Marseille & the Calanques · France · Cave & cavern
Grotte Arc-en-Ciel
A cave named for the colours the sunlight throws
Area photo: Karim saari · CC BY 4.0
A shallow cave off Marseille lying between 7 and 15 metres, named for the way the sun's rays break up as they penetrate it. The depth keeps the dive long and the overhead keeps it deliberate, and the catalogue puts it to intermediate and advanced divers.
Also known as Grotte arc en ciel.
Where it is and how deep
43.1967° N, 5.3631° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Everything happens between 7 and 15 metres, so gas and no-stop time are not the constraints here; light and position are. The dive drops to the cave and works into it, and because the whole site sits inside that narrow band you can spend the bulk of a tank on it and still surface with a comfortable margin, which is unusual for the sites off this coast.
The name comes from what the sun does inside. Rays penetrate the cave and split into the play of light it is named for, which means the dive is worth timing for a bright day and a high sun. Beyond that there is nothing published about the site — no survey of how far the cave runs, no species list — so the guide's briefing is what sets where the dive turns.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Marseille & the Calanques: Boats run all year; the sea averages 13 °C (55 °F) in February and feels cold.
Know before you go
- An overhead environment with no published survey of its extent; stay within the guide's limits and keep the entrance in sight.
Sources
- Grotte Arc-en-Ciel — Scubago
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