Category: Diving in France

 

Diving in France is one of the best in Europe with famous diving spots such as the Port-Cros and Calanques National Parks and famous dives such as the Grec and the Rubis shipwrecks. France is a great destination for scuba divers who love wreck diving and groupers. A little less known, you can also give a try at diving in Thau Lagoon.

The marine life in France is mostly about groupers, octopus, barracudas, moray eels and nudibranchs. It’s the right place to go for experienced divers mainly. Due to the water temperatures, regarding scuba gear, it is most common to scuba dive there in a 7 mm wetsuit. The best time of the year is often from July to September. The best dive sites can be reached by boat.

Below you will find all my best scuba diving stories from diving in France. I share my top tips on how to organise your trip, my favourites dives, what is the best itinerary or how to do it without breaking the bank. From a travel budget point of view, France is a mid-range budget destination, so you may need to save up but not as much as you think.

Diving in France is also about diving in its overseas territories from the Caribbean to the South Pacific. You will find more blog posts in my dedicated categories to New Caledonia and French Polynesia.

Lighthouse Phare du Petit Minou Bretagne Brittany France

On the Lighthouse Road: my 2-week itinerary in Brittany

After diving into the details of the two spots I explored underwater along the Lighthouse Road, Saint-Pabu and Camaret-Sur-Mer, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to let you know everything that happened in between. While considering my options for this long-awaited scuba diving adventure in Brittany, I stumbled upon the itinerary of the Lighthouse Road. I had one of these lightbulb moments (ok,

On the Lighthouse Road – Part 2 – my dives in Camaret

In my quest to dive deeper into local diving, I searched for the best places to go scuba diving in Brittany, my home region. I discovered there was a corner I had never set foot on, even less a fin in. Before every trip, I’m always tempted to cram a little bit too much in a 2-week itinerary. After hours of research, I finally narrowed

spinous squat lobster - diving st pabu

On the Lighthouse Road – Part 1 – my dives in St-Pabu

In my quest to dive deeper into local diving, I searched for the best places to go scuba diving in Brittany, my home region. I discovered there was a corner I had never set foot on, even less a fin in. Before every trip, I’m always tempted to cram a little bit too much in a 2-week itinerary. After hours of research, I finally

Diving Toulon

Spring diving in Toulon

Month after month, we keep being locked down every time the pandemic figures get a bit too crazy. Right after New Year’s Eve, I felt massive fatigue to the point of reaching the limit of genuinely losing it. I needed fresh air; I needed water more than anything. When the opportunity came to return to Toulon, my main scuba diving base in France, for

scuba diving Gulf Morbihan Brittany France

Rediscovering my local dive sites in Brittany

For most of us, scuba diving equals travelling to warm and exotic destinations. While I can’t deny how good it feels to dive in 30°C crystal clear water for hours, in times when travel is not possible, does it mean we should give up on our favourite aquatic sport? Have you ever searched what was available in your area in terms of local diving?

French Riviera Itinerary Eze Village

2 weeks on the French Riviera: my ultimate itinerary for scuba divers

From my first dive in Port-Cros National Park in 2016 to my dives in the Esterel area last summer, I kept exploring for 4 years every harbour and village I could, feeling I hadn’t seen enough to create such an itinerary. How could I fit now all the beautiful places I saw along the Côte d’Azur, in French, in only 2 weeks? The average

Menton Old Town French Riviera

Top 5 things to do in Menton, my new hideaway on the French Riviera

Let me introduce you to this little piece of France, at the very end of the French Riviera, nestled between the borders of Italy and Monaco. A short walk along the scenic seashore surrounded by mountains is already a hint about its long international heritage despite its small size. Thanks to its mild winter climate, Menton became famous for its flavourful lemons famous but

Esterel Cap Roux French Riviera

Extraordinary Esterel: diving & hiking from St-Raphael to Mandelieu

It was the third time I was spending the summer on the French Riviera. I can’t believe I passed, again and again, the Esterel mountain range, as I was going diving in Nice from Toulon, without ever stopping! It only took a hike and a dive to make me fall for this Natura-2000 protected area of 15,000 ha famous for its red volcanic rocks.