Dive op recommendations near St. Tropez?

[mi000ke]

We will be vacationing in Plan de la tour, France in September and were hoping to fit in a dive in or around St. Tropez. I haven't been able to find any info about diving in that area on SB, and the only op that comes up from a web search is European Diving School. I emailed them for info, but no reply.

Their confusing web site and rate scheme does not say if they typically do 1 or 2 tank dives (they imply only one-tank), and they have certification requirements that they describe as level 1 and level 2, which I have never heard of and not sure what they mean.

Anyone know if 1 or 2 tank dives are typical for that part of the world, and what the cert levels mean? Any recommendations for a dive op?

Thanks

 

[Sunn]

level 1 is +/- OW (although french level 1 is not autonomous)
level 2 is +/- AOW

all diving sites aroud : Les sites de plongée - Saint-Tropez - Plongée Loisir

a dive center (there are many on the coast, google is your friend) : Scuba diving : first dives, fun dives, and courses in sainte maxime | h2o sainte-maxime

 

[mi000ke]

level 1 is +/- OW (although french level 1 is not autonomous)
level 2 is +/- AOW

all diving sites aroud : Les sites de plongée - Saint-Tropez - Plongée Loisir

a dive center (there are many on the coast, google is your friend) : Scuba diving : first dives, fun dives, and courses in sainte maxime | h2o sainte-maxime

Thanks for the info. I did Google but did not see this (maybe I need to brush up on my French )

By "autonomous" do you mean no solo diving or that you must have a dive master/guide even if you are diving with a buddy?

Can you tell me if, when they quote prices for "one dive" (as did h2o and the European Dive School), do they typically mean a one-tank dive or one two-tank dive trip (which is the norm in most places)? I emailed them to ask but never got a reply.

Thanks

 

[George Ivanov]

Bonjour Mi000ke! Make sure to see Rubis submarine wreck. It's pretty close to St.Tropez. I've been there some time ago so some details faded away. I was diving with Destination Plongee in Hyeres. Now it has another name - Mio Palmo but the people are the same. The important part that they are PADI center so they were happy with my PADI cards, I haven't had any cross-system problem. You should be ready to produce medical certificate from your family practitioner that you are fit for recreational diving, otherwise you will spend some time in the doctors office in la belle France. When I asked for Rubis wreck I was redirected for a dive op which is right in St.Tropez harbour. Big RIB boat, two sets of tanks, a group of 6-7 people. Since I was a newcomer I was assigned as a buddy to a experienced local diver - a lady with a petite English who took care of me during the dive. Conning tower is about 35 m, bottom is 40something. It was some current there. I was making pictures so got some deco-time, my french buddy was perfectly calm about this, she deployed a bouy, asked my air and we spend a nice deco-stop drifting somewhere. The second dive on the way back was shoal of no interest. And, yes, French dive op ignore your e-mails with 95% probability. Nothing personal, first they don't speak English, second - they have enough local divers to keep them busy.

 

[chrisch]

By "autonomous" do you mean no solo diving or that you must have a dive master/guide even if you are diving with a buddy?..

Autonomous (in France) means without an instructor. The levels 1,2 and 3 have depth limits to autonomy. To dive 20m + with a suitable buddy you really need to be level 3 or CMAS 3star.

You also need a medical certificate of less than a year old and 3rd party insurance (can be bought at any dive shop on a per dive basis or is covered if you have DAN for example).

The post above is correct. French dive outfits just don't "do" email. Also George's sites are very good the Rubis is a super dive. You will find a lot of dive shops in Cavalaire and along that coastline. There are some very good wrecks at depth.

If you are not yet CMAS 3star you will be offered reef dives rather than the deep wrecks. There are still some very good reef and less deep dives so don't worry. Further west to Lavandou and you can find operators that go to the Port-Cros national park. This offers some very very good wildlife diving and some excellent dives in the 20m range. These would be 2 tank dives - that is you are out for the day and will have a second tank provided for your second dive.

Most French shops rent a tank as part of the dive cost. Not many French divers have their own tank. If you are looking at the Port-Cros this website gives more details and has a good English version http://www.bormesplongee.fr/home The dive centres in Lavandou are geared up for visitors (you might have more luck emailing).

If you have a medical certificate and turn up on the day you should be able to find something. They will ask your level (niveau) and if you need kit. I am sure you will have a pleasant enough dive or two. It is worth doing some research and deciding if there is anything specific before you go, particularly the wrecks.