France – Corsica

Corsica rises steeply out of the Mediterranean, so deep water, walls and pinnacles are close to shore all around the island. The west coast offers red-granite capes around the Gulf of Porto, the Revellata canyon and the famous B-17 bomber off Calvi; Cap Corse and the east coast hold Second World War wrecks such as the P-47 at Miomo, the Insuma and the Alcione C; the south has the Valinco walls and, in the Bouches de Bonifacio Nature Reserve, the tame dusky groupers of Mérouville and the Cerbicale islands off Porto-Vecchio. Large areas are protected: scuba diving is forbidden in the marine part of the Scandola reserve, and the Bonifacio reserve has no-take and reinforced-protection zones – always dive through a local centre.

Facts

Best season: Most dive centres open from about April to October, e.g. Porto-Vecchio Plongée April–October and Bonifacio Plongée mid-April to end of October (Source: operators' own sites); outside summer, ferry and air links are less frequent (Source: Visit Corsica)
Water temperature: Roughly 15 °C in winter and about 25 °C in summer on average (Source: Routard Corsica guide); expect colder water below the summer thermocline
Visibility: Generally good: community site pages rate most Corsican sites 'good' (10–30 m) or 'excellent' (over 30 m) (Source: wannadive.net); plankton blooms and swell reduce it
Wind & sea: The dominant wind is the south-westerly libecciu, which can turn hard with violent gusts around the capes (Source: Routard; Figaro Nautisme/Meteo Consult). West-coast sites such as the Revellata canyon are exposed, while the Gulf of Saint-Florent is sheltered enough for outings in most weather (Source: Visit Corsica; Actisub)
Certification & depth limits: French law (Code du sport art. A322-71 ff., annexes III-14a/b) sets depth limits per aptitude: FFESSM level 1 = PE20 (guided to 20 m); level 2 = PE40 (guided to 40 m) + PA20 (autonomous to 20 m); level 3 = PA60 (autonomous to 60 m). Foreign cards (PADI, CMAS…) are accepted by the dive director on presentation of the card and logbook, otherwise a check dive is required (Sources: FFESSM course manuals; FFESSM CODEP 67 note on A322-77). Check current rules
Medical certificate: FFESSM licences require a medical certificate of no contraindication (CACI) (Source: medical.ffessm.fr / club registration documents). Corsican centres ask certified divers and trainees for a diving medical certificate less than one year old (Source: Porto-Vecchio Plongée; Plongée Porto: 'certificat médical obligatoire' for courses). Bring one – check current rules
Scandola Nature Reserve: Created in 1975, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Gulf of Porto and managed by the Parc naturel régional de Corse and the OEC. In its marine part (the Scandola peninsula and the Elpa Nera cove near Galeria) diving with breathing apparatus, fishing and anchoring are prohibited; a 2025 draft revision adds a no-access integral zone and seasonal closures (Source: reserve revision note, 2025; Visit Corsica). Snorkel or visit by boat only – check current rules
Bouches de Bonifacio Nature Reserve: About 80,000 ha between Corsica and Sardinia including the Lavezzi and Cerbicale islands (Source: Visit Corsica), created by decree of 23 Sept 1999 and managed by the OEC. Spearfishing is banned in the protected perimeters; in the no-take zones (Cerbicale, Lavezzi, west coast of Bonifacio, Moines, Bruzzi) any taking is banned and diving needs authorisation under a maritime-prefect procedure (Art. 31). Since 2023 several sectors around Lavezzi islets are closed to navigation and anchoring (Source: decree via AIDA/INERIS; Figaro Nautisme). Dive through a local centre – check current rules
Cap Corse & Agriate marine park: The Parc naturel marin du cap Corse et de l'Agriate (2016) protects species such as the noble pen shell, ribbed limpet and Centrostephanus urchin; the coralligenous reef in the Gulf of Saint-Florent has been protected by prefectoral order since May 1998 (no anchoring, spearfishing or collecting). Coral harvesting is banned in Corsican waters and posidonia meadows are protected (Source: Visit Corsica). Check current rules
Wrecks & archaeology: Wrecks and artefacts are maritime cultural property: whoever finds one must leave it in place and declare it within 48 hours (Code du patrimoine art. L532-3) to the DDTM, which forwards it to the DRASSM. Taking anything is forbidden. Several aircraft wrecks (e.g. the B-17 at Calvi) are also war graves (Source: Ministry of Culture; b17flyingfortress.de). Check current rules
Safety rules on the water: Dive boats fly the Alpha flag; boats must stay below 5 knots within 100 m of divers, and a surface marker buoy is mandatory (Source: Visit Corsica). In the Pelagos sanctuary, keep at least 100 m from cetaceans
Getting there: Ferries from Marseille, Toulon and Nice and from Genoa, Livorno, Piombino and Savona to Bastia, L'Île-Rousse, Ajaccio, Porto-Vecchio and Propriano (2h45–11h30); four airports: Bastia, Ajaccio, Calvi and Figari (Source: Visit Corsica)
Recompression: The hyperbaric chamber of Ajaccio hospital is reported as the only one on the island; divers injured elsewhere (e.g. Bastia, Cap Corse, Campomoro) have been airlifted there (Source: Corse Net Infos, 2023–2024). In an emergency call 112 / CROSS on VHF 16

Season

Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Acceptable: May, Oct
Poor: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
Water temperature: 13–27 °C

Sources give May to October as the season, with June to September warmest and calmest (22–26 C, August peak about 27 C); September and October are popular shoulder months with fewer visitors. Diving is banned inside the Scandola reserve.

Dive sites (37)

Porto-Vecchio & east coast

Alcione C Wreck – 24–35 m, intermediate
Danger de la Vacca – 5–35 m, beginner
Danger du Toro – 3–36 m, beginner
Les Arches (Toro) – 17–50 m, intermediate
Pinella Wreck (Pecorella) – 4–12 m, beginner
Rocher de la Vacca – 0–25 m, beginner
Île de Forana – 0–20 m, beginner

Calvi & Balagne

B-17 Wreck (Calvi) – 25–28 m, intermediate
Grand Tombant (L'Île-Rousse) – 25–40 m, intermediate
Revellata Canyon – 15–35 m, beginner

Cap Corse, Saint-Florent & Bastia

B-26 Marauder (Lavasina) – 63 m, advanced
Chapeau du Gendarme – 25–38 m, intermediate
Insuma Wreck – 40–45 m, advanced
P-47 Thunderbolt (Miomo) – 17–20 m, beginner
Roche Cinquini – 22–44 m, intermediate
Îles Finocchiarola – 9 m, beginner

Bonifacio & Lavezzi

Balise Sud – Écueil des Lavezzi – intermediate
Beccu – Le Chameau – beginner
Cap de Pertusato – 2–12 m, beginner
Caverne Perduto – beginner
Diamant Noir (Bruzzi) – 18–42 m, intermediate
Grande balise de Perduto – intermediate
Les Cloches – beginner
Mérouville – 17–36 m, intermediate

Ajaccio & Sagone

Banc Provençal – 15–50 m, advanced
Canadair Wreck (Sagone) – 30–32 m, intermediate
Scudo – 20–45 m, intermediate

Galeria, Porto & Cargèse

Capo Rosso – 0–45 m, intermediate
Ficajola – 0–40 m, beginner
La Morsetta – 5–50 m, beginner
Punta Muchillina – 5–50 m, intermediate
Scandola Nature Reserve (TILOS / no diving) – intermediate
Senino – 1–55 m, intermediate

Valinco & Propriano

Le Jardin (Porto-Pollo) – 30–50 m, advanced
Les Aiguilles – 8–50 m, intermediate
Les Cathédrales – 6–55 m, advanced
Vickers Viking Wreck (Tizzano) – 13 m, beginner

Operators (11)

Calvi Plongée – dive centre, Calvi
EPIR Plongée – dive centre, L'Île-Rousse
L'Incantu – dive centre, Galeria
Plongée Porto – dive centre, Porto (Ota)
Actisub – dive centre, Saint-Florent
Toga Plongée – dive centre, Bastia
Isula Plongée – dive centre, Ajaccio (Route des Sanguinaires)
E Ragnole Plongée – dive centre, Ajaccio
Propriano Plongée – dive centre, Propriano
Bonifacio Plongée – dive centre, Bonifacio
Porto-Vecchio Plongée – dive centre, Porto-Vecchio

Routes (7)

Site positions are approximate unless marked otherwise and are for orientation only — never for navigation. Reserve zones, permits and closures change; confirm them with your dive centre and the reserve manager (OEC). Scuba diving is forbidden in the marine part of the Scandola reserve. Deep wrecks here are technical dives.