Undersea Adventures in Guadeloupe

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I spent the weekend underwater in Guadeloupe. On Saturday morning, I decided to look into scuba diving. Besides, I needed to check out my new Atomic 1st and 2nd stages. Did I mention how much better it is with your own dive gear? I ended up diving Saturday and Sunday in Bouillante in Basse Terre with Les Heures Saines.

Bouillante is located along the coast at the foot of the Mamelles mountain range about 30 kilometers from the Guadeloupe’s active volcano La Soufriere. The black sand on the beach of Bouillante can be attributed to the volcano, which is another reason the reef is so abundant with colorful marine life. The dive shop is located on the water at the Parc de Reservee Cousteau. The diving is just a short boat hop about ¼ mile offshore. We went to La Piscine (The Swimming Pool) on Saturday afternoon. This site is like the ultimate aquarium. If you could imagine all the elements that make up a reef, and then compound them on top of each other covering the seabed, you would have the Cousteau Reserve—an underwater mountain range paradise (hardly any sandy bottom)! I saw Seahorses, French Angelfish, Damselfish, Eels, Sea Turtles, Lobster (Langouste), and hundreds of tropical fish. It was like Finding Nemo, but not animated! Random thought: I could not understand the reasoning behind the French divers donning their fins prior to entry. They flopped around the boat fully donned in gear and tripping over their fins. When I asked why they do this, the instructors said this was common. Ah, the culture shock, another reminder that I am in a foreign country. My dive instructor Lynn would have had a cow, especially with the all the steel tanks left standing. During my afternoon break, I enjoyed a scenic drive to Basse Terre, admiring the beautiful sea on my right and the majestic mountain range and rainforest to my left. (Note to self: I still need to go climb La Soufriere). That evening, I went on a night dive with a different group. We took the boat about 300 yards out to a site called La Kaya and did a boat entry, but we finished with a shore exit. The night dive was AWESOME—definitely better than my last experience in 1999 (the one where my tank came loose and tried to balloon me to the surface from 55 ft. in the Florida Keys). The coolest part was seeing the creatures that like to come at night, especially the sea turtles and lobsters. My favorite thing to do was cover my flashlight with my glove and then shoot it in a different direction to illuminate good surprises. After a full day of diving, I headed back to Gosier to get ready for the “party of the year” sponsored by Diageo, Smirnoff Ice, and Ford. The Guadeloupeans really know how to party. This was my second time going out with my Guadeloupean friends, and boy do they get rowdy! The evening really kicked into high gear when a couple girls, one of which is a friend of mine, bellydanced. The crowd went wild.

Sunday morning arrived quickly, and against my core being I had to eat McDonald’s on the road to consume my energy for the day. I arrived in time for the 12:30 dive and we did another dive at La Piscine, however this time we just went the opposite direction around the island. The second dive at 3PM was on the outer perimeter of the island and was called Jardin de Corail. It was fabulous. I must comment that this reserve is in excellent shape. I am continually amazed by the color and quality of the diving in Guadeloupe. It has surpassed the diving in the Bahamas and runs neck and neck with Looe Key Marine Sanctuary in the Florida Keys. On the boat ride back, we admired a huge rainbow that stretched along the mountain range, and I told the French people about the legend of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Well, one memorable weekend of great diving for the logbook! Sorry to say that I must now decompress, for work waits for me to resurface Monday morning!

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