Corsica · France · Reef · Wall
Les Trois Frères
Plateaus at 6, 12 and 20 m before the drop-offs
Area photo: Myrabella · CC BY-SA 3.0
Three rocks that break the surface in the Gulf of Ajaccio and drop to 35 m, stepping down through plateaus at 6, 12 and 20 m before the deeper drop-offs. The staged depths make it a site the Porticcio centre can use for every level, from a first sea dive on the upper plateau to a deeper profile on the faces below.
Where it is and how deep
41.8486° N, 8.7628° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The three rocks stand clear of the water, so the boat drops you beside them and the descent starts against rock from the surface. The first plateau is at 6 m, the second at 12 m and the third at 20 m, and the simplest plan is to go down to the plateau that matches your training and the day's plan, then work the rock at that level. A diver on a first sea dive can stay on the upper plateau; an Open Water diver can take the 12 m and 20 m levels.
Below the 20 m plateau the rock steepens into drop-offs that continue to the seabed at 35 m. That lower section is where the dive turns from an easy plateau tour into a deeper profile, so it is worth agreeing in the briefing whether the group is going past 20 m at all. The way back up is the same rock in reverse: climb plateau by plateau, and finish the safety stop against the rock near the surface with the three heads above you.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-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 Les Trois Frères?+
The rocks run from the surface to 35 m, with plateaus at 6 m, 12 m and 20 m before the deeper drop-offs, so the dive can be as shallow or as deep as the plan allows.
Is Les Trois Frères suitable for beginners?+
Yes. The catalogue lists it for all levels, and the plateaus at 6 m and 12 m give a newer diver a shallow profile while the drop-offs to 35 m are left to divers with deeper training.
Sources
More dive sites in Corsica
Reef
Sand and rock from the surface to 30 m in clear water
Pinnacle
Rock heads rising from 40 m to the surface
Reef
Depths from 10 to 40 m in clear water off Ajaccio
Wreck
A 1944 P-51 Mustang fuselage on sand at 19 m
Cave & cavern
Tunnels and vaults in the rock down to 40 m
Reef
Red volcanic rock from 10 to 35 m near Cargèse
Similar dives elsewhere
A plateau off Grand Congloué that ends in a beak
A rocky slope, a long wall and a tiny cave to finish
Coralligenous boulders and red gorgonians from 15 to 40 m
The southernmost Medes islet, open to current from any side