Corsica — Ajaccio & Sagone, the area around Le Grand Bleu

Corsica · France · Reef

Le Grand Bleu

Depths from 10 to 40 m in clear water off Ajaccio

Area photo: Myrabella · CC BY-SA 3.0

A site near Ajaccio, listed by Voyage-Plongée as the Sec du Grand Bleu among the gulf's dive spots, with depths from 10 to 40 m and catalogued for its clear water and marine life at an intermediate-to-advanced level. The range means the same spot can give a dive planned around the 10 m shallows or a full deep profile, which is why it is not on the list for a first sea dive.

Also known as Sec du Grand Bleu.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Le Grand Bleu: typical dive 10–40 m (33–130 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit10 m40 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

41.9062° N, 8.7219° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The published depth range is the thing to plan around: the site starts at 10 m and runs to 40 m, and the catalogue lists it for intermediate to advanced divers rather than for everyone. That points to a dive where the deeper section is part of the attraction, so decide before you go in whether the plan is a 40 m profile with deep training and a conservative turn time, or a shallower tour that stays comfortably inside a no-decompression limit.

The catalogue entry credits the site with clear water and rich marine life but names no species, and neither it nor the Voyage-Plongée listing describes a route, so the honest expectation is a site near Ajaccio where the visibility does the work. Descend to your planned depth, spend the bottom time at the deeper end first and work upward, and finish the safety stop on the shallow section near 10 m. Anything more specific should come from the Porticcio centre's briefing on the day.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Le Grand Bleu
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Off-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonFairGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFairOff-season

Season follows Corsica: West-coast centres run roughly April to November; the sea is above 20 °C from June to October and averages under 14 °C in February.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Le Grand Bleu?+

The catalogue gives a range from 10 to 40 m, so the dive can be planned as a mid-depth tour or a full 40 m profile for divers with deep training.

Sources

  1. Le Grand Bleu - Scubago dive site catalogue — Scubago
  2. Plongée à Ajaccio — Voyage-Plongée

More dive sites in Corsica

Sand and rock from the surface to 30 m in clear water

0–30 mintermediate

Rock heads rising from 40 m to the surface

to 40 mintermediate

Plateaus at 6, 12 and 20 m before the drop-offs

0–35 mintermediate

Cave & cavern

Tunnels and vaults in the rock down to 40 m

to 40 mintermediate

Red volcanic rock from 10 to 35 m near Cargèse

10–35 mintermediate

Similar dives elsewhere

Reef

Borovnik

Kornati Islands · Croatia

Uninhabited islet on the park's authorised diving list

to 40 mintermediate

Reef

Dionysos

Bastia & Cap Corse (East Coast) · France

Imposing grouper circle the rocks down to 35 m

to 35 madvanced

Reef

El Jardín y la Red

Costa Brava · Spain

Deep rock at 26–35 m rising to a garden at 8 m

8–35 madvanced

Reef

Gorgone City

Cap d'Agde · France

White gorgonian at 35–40 m, dived on technical setups

35–40 madvanced