Celebrating 80 years of Jacques Cousteau's favourite dive sites

Born in 1910, Jacques-Yves Cousteau acquired his love of the ocean serving as a French naval officer during the 1930s. Although underwater breathing apparatus had been in widespread use since the late 19th century, Cousteau and Gagnan’s Aqua-Lung consisted of an improved, compact design of demand-valve regulator, which allowed divers to stay safely at depth for longer than existing designs, without the use of a surface supply, or the chemical complications of the rebreathers used by military frogmen.

Cousteau used his ground-breaking invention to bring the underwater world to the public, first with the film Épaves (Shipwrecks) and later, in 1954, his seminal work The Silent World, which inspired generations of scuba divers, ocean lovers and activists.

Jacques Cousteau passed away in 1997, but his legacy and influence lives on in divers around the world. Here are some of his favourite scuba diving locations, rounded up by PADI.

Cousteau’s 1989 Ghost of the Sea Turtles documentary made the tiny island of Sipadan famous. Home to more than 3,000 species of fish and coral, there is much to explore, and although Sipidan is most famous for its turtles, it’s not uncommon to see barracuda, tuna, manta and eagle rays, plus occasional hammerhead and whale sharks.

Reef fish are present in incredible numbers, epecially medium-szied fish between 25 and 40 cm (10 and 15in) found inrelatively shallow water, such as groups of up to a dozen harlequin sweetlips, but also snappers, emperor fish, triggerfishes, longfin batfish and unicorn fish.

This part of Borneo is also home to an impressive array of macro species, including crinoid commensal shrimp and its fish host, or golden-spotted shrimp on flattened carpet anemones. Sharp eyes will also spot pink sailfin leaf-fish, bearded scorpionfish, and innumerable species of nudibranchs.

When diving in Sipadan, dive spots such as White Tip Avenue, Turtle Patch, Staghorn Crest, Lobster Lair and Hanging Gardens (for soft corals), all live up to their names, largely due to Sabah National Parks increasing protections in the region over the past 20 years.

Diving in Sipadan requires a government-issued permit, a limited number of which are issued to dive operations each day, with only specific time slots available. There are no resorts on Sipdan itself, so all visits are by a 15-minute boat ride from neighbouring MAbul and Kapala islands. Booking as far in advance as possible is strongly recommended.

The best time to visit is April to December, although diving and the weather are excellent year-round. Currents can be quite stroing in some areas, so an advanced open water certification or a minimum of 20 logged dives is required to dive.

The Belize Blue Hole was featured in The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau after his first dive there in 1971 – he called it one of the top 5 scuba diving sites in the world. Many thousands of years ago, the Blue Hole was part of a limestone karst formation, consisting of sinkholes and caves above the surface of the water, before rising ocean levels caused the cave to flood and collapse.

Part of the Belize Barrier Reef System, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second-longest barrier reef in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Blue Hole has been measured to a depth of 124 m (407 ft), and has only recenly been mapped explored by submersible.

Diving the Blue Hole requires an advanced open water certification as it is best explored at depth (if not the maximum depth!). It can be dark in the interiror so it’s best to bring a dive light, and the water is often a few degrees cooler as you descend deeper into the hole, so 3-5mm full-length suits are recommended.

Getting to the Blue Hole takes around three hours by day boat from Ambergris Caye Island, and up to four hours from Placencia, and is best dived by liveaboard. Belize has fantastic year-round diving conditions, although the rainy season lasts from April through to October.

Also known as the Gulf of California, Cousteau once called the Sea of Cortez ‘the World’s aquarium,’ in light of the incredible diversity and variety of marine species to which it is home – with more than 900 species of fish alone.

The Sea of Cortez is famous for encounters with hammerheads around Isla San Pedro, plus one of many divers’ favourite encounters – diving with curious sea lions around Los Islotes.

Ther is plenty to see for both beginners and seasoned divers. Cabo Pulmo, La Paz, and Los Cabos are all fantastic options for those who are new to diving, while more experienced divers may want to explore the Midriff Islands, El Bajo, or Gordo Banks.

Warm waters make for great whale and hammerhead shark sightings, so the best time to visit is between August and November, but the best time to dive with seals and lots of octopuses is December to March, if you don’t mind the chillier water.

Cousteau highlighted an important piece of history in the Red Sea when he showcased a dive to the Second World War wreck of the SS Thistlegorm in his 1950s documentary The Silent World.

The sunken Merchant Navy steam freighter was sunk by German bombers in 1941 while at anchor off the Sinai Peninsula on her way to North Africa, and today, the wreck is like an underwater museum, laden with artifacts including trucks, motorcycles, guns, and airplane parts.

Diving Thistlegorm can be done by day boat from Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, but it takes three hours to get there and can be quite busy, so diving from a liveaboard is the best way to see the wreck to take advantage of early starts and quiet times. Currents can be strong and with a maximum depth of 30m, a minimum of advanced open water and at least 20 dives is essential – more is very strongly recommended.

The Red Sea is noted for its spectacular array of colourful reefs, with a range of different dive sites from steep walls to long plateaus, home to an impressive array of species including sharks, manta rays, dolphins dugongs. There are also a number of other notable wrecks, some of which are easily accessible to entry-level divers.

The Red Sea is known for its good visibility and conditions that are calm and clear throughout the year. Diving is year-round but it can be quite cool in January-March, with peak season from September to December.

Located off Canada’s west coast, Cousteau described Vancouver Island as ‘the best temperate-water diving in the world and second only to the Red Sea’. The coastline is home to colourful and expansive marine life from bluntnose sixgill sharks, seals, sea lions, and playful sea otters to giant Pacific octopuses, sea stars, anemones, rockfish, and sponges.

If you’re an underwater photographer, this is the place for you – think brilliant colours and no short supply of subjects to capture on camera. But prepare for the cold water! You’ll need drysuit certification and we suggest bringing a dive light along, so you won’t miss out on any of the colourful dive.

Summer months are ideal for diving as the weather is warmer and winter months can be rainy. If you’re more interested in marine life around the island, then plan to visit from October to May to meet sea lions in the deep. Whale watching trips are very popular on Vancouver Island starting in May through to October – it’s not uncommon to see killer whales, humpback whales, pacific grey whales, and porpoises.

Some say that it was Cousteau himself who coined the name ‘Richelieu Rock’ in the Andaman Sea. The horseshoe-shaped reef is vibrantly coloured with red and purple coral and as the story goes, he drew inspiration for the name from the red robes and hats of 17th-century Cardinal Richelieu.

No matter where the name came from, it’s undeniable that Richelieu Rock is a special place to dive. Found in the waters of Mu Koh Surin National Park, Richelieu Rock hosts a remarkable variety of marine life, including seahorses, shrimp, moray eels, and larger pelagic species. including passing manta rays and whale sharks.

Mu Koh Surin National Park is open from October 15 to May 15 as the rest of the year is their wet season. To get to Richelieu Rock you must pay a small fee to access the park, which is usually included in a dive package, whether it be a day trip or liveaboard. At its deepest, the dive is 115 feet, so you’ll need advanced diving certification if you want full access to the dive site.

The Poor Knights Islands, off the eastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island, were once termed some of ‘the best sub-tropical diving in the world’ by Jacques Cousteau, thanks to their excellent visibility and bountiful marine life. Poor Knights are the remains of volcanoes that were once part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and are abundant with breathtaking grottoes, chimneys, tunnels, and archways.

The clear waters are home to the world’s largest sea cave and plenty of dazzling marine life, inlcuding diver favourite, the pink and blue maomao, that tuck away in volcanic arches, and larger animals such as bull rays and others passing by in the blue, inlcuding dolphins and, sometimes, orcas.

Winter in New Zealand (from May to October) is mild and has the better visibility for diving. A semi-dry wetsuit should be sufficient but drysuits are recommended for divers who are trained in their use.

Summer months last from November to April and are generally warmer, during which time divers are more likely to experience large blooms of plankton, groups of stingray, and orcas.

Cousteau declared Cocos Island ‘the most beautiful island in the world’. With a 36-hour boat ride to get there, Cocos is only diveable by liveaboard, however, its distance means that it has been virtually untouched by civilisation, meaning the presence of wildlife – especially larger sharks – is almost second to none.

Liveaboards depart from the port city of Puntarenas in Costa Rica, and entry to Cocos Island National Park is by permit only, so you will need to book well in advance. The long boat ride is worth the wait, however, as the nutrient-rich waters around Cocos Island’s volcanic pinnacles bring with them an abuncdance of large pelagic species, including tiger sharks, whale sharks, manta rays and huge schools of scalloped hammerheads.

Cocos Island, with its strong currents, large waves and big surges, is for experienced divers only. Water temperature ranges from 24-29°C (75-84°F) throughout the year, but thermoclines can cause sudden temperature drops to as low as 6C (43F).

Visibility is best during the winter months, with dry(ish) season between December and May. Manta rays and whale sharks are more likely to be encountered from June to November.

Filed Under: Briefing, Travel Tagged With: Belize, Canada, Egypt, Malaysia, PADI, Thailand