Originally, Jarre intended to call it 'Cousteau sur la plage (Cousteau on the beach)', but it was changed at the last moment.

[3] En attendant Cousteau is divided into two distinct stylistic halves: the first three pieces titled "Calypso" and the title track, an ambient piece which was used in the soundtrack of a 1991 documentary entitled "Palawan: Le dernier refuge" by Cousteau and Jarre.

He apparently got the idea from the book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams.

[7][8] Jarre performed the album for about 2.5 million people at the Paris La Défense concert on 14 july 1990, featuring The Amoco Renegades, a steel-drum band from Trinidad and Tobago.

All music is composed by Jean-Michel JarrePersonnel listed in album liner notes:[9] ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.