Côte d'Azur · France · Reef
Pierre Jaques
Red gorgonians on scattered rock, 15 m down to 48 m
Area photo: Tangopaso · Public domain
A gorgonian plateau out beyond La Fourmigue that starts at 15 m and descends to 48. The plateau breaks up as it goes down and becomes a string of loose rocks, red gorgonians decorating them, with grouper, octopus and corb working the ground between. The mood of the dive is muted rather than bright, and the deeper it goes the more so.
Where it is and how deep
43.5305° N, 7.0900° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The boat runs out past La Fourmigue and sits over the top of the plateau, which starts at 15 m. From there the ground steps down rather than dropping: the gorgonian plateau breaks up as it descends and turns into a string of loose rocks scattered across the bottom, the deepest of them at 48 m, so the route is a run outward along the rocks and back.
Red gorgonians decorate those rocks and set the tone of the dive, which is muted rather than bright — deeper water, less light, and a lot of looking into holes. Grouper hold on the larger blocks, octopus sit back in the crevices and corb hold in the shadow of the larger rocks. Work outward at depth, then come back up over the plateau to finish shallow.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Octopus & cuttlefish
| 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.
Sources
- Pierre Jaques - Dive Site — SSI/Scubago
More dive sites in Côte d'Azur
Reef
Red and white gorgonian fields between 40 and 60 m
Cave & cavern
Mediterranean red coral in a grotto at 30 to 33 m
Artificial reef
Six two-metre cement heads standing at 3 to 5 m
Pinnacle
Golfe-Juan pinnacle standing from 15 m down to 55 m
A 9 to 42 m wall and a 0 to 15 m beginner section
Cave & cavern
A cave at 20 to 35 m in front of the Lérins islands
Wall
Rock at 3 m on top, drop-off running past 40 m below
Grouper and dentex inside France's largest no-take reserve
Similar dives elsewhere
Red gorgonians that read blue at 30 to 45 m
Reefs, caves and drop-offs from 5 m to 50 m by the research station
A giant anchor and its chain links lying at 21 m
A 50-minute lap of a rocky islet a mile off Alyko Bay