Guadeloupe — Cousteau Reserve, the area around Mambo

Guadeloupe · Guadeloupe · Reef

Mambo

Seahorses in the seagrass at the end of the dive

Area photo: Antoine Cupial · CC BY-SA 4.0

A little-dived site between Anse Négresse and Pointe Mahaut, north of the reserve's usual moorings, built of several rocks full of coral and — depending on the season — fish. It starts at 4 m and goes no deeper than 12 m. Barracuda and diodon work the rock, and the dive ends over seagrass where seahorses and turtles are found.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Mambo: typical dive 4–12 m (13–40 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit4 m12 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

16.1889° N, 61.7837° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

The site is an architecture of several rocks, covered in coral, with fish life that varies with the season. It starts at 4 m and goes no deeper than 12 m, so the whole dive stays in the light with no real pressure on the gas plan, and the shallow profile leaves time to work each rock properly rather than swim the ground between them.

The end of the dive is the part worth saving air for. The rock gives way to seagrass, and that is where seahorses and turtles are found, with barracuda and diodon around the harder ground on the way there. It is an exclusive dive site that is not often dived, sitting off on its own between the Anse Négresse and the Pointe Mahaut.

Marine life and season

  • Barracuda
  • Sea turtles
Month-by-month season rating for Mambo
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodFairFairFairGoodPrime

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 Mambo dive site?+

It starts at 4 m and goes no deeper than 12 m, which makes it one of the shallowest dives on this coast and an easy profile for any certification level.

Sources

  1. Mambo — Scubago — Scubago

More dive sites in Guadeloupe

Cousteau's bust at 12 m in the reserve he asked for

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Sand slope

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A circular bottom feature at 20 to 25 m

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