Green Grotto Caves

Last updated
Green Grotto Caves
Jamaica location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationNorth coast of Jamaica
Coordinates 18°25′16″N77°06′50″W / 18.4210683°N 77.1138837°W / 18.4210683; -77.1138837 [1]
Depth12 metres (39 ft) [2]
Length1,525 metres (5,003 ft) [2]
EntrancesSeveral [1]

The Green Grotto Caves are show caves and a prominent tourist attraction on the north coast of Jamaica. Named for the green algae that cover its walls, [3] the structure of the cave is strikingly different from 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. [1] The innermost cavern contains a crystal-clear underground lake. [3]

Contents

In addition to the publicly accessible sections of the cave there is also a section of "wild caves" with relatively undisturbed ecology. [1] Hydrologically, the cave system is connected with the adjacent coastal waters. [1]

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 known inhabitants of the caves were Arawak Indians who left pottery fragments and adzes. [2] 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. [2] The caves were also known to have been used by escaped slaves, hence the name Runaway Caves. [3] Between the two world wars they were used by smugglers running arms to Cuba, [2] while in the later years of the Second World War the Government of Jamaica used the entrance of the cave as a storeroom for rum in barrels. [2]

Natural history

The caves are home to nine of Jamaica's 21 species of bat including the Big-Eared Bat, the Mustache Bat, and the Jamaican Fruit-Eating Bat. [3] Numbers are quite high with most of the available roosting space used. [1] Guano is present in large amounts but few of the usual guano dwelling inverts have been recorded; the invasive American Roach is found. [1]

The brackish water in the lower levels is full of marine life including small barnacles and various unidentified small swimming creatures. [1]

Cultural references

The filming of the 1973 James Bond 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. [4]

Ian Fleming's original novel had the villain using the real-life Jamaican caves as part of his SMERSH-funding smuggling operation.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Dr. No</i> (novel) 1958 novel by Ian Fleming

Dr. No is the sixth novel by the English author Ian Fleming to feature his British Secret Service agent James Bond. Fleming wrote the novel in early 1957 at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Cape on 31 March 1958. The novel centres on Bond's investigation into the disappearance in Jamaica of two fellow MI6 operatives. He establishes that they had been investigating Doctor No, a Chinese operator of a guano mine on the fictional Caribbean island of Crab Key. Bond travels to the island and meets Honeychile Rider and later Doctor No.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius No</span> Fictional villain in the 1958 James Bond novel and 1962 film Dr. No

Dr. Julius No is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1958 James Bond novel and its 1962 film adaptation Dr. No, the first of the series, in which he was portrayed by Joseph Wiseman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Elizabeth Parish</span> Parish of Jamaica

Saint Elizabeth, one of Jamaica's largest parishes, is located in the southwest of the island, in the county of Cornwall. Its capital, Black River, is located at the mouth of the Black River, the widest on the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trelawny Parish</span> Parish of Jamaica

Trelawny is a parish in the county of Cornwall in northwest Jamaica. Its capital is Falmouth. It is bordered by the parishes of Saint Ann in the east, Saint James in the west, and Saint Elizabeth and Manchester in the south. Trelawny is known for producing several Olympic sprinters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeita Grotto</span> Cave in Lebanon

The Jeita Grotto is a system of two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves spanning an overall length of nearly 9 kilometres (5.6 mi). The caves are situated in the Nahr al-Kalb valley within the locality of Jeita, 18 kilometres (11 mi) north of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Though inhabited in prehistoric times, the lower cave was not rediscovered until 1836 by Reverend William Thomson; it can only be visited by boat since it channels an underground river that provides fresh drinking water to more than a million Lebanese.

Solitaire (<i>James Bond</i>) Fictional character

Solitaire is a fictional character in the James Bond novel and film Live and Let Die. In the film, she was portrayed by Jane Seymour.

<i>Live and Let Die</i> (film) 1973 James Bond film by Guy Hamilton

Live and Let Die is a 1973 spy film. It is the eighth film in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Guy Hamilton and produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, while Tom Mankiewicz wrote the script. Although the producers had approached Sean Connery to return after Diamonds Are Forever (1971), he declined and a search for a new actor led to Moore being signed.

<i>Live and Let Die</i> (novel) 1954 James Bond novel by Ian Fleming

Live and Let Die is the second novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series of stories. Set in London, the United States and Jamaica, it was first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 5 April 1954. Fleming wrote the novel at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica before his first book, Casino Royale, was published; much of the background came from Fleming's travel in the US and knowledge of Jamaica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlsbad Caverns National Park</span> National Park in New Mexico, United States

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an American national park in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western grotto salamander</span> Species of amphibian

The western grotto salamander, also called the Ozark blind salamander and previously known as just the grotto salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are freshwater springs, inland karsts, and caves. It is not currently threatened, but vulnerable to changes in groundwater quality and reduction in bat population.

The Jamaican Caves Organisation (JCO) is an all-volunteer caving organisation devoted to the preservation, exploration and documentation of caves in Jamaica. It is currently the only non-profit group in Jamaica dedicated to education, research and advocacy about caves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guano</span> Excrement of seabirds or bats

Guano is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a lesser extent, sought for the production of gunpowder and other explosive materials.

Oxford Cave is a cave in Manchester Parish in west-central Jamaica. It is 765 metres long and at 290 metres altitude. The cave entrance is close by a main road and because of its accessibility has suffered much graffiti, vandalism and litter. It is a roost for a great many bats, but these are under threat from the number of anti-social human visitors, many there to collect bat guano to use as farm fertiliser, others for bashments.

Thatchfield Great Cave is a large cave in Saint Ann Parish near the north coast of Jamaica. Because it is considered to be under threat its exact location is not widely publicised.

Belmont Cave is a white limestone dry cave in the Cockpit Country of Jamaica. It is also known as Drip Cave, being a single cave with two close entrances.

Carambie Cave is a large, relatively dry, white limestone cave in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica. It is believed that it may have been used by Taíno people although no evidence of their presence has been found. It does contain historical graffiti dating back to 1821.

Cave S is a limestone cave in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located on the eastern side of the Rock of Gibraltar, near Holy Boy's Cave. Human remains were found in the cave in 1910 that did not appear to be of a modern man.

Ross William Heilman, better known as Ross Kananga, was a crocodile farm owner and stunt man, best known for his appearance in the 1973 James Bond movie Live and Let Die.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Stewart, R S (2007-02-16). "Green Grotto Cave - Field Notes". Jamaican Caves Organisation . Retrieved 2004-03-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Grenn Grotto Caves". Yardie Tours. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Green Grotto Caves". Jamaicans.co m. 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
  4. "Live and Let Die". IMDb.com.