Côte d'Azur · France · Cave & cavern
La Traille
A cave at 20 to 35 m in front of the Lérins islands
Area photo: Tangopaso · Public domain
A cave dive in front of the Lérins islands, close enough to Cannes that the sail is short. The site runs between 20 and 35 m and is rated for advanced divers, with the cave itself the reason boats come out. Conger and moray eels, lobster, nudibranchs and gorgonians fill the rock around it, and dentex pass by from time to time.
Where it is and how deep
43.5330° N, 7.0225° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The profile is deep from the moment you leave the surface: 20 m is the shallow end of this site and 35 m the floor, so there is no warm-up leg to settle into. Descend, get the group together on the rock, and go to the cave first while everyone still has the gas to spend on it rather than leaving it for the end of the dive.
Around and inside the entrance the rock holds conger and moray eels, lobster wedged back in the cracks and cardinalfish hanging in the darker corners, with nudibranchs on the walls for anyone prepared to slow down and look. Gorgonians grow on the outer faces of the rock, damselfish work the water just above the rock, and dentex show up occasionally out in the open.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Côte d'Azur: Water runs about 13°C in February and 25°C in August, and diving carries on year-round; the Théoule park's shore trail opens only from mid-June to mid-September.
Know before you go
- The cave is an overhead: carry a torch, agree the route in and out before the descent, and keep the visit short — the site's 20 m shallow end leaves little reserve for a long swim-through.
Sources
- La Traille - Dive Site — SSI/Scubago
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