Guadeloupe · Guadeloupe · Seamount · Pinnacle · Pelagic & blue water
Sec Pâté
Three pinnacles at 17 m over a mountain falling past 300 m
Area photo: Antoine Cupial · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sec Pâté is a submerged mountain in the Canal des Saintes, about three hours by boat from Malendure. Three rocky pinnacles top out at 17 m and the mountain's base lies more than 300 m down, so the dive is flown in open water between 20 and 40 m around the summits. Jacks, barracuda, groupers and eagle rays patrol the rock, and nurse sharks turn up.
Also known as Sec Pate.
Where it is and how deep
15.9198° N, 61.6494° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The boat leaves Malendure at 08:00 and it is roughly three hours of navigation before Sec Pâté is underneath you, out in the Canal des Saintes. A detailed briefing is given on site before anyone gets in, because the entry is a blue-water descent with nothing in sight below: the three pinnacles rise to 17 m, and the mountain they stand on falls away past 300 m.
You drop in open water and descend progressively around the pinnacles until the rock resolves out of the blue, then work between 20 and 40 m along the reliefs. Some of the pinnacles can be crossed through cavities wide enough to swim, which breaks the circuit up. The rock is covered rather than patchy: sea fans, gorgonians and corals grow over the three peaks that form the top of the mountain.
Jacks, barracuda, groupers and morays are the regulars, spotted eagle rays cross the blue, and nurse sharks turn up on some dives. Large turtles use the site, and Sec Pâté is one of the few places on the Côte-sous-le-Vent where you still meet the royal angelfish, a species that has become rare along this coast. Bottom time is short at this depth, which is why the centre insists on a 40 m refresher dive before it takes anyone out here.
Marine life and season
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
| 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.
Know before you go
- The pinnacles top out at 17 m but the mountain falls away past 300 m, so there is nothing underneath to stop a descent — depth and time have to be flown on instruments, not on the sight of the bottom.
- Conditions in the open Canal des Saintes make this a demanding dive, and the site is three hours out from Malendure, so anything that goes wrong is a long way from help.
Dive videos
Plongée sur le Sec Pate - Les Saintes - Guadeloupe · DiveBouteille on YouTube
GUADELOUPE - Diving the "SEC PATE" with sea turtles · Stephane DuParc on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Sec Pâté?+
The three pinnacles rise to 17 m and divers work between 20 and 40 m around them. The base of the seamount lies more than 300 m down, far outside any diving range, so the depth is controlled by the dive plan rather than by the bottom.
Who can dive Sec Pâté?+
PE40 or Advanced Open Water with a Deep Dive specialty is the stated minimum, and the centre requires a 40 m refresher dive with its own team before taking you out. The trip runs occasionally, by booking only, and needs at least 20 divers.
Sources
- Plongée Sec Pâté — journée plongée — Les Heures Saines
- Îles des Saintes — Wikipedia
- Sec Pâté (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap contributors
In The Logbook
- Gas density: why deep air gets hard to breatheBody & health · 8 min read
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