Epave "Le Franjack"

Just off the volcanic shores of Guadeloupe's Pigeon Islands — the Îles de Pigeon, a small pair of islets that form the heart of the Jacques Cousteau Marine Reserve — the wreck of Le Franjack rests on a sandy seabed where the reef meets open water. This beginner-rated wreck dive carries a French designation that honors both the vessel and the broader French Caribbean diving tradition, and the site sits within one of the most famous protected marine areas in the entire Atlantic. The Cousteau Reserve at the Pigeon Islands was established in 1996 and encompasses the waters around these two small volcanic formations off the west coast of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe's western island. Jacques Cousteau himself famously called the area one of the world's ten best diving destinations, a declaration that has drawn generations of divers to these waters and motivated their sustained protection. Within this celebrated marine environment, the wreck of Le Franjack provides an artificial reef structure that has been colonizing with marine life since its submersion. The Franjack is a small vessel — a cargo boat or similar working craft — that was deliberately sunk to create an artificial reef habitat in the protected waters of the reserve. Lying at a depth accessible to beginners, the wreck has had sufficient time for marine growth to soften its industrial origins and transform it into an extension of the surrounding reef ecosystem. Encrusting sponges coat the hull surfaces, soft corals have taken hold on deck structures and railings, and the interior spaces of the vessel have become sheltered habitat for the fish communities that wrecks reliably attract throughout the Caribbean. Guadeloupe's marine life has the rich, diverse character of well-protected Caribbean waters. At the Franjack, schooling fish aggregate around the wreck structure — French grunts, bluestriped grunts, and smaller jacks form schools in the water column above and around the vessel. Moray eels inhabit the darker corners of the hull, their presence announced by the cleaning gobies that attend to them at the wreck's many entrance points. Trumpetfish hover near the superstructure in their characteristic vertical pose, while parrotfish work the encrusting algae from the wreck's surfaces with the grinding efficiency of their fused beaks. Beyond the wreck, the Pigeon Islands marine environment includes the full range of Caribbean coral and fish communities that have made this reserve so celebrated. Staghorn and elkhorn coral communities — increasingly rare across much of the Caribbean following bleaching events — retain populations in these protected waters. Sea fans and sea plumes spread across the sandy slopes between the reef formations, and the fish life includes surgeonfish, angelfish, barracuda, and the occasional sea turtle navigating between the islets. The water around Pigeon Islands is warm year-round — Guadeloupe sits at approximately sixteen degrees north latitude, well within the tropical zone — and visibility is typically good, often reaching twenty meters or more on calm days. The marine reserve status means that fishing is prohibited in the core zone, and the visible effect on fish populations is striking: animals are numerous and largely unafraid of divers, particularly the grouper and snapper that would be the primary targets of fishing pressure. For divers visiting Guadeloupe — an increasingly popular destination that combines the French Caribbean experience with genuine diving quality — the Franjack provides an accessible wreck diving option within a marine reserve of international standing. Beginners will find the site welcoming, the marine life engaging, and the broader context of the Cousteau Reserve genuinely inspiring. A small wreck in a great setting, Le Franjack delivers the fundamental pleasure of Caribbean wreck diving in one of the Atlantic's most celebrated marine environments.