SCUBA DIVING IN GUADELOUPE & MARTINIQUE: excellent scuba dives & amazing food. Divers’ Reviews

The Guadeloupe and Martinique islands are part of French Antilles. Being in the heart of the Caribbean, both islands have excellent scuba diving and a culture mix that will enchants divers and non-divers with beautiful music and amazing food. Review your conversational French before visiting, not all dive operators are fluent in English. Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands. Martinique is part of the Windward Islands. Review the dive centers for more information about each scuba diving area.

GUADELOUPE, COUSTEAU MARINE PARK/ A DREAM FOR ALL DIVERS

Guadeloupe has over 150 miles of coastline. Aside from the Pigeon Islands, Basse-Terre has the most spots and dive centers. Pigeon Islands are within the Cousteau Marine Park, where Mr. Cousteau filmed part of the movie, Le Monde du Silence. The dive sites in this park are considered the best in Guadeloupe. There is a high population of sea turtles I this area and can easily be spotted. The Cousteau Marine Park is a pristine area since it´s under protection and has great visibility.

The highlight sites include Le Franjack, Le Gustavia, Jardin de Corail, Les Sources d’Eau Chaude and Pointe Malendure. At these sites you will be entertained with the colors, coral and reef fish.

Guadeloupe is very strict about coral conservation these days, please don´t feed the fish or touch the animals or coral. Your guides will remind you of this. The beach at Malendure, while in Pigeon Islands, is a great spot for sea kayaking or canoeing.

In Basse-Terre, the Petit Bourg Botanical Gardens have 6 acres with over 100 species of plants. The local dishes are really good, being that from a street vendor or from a restaurant. The cultural mix in these islands will leave you craving Creole and European food fusions.

MARTINIQUE, WHITE SAND BEACHES & SPECTACULAR WRECKS SCUBA DIVE

The coastline of Martinique is blessed with beautiful white sand beaches, coves and bays. All sites may be accessed by all level divers.

The Saint Pierre area has the most spots and at least 15 wrecks are located in this zone, most of them sunk after the eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902. Martinique has some of the most spectacular wreck sites in the Caribbean. La Perle stands out as one Saint Pierre´s best sites and it´s a place where you can spot big fish, barracuda shoals, horse-eye jacks and parrotfish.

The Dahlia wreck, an American YMS class mine sweeper that accidentally sank in 1957, is covered with coral, a very entertaining site. Diamond Rock Marine Reserve, to the south-west of the island has incredible cracks, coral and walls; makes a perfect environment for photography. Here, the sea floor descends in shelves to a fault at 53 ft. below sea level. Anse Dufour is another great site.

A drive on Route Des Anses is the best way to see the south side of the island.  If art is what you like, the museum and distillery Habitation Clement has furniture from the 18 and 19^th century, and also a contemporary art exhibit from local artists. Dining in Martinique is a magical experience, it blends Creole and French cuisine and must not be missed.

DIVE OPERATORS LISTED FOR FRENCH ANTILLAS
Octopus Diving /