Cap d'Agde · France · Reef

Les 3 Pics

Nine coralligenous reefs at 20–24 m, linked by guide wires

Area photo: Christian Ferrer · CC BY-SA 3.0

Les 3 Pics is a group of nine coralligenous reefs standing on sand east of the submarine Brescou rock, the main one in the centre of the site. Abyss Plongée dives it at 20–24 m and the catalogue puts the rock at 21 m. Wires run between the reefs, so a group moves from one to the next without navigating, and the cracks hold big conger eels and lobsters.

Where it is and how deep

Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

43.2512° N, 3.5157° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

You drop onto the main reef, the one that stands in the centre of the site, east of the submarine Brescou rock. Abyss Plongée gives the site as 20–24 m and Scubago puts the bottom at 21 m, so this is a straightforward single-level dive: down the line, onto the rock, then a slow tour of what stands on the sand around it.

There are nine coralligenous reefs here in all, and they are linked to one another by a system of wires — a literal solution to navigation, and one that lets a guide move a group from reef to reef without anyone needing a compass. Work the cracks as you go: big conger eels sit back in the deeper holes, spiny lobsters cover the shaded rock, and nudibranchs are on the faces if you are looking at that scale. You come back up the way you came down.

Marine life and season

Macro critters
Nudibranchs

Month-by-month season rating for Les 3 Pics
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Off-season	Off-season	Fair	Fair	Good	Good	Prime	Prime	Prime	Good	Fair	Fair

Season follows Cap d'Agde: Abyss Plongée opens March to December; the sea averages 12 °C in February and 22 °C in August, and the Tramontane or Mistral can stop the boats in any month.