Diving South France

[dannyboy504]

This may be important if you're there only for a short while. The dive centres in France ask you to produce a medical certificate before you can dive with them. The cert needs to be not more than 1yr old and issued by a qualified physician. If you don't already have one, it will be good to plan that into your schedule. Getting the cert only takes about 30 mins at the doctor, but finding a doctor and getting there when he/she is open can take a whole day out of your trip. Since I've only dived with PADI centres this was new to me.

Best of luck! I hope you have a nice time there. Have just got back from the South of France, found an excellent dive centre in Argeles called "Divemania". Went out to a nature reserve in Banyul and was well impressed with the sea life there. Many thanks to the folks on this forum.

 

[TommyB]

Wife got her's last week.
I'm getting mine on Weds this week.

 

[jago]

This may be important if you're there only for a short while. The dive centres in France ask you to produce a medical certificate before you can dive with them. The cert needs to be not more than 1yr old and issued by a qualified physician. If you don't already have one, it will be good to plan that into your schedule. Getting the cert only takes about 30 mins at the doctor, but finding a doctor and getting there when he/she is open can take a whole day out of your trip. Since I've only dived with PADI centres this was new to me.

Best of luck! I hope you have a nice time there. Have just got back from the South of France, found an excellent dive centre in Argeles called "Divemania". Went out to a nature reserve in Banyul and was well impressed with the sea life there. Many thanks to the folks on this forum.

Wrong.
You have to produce a certificate and a FFESSM licence only if you want to dive in a FFESSM center (every physician can sign the certificate for non-training dives).
If you want to dive in a ANMP, SNMP, PADI, NAUI ... center, ask them their rules.

 

[Satyre]

Wrong.
You have to produce a certificate and a FFESSM licence only if you want to dive in a FFESSM center (every physician can sign the certificate for non-training dives).
If you want to dive in a ANMP, SNMP, PADI, NAUI ... center, ask them their rules.

Hmmmmmm, all the dive centers I have been diving with in France have always asked a medical statement. Believe me I do not dive only with FFESSM
Not having a merdical statement can be a burden

 

[jago]

I know many which don't ask a medical statement. So IMHO, asking them directly is the best option.

 

[Tomeck]

Even with the new French law, it's always complicated.

 

[fraserj]

You do need a medical certificate issued within one year to dive in France - it is the law. My wife and I have dived in the south of France several times on the nature reserve of Port Cros from Le Lavondou, using Le Lavondou Plongee. I would thouroughly reccomend these people. Frank and Laurent Augustin have run this business for 30 years. My wife and I did our 5th and 6th dives with them after qualifying as OW diver and they were fantastic and ensured we were escorted and had a great time.

Port Cros has been a nature reserve since 1963. The groupers are so used to divers that they will let you stroke them. One pinnacle alone has over 200 groupers. Lavondue plogee help with the annual surveys of the wildlife.

Fantastic place to dive - 40m+ Viz loads of life to see, little current, no tides. Would recommend.

 

[jago]

You do need a medical certificate issued within one year to dive in France - it is the law.

Wrong. The law is clear. The cert is required only if you dive in a FFESSM club.
Détail d'un article de code
And this obligation is linked to the sporty nature of the dive, which is a very debatable legal point of view, as shown by the decision of the State Council of 06/11/2010.

 

[DuboisP]

I aggee with Jago

The recent law, as the previous, doesn't request a cert.
The cert is needed if you belong to some sport federation.

But centers can request it.

 

[jago]

Oui mais tu n'est pas ag[-]g[/-]ee comme-moi Patricia.

How do you do ?