France – Provence & Côte d'Azur

The French Mediterranean mainland coast between Marseille and Menton is one of the birthplaces of recreational diving. Limestone cliffs of the Calanques and the islands of Maïre, Riou and Planier drop into walls covered with red gorgonians and red coral, while the Var coast holds dense wreck fields around Toulon, Porquerolles and Cavalaire, from 19th-century steamers to WWII aircraft. Port-Cros National Park (Port-Cros and Porquerolles) is famous for its large dusky groupers and barracuda schools but requires a park dive authorisation; the red porphyry Esterel, the Lérins islands off Cannes and the capes of Antibes, Nice and Cap Martin complete the region. Monaco is a separate country and is not covered.

Facts

Certification & depth limits: French law defines guided (PE) and autonomous (PA) aptitudes by depth band: PE-12/PA-12, PE-20/PA-20, PE-40/PA-40, PE-60/PA-60. FFESSM/ANMP/SNMP/FSGT/UCPA Level 1 or CMAS 1-star = PE-20 (guided to 20 m); Level 2 or CMAS 2-star = PE-40 and PA-20; Level 3 or CMAS 3-star = PE-60 and PA-60. The 40–60 m band is reserved for holders of a 60 m certificate from those bodies or CMAS; with other cards (e.g. PADI) the dive director assesses which aptitudes you can justify (Source: Code du sport art. A322-77, annexes III-14 a and b, as published by the Préfecture des Côtes-d'Armor). Check current rules
Medical certificate: Within the FFESSM (club and licence diving) a certificate of no contra-indication (CACI) is required every year for scuba diving; it is suspended after a change in health or a diving accident (Source: FFESSM medical commission documents). Commercial centres set their own requirement for visiting divers – ask before you travel. Check current rules
Port-Cros National Park (Port-Cros & Porquerolles): Scuba diving in the park's waters is forbidden without a park dive authorisation: every individual diver or dive structure registers online on CaPeL (capel.portcros-parcnational.fr), signs the dive regulation and reports dives; a 'plongée' sticker for the boat is collected at a park house. Max 40 divers at a time per site; no feeding fish, turning rocks or touching the bottom; training and night dives are regulated. No anchoring within 100 m of dive sites; authorised divers have priority on dive buoys (max 3 boats, none over 15 m); at La Gabinière, La Croix, Le Vaisseau and La Galère someone able to move the boat must stay aboard 9–17 h in May–June peak periods and July–August. Spearfishing is banned in the core marine zone (Source: Parc national de Port-Cros, Port-Cros 2025 and Porquerolles 2026 marine regulation leaflets). Check current rules
Calanques National Park: Diving is allowed in the park (it notes about a hundred possible dives in its no-take zones), but Cosquer Cave and the 'triangle Cousteau' are off limits, underwater scooters are not allowed, fishing with scuba and feeding marine life are forbidden, nothing may be taken from the bottom, and eco-moorings should be used where available. Seven no-take zones (ZNP) ban all fishing permanently (Source: Parc national des Calanques, 'Pratiquer la plongée dans les Calanques' brochure 2025 and recreational-fishing page). Check current rules
Côte Bleue Marine Park: West of Marseille the park manages two strong-protection zones – the Carry-le-Rouet and Cap Couronne (Martigues) fishing reserves – where scuba diving, anchoring and all fishing are forbidden; elsewhere national diving rules apply (Source: Parc Marin de la Côte Bleue, 'Activités maritimes' page). Check current rules
Wrecks & archaeology: Wrecks and artefacts are maritime cultural property: whoever finds one must leave it in place and undamaged and declare it within 48 hours of the find or of reaching port (Code du patrimoine art. L532-3); declarations go to the DDTM, which forwards them to DRASSM; any survey, excavation or removal needs a Ministry of Culture permit (Source: Ministère de la Culture 'Découverte de bien culturel maritime'; Préfecture des Alpes-Maritimes). Check current rules
Season & water temperature: Many centres run from about March/April to November and some all year (e.g. in Saint-Raphaël). Sea temperature off Marseille averages about 13 °C in February and 22–23 °C in August–September at the surface (Sources: dive-centre websites; Saint-Raphaël tourist office dive guide; cabaigne.net; Lonely Planet). Expect a much colder layer below the summer thermocline
Wind & visibility: The north-westerly mistral decides the day: exposed sites such as Cassidaigne, the Côte Bleue walls or the outer Marseille islands become undiveable, and boats shelter behind capes (Bec de l'Aigle, Castel Vieil, Les Mèdes); east and south winds close sites such as Escampobariou and the Fourmigues of Giens. On the Côte Bleue, Rhône sediment often reduces visibility (Source: wannadive.net site notes). Port-Cros harbour is dangerous above force 6 and closed above force 7 (Source: Port-Cros National Park)
Emergencies & recompression: Call 112 or VHF channel 16 – mobile coverage is patchy in the Calanques (Source: Calanques National Park dive brochure). Hyperbaric centres operate at Hôpital Sainte-Marguerite (AP-HM) in Marseille and at HIA Sainte-Anne in Toulon (Sources: Marseille tourist office listing 'Centre hyperbare'; Aix-Marseille University medical thesis on HIA Sainte-Anne cases). Confirm the current emergency chain with your dive centre
Getting there: Airports at Marseille, Toulon-Hyères, Nice and La Môle (Saint-Tropez); the A8 motorway and TGV/TER trains serve the coast, e.g. Saint-Raphaël-Valescure station with TER stops at Boulouris, Le Dramont, Agay and Anthéor (Source: Saint-Raphaël tourist office dive guide 2021). Porquerolles and Port-Cros are reached by ferry or club boat

Season

Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Acceptable: Apr, May, Nov
Poor: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
Water temperature: 13–25 °C

Diving is best May to October, with June to September warmest and clearest (about 25 C in summer, 13 C in winter). Swell and the mistral reduce visibility. Summer is busiest; spring and autumn are quieter.

Dive sites (70)

Esterel & Saint-Raphaël

B-24 Liberator (Agay) – 42 m, advanced
L'Arche (Lion de Mer) – 8–25 m, beginner
La Chrétienne – 20 m, beginner
Le Banc des Vieilles – 49–70 m, advanced
Le Lion de Mer – 45 m, beginner
Le Poisson Lune (Le Dramont) – 33–43 m, advanced
Le Sec des Suisses – 3–42 m, intermediate
Le Village Englouti – 20–25 m, intermediate
Les Pyramides (Île d'Or) – 3–45 m, beginner
Les Péniches d'Anthéor – 24–36 m, intermediate
Petit & Grand Cap Roux (Le Mérou) – 13–40 m, intermediate

La Ciotat & Bandol

B-26 Marauder – 30–47 m, advanced
Bec de l'Aigle – 35 m, intermediate
La Merveilleuse – 38 m, intermediate
P-38 Lightning (Harry Greenup) – 40 m, intermediate

Toulon, Giens & Porquerolles

Dornier Do 24 – 42 m, advanced
Escampobariou – 35 m, intermediate
L'Arroyo – 39 m, intermediate
Le Cimentier – 15 m, beginner
Le Donator – 40–51 m, advanced
Le Grec (Sagona) – 47 m, advanced
Les Deux Frères – 7–35 m, intermediate
Les Fourmigues de Giens – 40 m, intermediate
Les Mèdes – 25 m, beginner
Sec du Langoustier – 45 m, advanced

Nice, Villefranche & Menton

Gorgones (Cap Martin) – intermediate
Grotte à Corail (Pointe Rascasse) – 35 m, beginner
Heinkel He 111 (Cap Martin) – 58–61 m, advanced
Pointe Caussinière – 40 m, intermediate

Calanques, Riou & Cassis

Grotte Cosquer (TILOS / no diving) – advanced
L'Impérial de Terre – 5–26 m, beginner
L'Impérial du Large – 35–60 m, advanced
L'Impérial du Milieu – 5–50 m, intermediate
La Cassidaigne – 5–48 m, intermediate
La Grotte à Corail (Cassis) – 5–45 m, intermediate
Le Batavia – 3–18 m, beginner
Le Couloir des Gorgones – 65 m, advanced
Le Grand Congloué – 5–60 m, advanced
Pointe Cacau – 5–45 m, beginner
Tombant de Castel Vieil – 5–50 m, intermediate
Tombant de Morgiou – 5–60 m, intermediate

Cannes, Lérins & Antibes

L'Enfer de Dante – 17–70 m, advanced
La Fouillée – 6–45 m, beginner
La Fourmigue – 0–55 m, beginner
La Tradelière – 4–42 m, beginner
Le Bateguier – 6–40 m, beginner

Le Lavandou, Cavalaire & St-Tropez

L'Espingole – 34–39 m, intermediate
Le Prophète – 34 m, intermediate
Le Ramon Membru – 22 m, beginner
Le Rubis – 34–41 m, advanced
Le Tell – 5–14 m, beginner
Le Togo – 45–69 m, advanced
Les Brisés – 50 m, advanced
Wildcat – 54 m, advanced

Marseille & Côte Bleue

La Barge de Carro – 30–40 m, advanced
La Barge à Clapets – 28–35 m, intermediate
Le Chaouen – 36 m, intermediate
Le Liban – 36 m, intermediate
Réserve marine de Carry-le-Rouet (TILOS / no diving) – beginner
Réserve marine du Cap Couronne (TILOS / no diving) – beginner
Tiboulen du Frioul – 44 m, intermediate
Tombant de Niolon – 40 m, intermediate
Tombant des Pharillons – 45 m, advanced

Port-Cros & Le Levant

La Gabinière – Tombant Est – 45 m, advanced
La Puissante – 15 m, beginner
Pointe de la Croix – 30 m, intermediate
Pointe de la Galère – 40 m, intermediate
Pointe de Montremian – 35 m, intermediate
Pointe du Vaisseau – 40 m, intermediate
Sec de la Gabinière – 12–45 m, advanced

Operators (17)

Narval Plongée Cassis – dive centre, Cassis
Le Bateau Jaune – dive centre, Marseille
Plein Bleu Plongée – dive centre, Carry-le-Rouet
Kraken Plongée – dive centre, La Ciotat
Bandol Plongée – dive centre, Bandol
Sanary Plongée – dive centre, Sanary-sur-Mer
Divin'Giens – dive centre, Giens (Hyères)
Porquerolles Plongée (Porquerolles Diving) – dive centre, Porquerolles
Mio Palmo Plongée – dive centre, Cavalaire-sur-Mer
Cap Camarat Plongée – dive centre, Ramatuelle (Pampelonne)
EPI Le Lavandou (Ecole de Plongée Internationale) – dive centre, Le Lavandou
Agathonis Plongée – dive centre, Agay (Saint-Raphaël)
Plongée Club de Cannes – dive centre, Cannes
Easy Dive (Juan-les-Pins / Cannes) – dive centre, Juan-les-Pins (Antibes)
Rand'eau Evasion – dive centre, Villefranche-sur-Mer
CIP Nice (Centre International de Plongée) – dive centre, Nice
Palmes Beach Menton – dive centre, Menton

Routes (9)

Site positions are approximate unless marked otherwise and are for orientation only — never for navigation. Park authorisations, protected zones and access rules change; confirm them with your dive centre and the park authorities. Many wrecks here lie beyond 40 m and are technical dives.