bay Caves, Hopewell Caves, Cave Hall Caves, Discovery Bay Caves, Dry Harbour Caves, Rum Caves and Dairy Caves.The first know inhabitants of the caves were Arawak Indians who left pottery fragments and adzes. When Jamaica was a British Colony the caves were used as a hideaway by the Spanish who were being driven out by the British settlers. The caves were also know to have been used by escaped slaves, hence the name Runaway Caves. Between the two world wars they were used by smugglers running arms to Cuba, while in the latter years of the Second World War the Government of Jamaica used the entrance of the cave as a storeroom for rum in barrels.
Natural history
The caves are home to Jamaica nine of Jamaica's 21 species of bat including the Big-Eared Bat, the Mustache Bat, and the Jamaican Fruit-Eating Bat. Numbers are quite high with most of the available roosting space used. Guano is present in large amounts but few of the usual guano dwelling inverts have been recorded; the invasive American Roach is found.The brackish water in the lower levels is full of marine life including small barnacles and various unidentified small swimming creatures.
Cultural references
The filming of the 1973 James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die (film)
Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
, used the caves for villain Doctor Kananga's underground base beneath a cemetery on the fictional island of San Monique. It is most memorable for being the location where Bond (played for the first time by Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
) kills Kananga (played by Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Frederick Kotto is an African-American actor, known for numerous film roles , and his starring role in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street .-Early life:Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a...
) by forcing him to swallow a bullet of compressed air, causing him to float up to the ceiling like a balloon and explode.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070328/locations
Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
's original novel had the villain
Mister Big (James Bond)
Mr. Big is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond novel and film Live and Let Die. In the film, Big is portrayed by actor Yaphet Kotto. The novel and film versions of Mr. Big are extremely different, with the film incarnation bordering on being a completely new character...
using the real-life Jamaican caves as part of his SMERSH
SMERSH (James Bond)
SMERSH is a Soviet counterintelligence agency featured in Ian Fleming's early James Bond novels as agent 007's nemesis. СМЕРШ is an acronym from two Russian words: "SMERt' SHpionam" meaning "Death to Spies"...
-funding smuggling operation.
See also
- List of caves#Jamaica
- Jamaican Caves OrganisationJamaican Caves OrganisationThe Jamaican Caves Organisation is an all-volunteer caving organisation devoted to the preservation, exploration and documentation of caves in Jamaica...
- List of James Bond film locations
External links
- Map: http://users.skynet.be/sky33676/gif/runaway.jpg
- Aerial views http://www.panoramio.com/photo/23772982 http://wikimapia.org/#lat=18.4606305&lon=-77.3740107&z=18&l=0&m=b&v=8.
- Photos: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1007090 http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1007477 http://www.caribpro.com/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/imagemanager/images/issue23/cave_in_jamaica.jpg http://www.jtbonline.org/resources/imagelibrary/Adventure/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=10 http://www.cooljamaicatours.com/Pictures/Cave.jpg.
- Jamaican Caves Organisation - Green Grotto Wild Caves Field Notes.
- Green Grotto Caves.
