Diving South France

[hg frogman]

That is no longer right, French law has changed yesterday, with a consequent logbook or certs, you can be allowed to dive in autonomy or supervised by a divemaster, without a check-dive. You just have to go to an open-minded center.

Daniel,

It's true French law has just changed (and there is now more flexibility for receiving guests with foreign certifications) but for your purpose (diving French wrecks) I maintain that becoming CMAS** diver is still the simplest way for an AOW diver.

According to the new French law, if I understand right, a PADI AOW diver with the PADI Deep specialty, and with proven cert or experience in deploying and handling a DSMB, should be allowed to go to 40 meters maximum, with a guide, but only for no deco dives. As many good wrecks (but not all nevertheless) are deco dives, as I said, this certification doesn't make it for these wrecks.

While being CMAS** (usually takes about 10 dives to achieve) will allow you to do (air) deco dives down to 40 meters (but not 45 meters anymore) with a guide.

 

[dannyboy504]

Many thanks for your advice....

Diving in France sounds a little complicated. It never occured to me that the PADI AOW & CMAS** were that different. Although I'm PADI certified the club I joined recently does CMAS courses for free. Really wish I had done the conversion before the summer vacation! I think my best bet would be to find a club that does both and try diving with them.

Daniel

 

[hg frogman]

Daniel,

You're welcome. What I said is : if I understand right ... because the new Code of Sport doesn't really specify if a PADI diver allowed to go to 40 meters with a guide can, or cannot, do deco dives. I guess he cannot, but that's not clearly written (so I wouldn't take the responsability of letting him do deco dives). Maybe I am wrong and he can do deco dives (so the problem is solved) with the guide taking care of the deco. I am not sure. But I am sure you have to prove that you can dive down to 40 meters (by a certification eg Deep Specialty, or by experience from your logbook) and handle a DSMB (idem).

I suggest you find a dive center that does both PADI and CMAS and check if you can do some of the required skills (eg deep diving, DSMB handling, or deco ?) with this dive center, without doing a full course if you don't want to. But the total number of dives involved by this may be the same than a full CMAS** course (depends on your logbook).

The new code of sport works by "skills" that every diver must master for a given level of practice (eg down to 40 meters with a guide). These skills (eg DSMB handling, or deco procedures, or experience of diving down to 40 meters) can be asserted by a certification, or by the proof in your logbook that you have enough experience of them.

The principle is nice but the application is a bit complicated, especially since it's very new and the dive centers are not used to it yet. (For example I am both CMAS and PADI and it's not totally clear to me ...)

But that should give you broader possibilities than before, for diving here in France. So no big worries

Enjoy your vacations.

PS: and yes, PADI AOW and CMAS** are different. In CMAS** you have rescue of an unconscious diver from 20 meters to the surface, DSMB handling, deco procedures and deco diving ... that you don't have in the AOW.

 

[jago]

According to the new French law, if I understand right, a PADI AOW diver with the PADI Deep specialty, and with proven cert or experience in deploying and handling a DSMB, should be allowed to go to 40 meters maximum, with a guide, but only for no deco dives.

Wrong. You don't need any cert, just skills which can be attested by your logbook :

Classification of the divers :

• P : plongeur (diver)
• E : encadré (supervised) or A : autonome (autonomous)
• A number beetwen 1 and 4 which indicates the max depth :

1. 12 meters ~ 39 feet
2. 20 meters ~ 65 feet
3. 40 meters ~ 131 feet
4. 60 meters ~197 feet allowed only for CMAS 3 * or french level 3 diver

​

If you have already do deco-dives at 40 meters and you can manage a DSMB, you would be allowed to do 40 meters deco-dives, but you can't be allowed to do autonomous no-deco dives, if you can not justify the following skills.

If the dive marshall is not an idiot you will be with you AOWD at least a PE2 and a PA1.

Quick improve of the google translate of the skills


PE1
Proficiency in the use of personal equipment, including scuba buoyancy compensator (which is not required if you dive supervised).
Control of water-entering, immersion and ascent at a controlled speed
Control of ventilation and buoyancy
Knowledge of the usual signs
Integration in a Dive team (up to 4 divers and a DM)
Respect for the environment and safety rules

PA1
Mastery of skills PE-1
Control of direction and dive parameters (depth, time, pressure in the cylinder)
Control of propulsion using fins on the surface and immersion
Mastery of communication with his team-mates and appropriate responses to signs
Integration with a sling mutual monitoring between team-mates (up to 3 divers)
Dive planning and adaptation to underwater

PE2
Mastery of skills PE-1
Control of propulsion and stabilization
Master of his ascent and maintaining a level (deco stop)
Knowledge of signs and appropriate responses, control of communication with team-mates
Integration in a tour with Dive mutual monitoring

PA2
Mastery of skills PA-1 and PE-2
Proficiency in the use of the equipment of his team-mates
Master of his relief and return to the surface at a controlled rate, maintaining a security deco-stop with parachute landing
Mastery of surgery on a diver in difficulty from the bottom

PE3
Mastery of skills PE-2
Control of speed of descent during immersion
Maintaining a level with use of a parachute
Knowledge of specific signs at this depth and mastery of timeliness in responses
Mastery of a surge in security in case of loss of Dive

PA3
Mastery of skills PE-2
Control of speed of descent during immersion
Maintaining a level with use of a parachute
Knowledge of specific signs at this depth and mastery of timeliness in responses
Mastery of a surge in security in case of loss of Dive

 

[TommyB]

So,
Did a search on the forums and saw this,

Headed to Nice, France in sept for about 5 or 6 days to get in some diving. My question I guess, is-

I'm an Instructor , Naui, TDI, SDI-
I'm Full Cave, Adv Trimix, etc etc. I do Eagles Nest (250/300+ fsw )all the time (or did before I moved to Switzerland) last year. 200 + on some of the wreck in the Upper Keys, Boyton areas.

With that, what kind of grief can I expect from the French?
Any of these cards cross over? All I see mentioned is Padi..
Thanks

 

[WetLens]

Unless things have changed radically in the past few years, I wouldn't fret too much about French regulations. My observation is that it is much like their traffic laws - suggestions rather than strictly enforced doctrine. I dove out of Saint Tropez and wasn't asked for so much as a C-card, let alone discussions of various *** levels. We dove La Seche a L'huile (30 meters), Ilot de la Ganiniere (25 meters), and Ile de Roche (on a shallow wreck - hit 20 meters, but averaged 10 meters). Dove off two different charters. I doubt my buddy on two of the dives was even certified. I was there for a week of diving, but the weather didn't cooperate - their equivalent of the Santa Ana winds hit.

 

[Satyre]

So,
Did a search on the forums and saw this,

Headed to Nice, France in sept for about 5 or 6 days to get in some diving. My question I guess, is-

I'm an Instructor , Naui, TDI, SDI-
I'm Full Cave, Adv Trimix, etc etc. I do Eagles Nest (250/300+ fsw )all the time (or did before I moved to Switzerland) last year. 200 + on some of the wreck in the Upper Keys, Boyton areas.

With that, what kind of grief can I expect from the French?
Any of these cards cross over? All I see mentioned is Padi..
Thanks

The French laws have changed recently so it should be easier to dive during your stay
But... yes, there is always a but... none of your instructor rating would be accepted.
As you are a tek diver, life will be easier in a tek club rather than in a regular club.
I know only one tek club close to Nice.
Around Nice a lot of beautiful and amazing deep dive that can be done using Trimix but getting a buddy will be difficult as the tek community in France is under developped. Recreational divers are allow to do deco and do dive using Air up to 60m (and even below for some of them)

 

[Air One]

So,
Did a search on the forums and saw this,

Headed to Nice, France in sept for about 5 or 6 days to get in some diving. My question I guess, is-

I'm an Instructor , Naui, TDI, SDI-
I'm Full Cave, Adv Trimix, etc etc. I do Eagles Nest (250/300+ fsw )all the time (or did before I moved to Switzerland) last year. 200 + on some of the wreck in the Upper Keys, Boyton areas.

With that, what kind of grief can I expect from the French?
Any of these cards cross over? All I see mentioned is Padi..
Thanks

You could try on UFP (a french Tek diving forum) and PM Guilhem or
Papamorse.
They both live near Nice and dive on their own, they may give you good advice.

 

[jago]

Erwan, the crazy bone-setter has forgotten to indicate you a list of tek centers : http://maps.google.fr/maps/ms?hl=fr&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110387909359446241770.00047d06f42c43c440820 .
Have a nice trip.

 

[TommyB]

Thanks,
Reading their forums now-