Guadeloupe · Guadeloupe · Wreck · Artificial reef
Épave du Gustavia
A 49 m freighter sunk as a reef, upright at 40 m
Area photo: Antoine Cupial · CC BY-SA 4.0
A 49 m freighter launched in 1953 as the Geoceanique, renamed Gustavia in 1982, cleaned out and sunk as an artificial reef in 1991 about a mile from the Malendure rock. She lies upright on a sand bottom at 40 m, rich in sponge and fish, with a resident population of barracuda over the hull.
Also known as Gustavia Wreck, Geoceanique.
Where it is and how deep
16.1658° N, 61.7848° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck stands upright on sand at 40 m, and that number shapes everything: the bottom sits at the deep end of recreational range, so the plan is short, direct and worked from the shallowest usable part of the structure upward. At 49 m long and about 7.5 m across, she is small enough to take in on a single pass rather than needing a route broken into stages.
Sponge growth covers the hull and the fish are the reason to come — she is a wreck very rich in sponges and multicoloured fish, and the many barracuda that live on her are what divers tend to remember. She was thoroughly cleaned before sinking and put down deliberately as an artificial reef, so what you swim over is a prepared wreck after decades of growth.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Gustavia (ex-Geoceanique)
- Type
- Freighter
- Length
- 49 m (161 ft)
- Built
- 1953
- Sunk
- 1991
- Cause
- Cleaned out and scuttled deliberately as an artificial reef
- Lies
- Upright on a sand bottom at 40 m
The ship was launched in 1953 under the name Geoceanique and renamed Gustavia in 1982. After a thorough clean-up she was sunk as an artificial reef in 1991, about a mile from the Malendure rock at Bouillante, and the hull has been part of the reserve's diving ever since — an intentional wreck rather than an accident.
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 Gustavia wreck?+
She lies upright on a sand bottom at 40 m off Bouillante, which puts the whole wreck at the deep end of recreational range. Plan it as a deep dive with a short bottom time.
When was the Gustavia sunk?+
In 1991, after a thorough clean-up, she was sunk deliberately as an artificial reef about a mile from the Malendure rock. She was launched in 1953 as the Geoceanique and renamed Gustavia in 1982.
Sources
- Épave du Gustavia (Wreck) — Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Guadeloupe
The park's main drop-off, 10 m down to 45 m
Cousteau's bust at 12 m in the reserve he asked for
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
Top of the wreck at 15 m, bow on the sand at 44 m
A whole ship at 12 m, in water bright enough to read it from above
Three sunk ships and a retired underwater habitat in one bay
A 1944 US Navy minesweeper, split in two at 26 metres