Pompidou
Guadeloupe · France
Named for the French president who dived here with Jacques Cousteau, Pompidou is the flagship site of the Reserve Cousteau and one of the Caribbean's most photographed reefs. Massive star corals and sea fans frame a steady parade of French angelfish, parrotfish, and nurse sharks resting on the sandy terraces at depth. The site is protected from fishing so fish biomass here is visibly higher than on unprotected reefs.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 28 m
Open water and up
Current
Can be moderate
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
12 to 22 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
25 to 30°C
Skin or 1mm
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Vis (m) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 20 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Still | Still | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Guadeloupean Anole
Last confirmed Jul 5, 2026 · 280 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
Last confirmed Jun 15, 2026 · 109 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Atlantic Blue Tang
Last confirmed Jul 3, 2026 · 111 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Lettuce Sea Slug
Last confirmed May 31, 2026 · 63 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
French angelfish
Last confirmed Apr 18, 2026 · 20 records
Very likely
Most dives
Hawksbill sea turtle
Last confirmed May 24, 2026 · 9 records
Very likely
Most dives
Nurse shark
Last confirmed Nov 16, 2025 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Rainbow parrotfish
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear