Mérouville

The Pelu shoal near the Lavezzi Islands, nicknamed "Grouper Town": about thirty dusky groupers live around three rock towers on a 30 m bottom, the highest reaching 17 m. Used to divers for years, the groupers come very close, and corbs, sea bream and morays fill the boulders below.

Facts

Region: France – Corsica
Area: Bonifacio & Lavezzi
Depth: 17–36 m
Level: intermediate
Current: moderate
Type: pinnacle, reef
Coordinates: 41.34312, 9.27478 (approximate)
Highlights: dusky grouper, brown meagre, white sea bream, moray eel
Permit: Inside the Bouches de Bonifacio Nature Reserve. Under the 1999 creation decree, spearfishing and any taking are banned in the protected perimeters, and diving in the reserve's no-take zones (which include the Lavezzi plateau) is subject to individual authorisation under a procedure set by the maritime prefect (Art. 31). Dive with a local centre that operates in the reserve and check the current zone rules with the manager (OEC). (Source: decree of 23 Sept 1999 via AIDA/INERIS)
Issuer / contact: Office de l'Environnement de la Corse (reserve manager)
- Phone: +33 4 95 45 04 00
- Email: contact@oec.fr
- Website: https://www.oec.corsica/
Tips: Experienced divers only (about 35 m). No sudden movements – and never feed the groupers.

Mérouville

Facts

Sources