Since I got no response from anyone about diving in Guadeloupe, French West Indies, I thought I would report back after diving there for future reference...
The diving was good! Actually, the visibility was what was amazing. However, when even the divemasters on board were surprised at how good the visibility was, maybe my dives were not typical...
DIVE: off the west coast of the western half of the butterfly-shaped island in the Cousteau Reserve surrounding the Pigeon islets. There are 4 dive shops clustered together on MALENDURE beach. I went with CIP (Centre International de Plongee), as it was recommended by the locals I was staying with. Half of the divemasters spoke English, otherwise, it's all in French. These guys were really great! The boats were spacious enough, the diving super relaxed. I did the wreck dive, the Franjack, which was covered in schools of fish. Bottom at 23meters with a mast that reached 10meters. Because the conditions were so calm and vis good, it was possible to follow the coral encrusted mast up to 10 meters, then leisurely swim over to the line. I could easily see 2/3 of the 50 meter long ship... Stunning... Then, there was a reef in the late afternoon, diving around Pigeon island. Ok, a lot of the coral is damaged. But, again, the vis was great, there were so many fish including large pelagics that hung around for most of the dive, some big mackerels. Great reef life, too, lobsters galore... I didn't see it, but there is a statue of Cousteau giving the OK sign, somewhere in the Reserve.
NOTE: The resort where my conference was held, in Gossier, also had a dive shop. DO NOT dive with them (on this part of the island, for that matter)! They charged $86 euros for 2 dives, just out in the harbor from the hotel. The divers reported that they saw some derelict fishing gear but NOTHING else! For the surface interval, they were told to just stay in the water for a few minutes while the captain took their gear on board and changed their tanks... You are MUCH better off renting a car and driving to Malendure Beach from wherever you stay. $35/day, driving around the island is beautiful; rainforest and waterfalls...
On the other hand, by diving off the west coast, prices were fixed at $35 Euros a dive including full rental gear. Don't forget to check the tourist maps that are everywhere for a $5 euro discount. So, these dives were far cheaper and I actually saw something other than sand and fish traps... (google: CIP and Guadeloupe)
There's also diving on the north coast between the 'wings' of the island, but also heard that it is mostly mangrove and not as good as the Cousteau Reserve area.
So, I wouldn't make it a dive vacation destination but it's definitely worth a stop!
