Scuba diving off of the South of France?

Hi,

I will be there in a couple of days and wanted to dive. I%26#39;m a new diver and have only experienced the Carribean. I will be spending my time along Cote d%26#39;Azur (Cannes - Monaco and further east).

Any thoughts or recommendations? I am having difficulty finding good info on the web. Where should I go? Which company is patient with newbies?

I did find the following two dive places mentioned, but the site didn%26#39;t have other key info!

Parc National de Port-Cros

Centre du Rayol-Canadel

Thanks.

|||

Much like yourself, I have done most of my diving in the Caribbean. However I have also made a number of dives off of the southern coast of Corsica (Bonifacio).

The Mediterranean has much to offer divers but it is not as warm nor is the water just as clear as what one finds in the Caribbean. On the other hand, if you dive with a licensed dive organization, the instructors are very well trained and always very professional and it%26#39;s just plain interesting to dive in a new location.

My recommendation is to continue to search for locations which interest you and give it a go. Part of the fun is exchanging stories about differing dive experiences and for those of us from the US, having diving experience off of the coast of France always makes for an interesting story to relate to others who have not had the opportunity.

|||

Hi!

If you%26#39;ve only dived in the Carribean, be prepared for a totally different experience : as the previous poster mentioned, the Med has a lot to offer, however, the best dives along the coast IMO are the ones aimed at exploring wrecks which lie at depths ranging from -40 to -60 meters. There is not much to see in terms of fish etc. within the 15-20 meter range where I guess you will be diving. Having said that, the atmosphere is great - sinking into the deep blue of the Med... aah! - and the visibility usually very good. In terms of equipment, divers over here usually wear full 5.5mm neoprene wetsuits with hoods from April to October. Clubs provide all the necessary gear, with the exception of dive computers.

The sites that you mention are a 2-hour drive west of Nice, besides to reach Port-Cros you will need to take a boat from Hyères or Le Lavandou. Port-Cros is a national maritime park and therefore a brilliant spot (crystal-clear waters, beautiful underwater cliffs, groupers, %26quot;blue%26quot; sea fans...). The only diving club based on the island itself is :

www.sun-plongee.com

though clubs based in Le Lavandou also go diving there.

If you want clubs close to where you will be staying, there are several in Nice (Port area) :

www.nicediving.com

www.poseidon-nice.com

www.cip-nice.com

Etc... We used to dive with nicediving (it was called %26#39;L%26#39;Exploration sous-marine%26#39; then and I haven%26#39;t tried the club since it changed hands). Nice-based clubs usually take divers to the bay in Villefranche or along the coast off St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

I can also suggest one in Beaulieu-sur-Mer :

www.2f-plongee.com/Bienvenue.html

and one in Monaco :

www.ecolebleue-monaco.com/Contacts.html

Though I%26#39;m not keen on diving in the Monaco area itself, there are good spots along the coast where they will take you : Cap-Martin, Cap-Estel or even further to La Mortola in Italy depending on weather conditions. Besides these guys are brilliant!

Hope this helps!

PS : if you already have a qualification (e.g. open water diver) make sure you take your certificate + dive log with you otherwise a %26quot;bapteme%26quot; will be your only option. You will probably need a medical certificate as well.

|||

Thanks so much for the help! I do have an open water diver certification and have my PADI card with me. I%26#39;m contacting them now. Wish me luck!

Deborah

|||

I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll have a great time! Don%26#39;t forget to let us know how it went!

(hoping to go diving myself this WE... can%26#39;t wait!)