Côte d'Azur · France · Reef
Le Petit Cap Roux
Grouper and dentex inside France's largest no-take reserve
Area photo: Tangopaso · Public domain
Three main rocks and a plateau at 20 m inside the Cap Roux marine reserve, with ground running from 12 m down to 38. Fishing is banned across the reserve's 445 hectares, and grouper, dentex, corb and barracuda are the standing sightings. Operators use the site both for exploration and for training divers at advanced level.
Where it is and how deep
43.4478° N, 6.9230° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is three main rocks with a plateau at 20 m between them, and the ground runs from 12 m at its shallowest to 38 m at the foot. Most plans take one of the rocks as the deep leg and come back onto the plateau afterwards, which keeps the profile tidy on a site that will otherwise draw you down the outside of the rock and hold you there.
What sets it apart is what lives on it. Petit Cap-Roux sits inside the réserve marine du cap Roux, where all fishing, harvesting and disturbance of the seabed is prohibited, and its rocks are described as carrying an abundance of flora and fauna: grouper, dentex, corb and barracuda are all there. That is the reason to dive it slowly and to spend the bottom time on the rocks themselves.
Background
The réserve marine du cap Roux is a cantonnement de pêche of 445 hectares off Agay, the largest fishing exclusion zone of its kind in France. Inside its boundary all exploitation, harvesting and alteration of the environment is forbidden. Petit Cap-Roux lies inside that protected water, and its rocks are described as carrying an abundance of flora and fauna: grouper, dentex, corb and barracuda are the fish the site is dived for.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
| 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.
Questions divers ask
Is Le Petit Cap Roux inside a marine reserve?+
Yes. It sits inside the réserve marine du cap Roux, a 445-hectare fishing exclusion zone off Agay where all exploitation, harvesting and alteration of the environment is prohibited — the largest reserve of its kind in France.
Sources
- Le Petit Cap Roux - Dive Site — SSI/Scubago
- Agay — Wikipédia (FR)
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