Guadeloupe · Guadeloupe · Wall
Buste de Cousteau
Cousteau's bust at 12 m in the reserve he asked for
Area photo: Antoine Cupial · CC BY-SA 4.0
A bust of Commandant Cousteau sits on the seabed at 12 m off the Pigeon islets, at the foot of the drop-off that gives the site its shape. The approach runs along that wall, where barracuda and wahoo hold, and the operator points the route at more experienced divers rather than at first-timers. It is the reserve's best-known stop.
Also known as Buste du Commandant Cousteau.
Where it is and how deep
16.1667° N, 61.7883° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts on a mooring off the Pigeon islets, about 1.3 km from the beach at Malendure, and drops onto the drop-off rather than the shallow coral ground beside it. The wall is why the site is pointed at more experienced divers: barracuda and wahoo hold in the water off the edge, and the route follows the drop down and along it rather than staying flat on top of the reef.
The bust lies on the bottom at 12 m at the end of that run, on the seabed Cousteau asked to have protected after the 1959 diving-saucer trials that brought him here. Twelve metres leaves time at the statue and no decompression pressure on the rest of the dive. The reserve is on fixed moorings rather than anchors, so the boat is exactly where you left it when you come up.
Background
Cousteau's link to this water dates from 1959, when the Calypso team brought the newly built diving saucer to Guadeloupe for trials on ground shallower than 100 m. It was on that trip that he and his crew found the quality of the Malendure seabed, and he put forward the idea of protecting the site as a marine reserve. The decree of 3 June 2009 brought the seabed around the Pigeon islets into the Guadeloupe National Park proper.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Guadeloupe: Dec–May is the dry season with the calmest water; Aug–Oct brings hurricane risk and the heaviest rain.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Cousteau bust?+
It lies on the seabed at 12 m, at the foot of the drop-off off the Pigeon islets. The depth is well inside recreational range, though the operator points the drop-off approach at more experienced divers rather than at complete beginners.
Where exactly is the Cousteau bust?+
On the seabed off the Pigeon islets in the Réserve Cousteau, Guadeloupe, at the foot of the drop-off and reached by boat from Malendure about 1.3 km away. The position mapped here is approximate rather than a surveyed point.
Sources
- Réserve Cousteau — Spots de plongée — Les Heures Saines
- Réserve Cousteau — Wikipédia
- Buste du Commandant Cousteau (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap contributors
More dive sites in Guadeloupe
The park's main drop-off, 10 m down to 45 m
Wreck
A 49 m freighter sunk as a reef, upright at 40 m
Hawksbill turtles and jack schools over protected coral
Reef
Green turtles gather here after dark
Reef
Two platforms, 15 m and 30 m, on one rope
Sand slope
Sand, sponges and coral, with a wall dropping to 40 m
Reef
A circular bottom feature at 20 to 25 m
Reef
Seahorses in the seagrass at the end of the dive
Similar dives elsewhere
Nineteenth-century anchors lie along a wall that drops past 975 m
A wall for all levels, starting on a shelf at 8 m
A six-mile wall lying 100 metres off the beach
A south-facing wall that drops past 1,829 m (6,000 ft)