Marseille & the Calanques · France · Reef
Rocher de Briançon
One rock, from 35 metres up to a 5-metre finish
Area photo: Karim saari · CC BY 4.0
A rock site dived for its scenery and the density of life on it, with a profile that runs from 5 metres down to 35. The range covers a full deep-to-shallow dive on one piece of rock, and the catalogue keeps it to advanced divers because of the depth at the bottom of it.
Where it is and how deep
43.1969° N, 5.3617° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site takes the shape of the rock it is named for, and the dive is built on the 5 to 35 metre spread. The order that makes sense is to work down to the bottom of the rock at 35 metres early, then turn and climb it steadily, so the second half of the dive is shallow, unhurried and spent close to the surface where the light is strongest.
What draws boats here is the scenery on the rock itself and the amount of life growing on and around it, which the catalogue singles out as the reason the site is popular rather than any single feature or resident animal. Diving it is a matter of staying on the structure and letting the profile do the work, and it is a boat dive out of Marseille like the rest of the offshore sites here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Marseille & the Calanques: Jun–Sep is the main season; the mistral funnels down the Rhône valley and closes the offshore islands in any month.
Sources
- Rocher de Briançon — Scubago
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Similar dives elsewhere
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Imposing grouper circle the rocks down to 35 m
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