Scuba Diving and Snorkeling
Deep-sea diving and snorkeling are two great activities in which to partake during your holidays in France or your stay on the Riviera. Especially off the Var coast, you will find interesting coasts to explore and sunken ships and airplanes to see.
France has laws governing diving in general, which require that every diver have a medical waiver saying they are capable of diving. These laws also specify how many divers can be out with an instructor at once. For this reason, as well as general safety precautions, it is best to seek out a scuba club or dive center as opposed to diving on your own. The region is home to two main training organizations: the Federation Francaise d'Etudes de Sports Sous-Marins and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the latter of which is Anglophone-friendly. You will find diving schools or centers in most, if not all, of the major towns and cities that dot the Mediterranean coast line, however some are especially worth a visit.
St-Raphael
St-Raphael is home to the first recreational scuba diving club, which was founded here in the 1930s. Today, you can still dive in St-Raphael at the C.I.P. St-Raphael or the Tauchbasis Barakuda Club Ile d'Or.
St-Tropez
The European Diving School dive base in St-Tropez is located right near the beach as well as near a campground. It is one of few dive bases opened year-round to divers, which means that you should call in advance in the off-season to make sure you have a spot.
Antibes
The towns of Antibes and nearby Juan-les-Pins are chock full of diving schools and centers, including the Association Internationale Moniteurs Professionnels, which caters to professional diving instructors. You will also find Cote Plongee in Antibes, right near the naval museum. The Ecole de Plongee is a diving school located in Antibes that will take first-time divers and issue licenses for diving.
Cannes
Cannes is famously near the islands of Sainte-Marguerite and St-Honore, where many underwater artifacts have been found. There is even a museum devoted to the artifacts, as well as to the famous Man in the Iron Mask who was held captive on the island. It is no surprise, then that Cannes is home to so many diving centers, to name a few: Beal Plongee, Centre Nautique Municipal (one location on Sainte-Marguerite and the other in nearby La Bocca), Plongee Club de Cannes and Scuba Cannes.
