Combi, fins, mask, snorkel, or bottle, everything is ready. Discover the best diving spots in France.

With more than 10,000 km of coastline, France is a country where the practice of diving offers incredible diversity. 

The diving spots of France are very numerous, and these reserves you a good number of surprises, whether in terms of fauna, flora, bottom, or landscape. There are also many wrecks that you can visit, especially on the Atlantic coast…

The 10 Best Diving Spots In France

1. The island of Groix – Best Diving Spot in Brittany

The island of Groix is a natural paradise for divers because its bottoms offer incredible diversity. In terms of topology, there are sand, rocks, mud, and piles of algae that feed an equally varied fauna. 

By its location, in the south of Brittany, the island of Groix allows aquatic species from the north of the Atlantic to rub shoulders with those that come from the south, thus forming this heterogeneous fauna. 

The visibility is generally excellent, which gives it this status of the diving spot of France essential for divers who would like to discover Morbihan differently.

2. The Calanques De Marseille National Park – Best Diving Spot in Bouches-du-Rhône

World-famous, the Calanques National Park offers a wide variety of underwater landscapes. Perhaps you will find yourself in the presence of cetaceans (especially dolphins); they are rather numerous. 

Swimming with them in the parking area is prohibited due to habitat protection. 

Since the Calanques De Marseille National Park is considered a safe area for biological species, it contains many animals and plants. 

In front of the massif of the creeks, you can visit two Roman ships, and at the foot of Île Jarre, the wreck of the ship that brought the plague to Marseille. Emotions guaranteed.

On the coast, you will also find the cove of Sormiou, which is worth the detour underwater and land. The practice of snorkeling (palm hike, half-aquatic half-terrestrial) is also very common.

3. The Gulf of Sagone – Best Diving Spot in Corsica

The Gulf of Sagone is one of the most beautiful diving spots in France. The water is clear (high visibility, up to 40-50 meters), the reliefs are varied, and the bottoms magnificent. 

The many peaks, faults, or canyons in the Gulf preserve a rich fauna and flora, almost spared by pollution… 

And even if you may come across a few other passionate divers or simply interested, the Gulf of Sagone does not yet suffer from overcrowding since it is a little less known than the Scandola Reserve. 

Further north, its fame is well known, but we should consider protecting it from the annual tourist influx.

4. The Calanque of Port d’Alon – Best Diving Spot in Var

With its cove air, the Calanque de Port d’Alon offers divers privileged access to the Mediterranean. Accessible by the beach, this cove is also ideal for snorkeling because the rocks remain accessible for a long time. 

By diving into the Calanque du Port d’Alon, you will not go more than 4 meters deep. This will not prevent you from discovering rich fauna and flora, typically Mediterranean and preserved since fishing is prohibited. 

Explore the Sec d’Alon, which falls 38 meters deep, for a little thrill.

5. The wrecks of Normandy – Best Diving Spot in Calvados

In Normandy, scuba diving is primarily practiced for the many wrecks along the coast of the Channel. The Second World War marked the spirits and the seabed, leaving nearly 150 wrecks near the landing beaches of 1944. 

There are also more than 2000 sites to discover that are related to this event. The wrecks of Normandy are among those diving spots in France that tell history, offering divers a vision of the past, recalling the violence of that time.

6. Lake Tignes – Best Diving Spot in Savoie

Lake Tignes is located in the heart of Savoy, between two ski resorts. It is a bucolic lake, turquoise blue, wedged between two mountains with great Swiss air in summer. 

It is possible to dive into it. But in winter too! What makes it unique is the layer of ice that covers it, offering the opportunity to practice ice diving. 

Not recommended for claustrophobic people, this activity remains open to all levels (beginners and confirmed), accompanied by an instructor. It is a question of slipping under the ice and discovering what the lake protects.

Offered day and night, this ice dive makes Lake Tigne one of France’s most beautiful diving spots. There are also many best things to do in Tignes.

Good to know: part of luc Besson's film Le Grand Bleu was shot there!

7. The Lavezzi Islands – Best Diving Spot in Corsica

The reputation of Corsica is well established in terms of scuba diving. It is a diving spot in France on its own. Its coasts are steep, to the delight of divers. 

They also have small islands, a paradise for fish, crustaceans, and other local flora: the Lavezzi Islands are the favorite meeting point for divers worldwide. 

Open-air aquariums offer you a glimpse of underwater life in clear and clear waters, with many fish, algae, and crustaceans. 

The area’s nickname is “Groupeville.” For a safe dive, it is recommended to dive rather in the morning because of the sometimes strong afternoon currents.

8. The Glénan Archipelago – Best Diving Spot in Brittany

If you want to get a glimpse of what the Tahitian lagoons look like, head to the Glénan Archipelago, one of France’s most beautiful diving spots. 

Its colors ranging from deep blue to paradisiacal turquoise, white sandbanks, and rocky areas will teleport you to Polynesia. This is not to mention the diversity of fauna and flora typical of Breton. 

It should still be remembered that the Glénan Archipelago is in Brittany and that the temperatures correspond to it, although this area is among the hottest in the region. 

The nine islands that make up the archipelago will offer you 30 different spots, with exceptional views and diving sessions full of surprises.

9. The Cave of Choranche Best Diving Spot in Vercors

After the ice dive, will you resume a little caving diving? The Grotte de Choranche is a truly exceptional diving spot because the visit is done, as indicated, in a cave. 

Also not recommended for claustrophobic people, the exploration of this cave will surprise you.

Located within the Vercors Regional Natural Park near the city of Choranche, this cave maintains unparalleled transparency in its waters, pure and protected from the outside world. 

If you’re equipped with a lamp, you can be the Indiana Jones of scuba diving, going to unexplored places.

An excursion to the center of the Earth, which will cut you off from the world during your immersion, offers you another way to go diving in France, this country with countless surprises.

10. The Gulf of Lava – Best Diving Spot in Corsica

A little less known than other busy corners in Corsica, the Gulf of Lava is north of Ajaccio. The large beach of more than a kilometer is shared by three different municipalities (Appietto, Villanova, and Alata). 

It is bordered by two rocky massifs, protecting the coastline from the wind. The diving is pleasant, the water clear, and the fauna very rich.

The story goes that in the 80s, two sea urchin fishermen found a treasure of the rarest: Roman coins in pure gold, precious remains of an era that left very little. 

True story, it feeds the fantasy of any diver to find by chance another of these pieces …