Guadeloupe — Cousteau Reserve, the area around Le Cercle

Guadeloupe · Guadeloupe · Reef

Le Cercle

A circular bottom feature at 20 to 25 m

Area photo: Antoine Cupial · CC BY-SA 4.0

An open-water site south of the Pigeon islets, shaped like a large disk you can turn around, with the bottom starting at 20 m and dropping to 25 m. Canyons cut into it hold caves and cavities where fish and crustaceans hide, and a large seagrass bed rings the whole thing. It is aimed at divers with a deep specialty or working towards one.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Le Cercle: typical dive 20–25 m (66–82 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit20 m25 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

16.1535° N, 61.7805° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

This is an open-water site: no shoreline, no islet to work around, just a bottom that starts at 20 m and goes down to 25 m in the shape of a large disk. The route follows that shape — you turn around the circle and come back to where you started — which keeps the navigation simple on a site that has nothing above it to take a bearing from.

The detail is in the canyons cut into the feature, where caves and cavities hold numbers of fish and crustaceans, so the dive is worked slowly in a single depth band rather than up and down. A large herbarium of seagrass surrounds the site and marks its edge. It is intended for confirmed Open Water divers holding a Deep Diving specialty, or those wanting to acquire one.

Marine life and season

  • Macro critters
Month-by-month season rating for Le Cercle
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodFairFairFairGoodPrime

Season follows Guadeloupe: Dec–May is the dry season with the calmest water; Aug–Oct brings hurricane risk and the heaviest rain.

Sources

  1. LE CERCLE — Scubago — Scubago

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