French exception

[berndo]

It's not a scuba certification, it's a licence to work that only has diving in it's name.

It might be a the case in Croatia and France, I don't know, but it's not the case in every EU country. Sure, you need to be allowed to work in a given country but I never heard of a licence or work permit that specifies scuba diving.

 

[BoltSnap]

It might be a the case in Croatia and France, I don't know, but it's not the case in every EU country. Sure, you need to be allowed to work in a given country but I never heard of a licence or work permit that specifies scuba diving.

Not certain, but in Malta there is some sort of work permit for teaching scuba diving. I don't think it is about cmas, but some sort of a national agency that issues these permits.

 

[Antonios (Holy Diver)]

Hello. As some might or might know, in France, deco training is mandatory from level 2 (which is somehow equivalent to AOW + deep). A Master Diver or Dive Master who is not trained for deco would be limited to level 1 which is 20meters max with an instructor (not even a buddy). And people don’t want to dive with you because of the No Deco constraint. Deco is as natural as clearing a mask for experienced french divers. They even go to 60 m on air with a single cylinder to qualify for level 3, level 4 being dive guide level.
Is there a PADI or SSI or else training that would just teach deco dives down to 60m on air (preferably with twinset)?

Here is CMAS 2 stars diving standards (roughly equivalent to AOW). Maximum depth allowed: 30m, and if you have received additional training on deco procedures, you can proceed to 40m.

FYI, because I see many people speaking about European standards and practices, in our side of the pond (Greece - East Mediterranean), 40 meters and NDL are the gold standard for recreational divers. Anything beyond that is considered technical diving - end of story. Nevertheless, scuba diving in Greece is a recent trend, dominated by PADI (and to a lesser extend SSI). I know that the few remaining divers of another era (up to 2000s, when the nation-wide ban on scuba diving was lifted) endeavored at greater depths, as most of them had a military or commercial background.

 

[Cheizz]

Nevertheless, scuba diving in Greece is a recent trend, dominated by PADI (and to a lesser extend SSI). I know that the few remaining divers of another era (up to 2000s, when the nation-wide ban on scuba diving was lifted) endeavored at greater depths, as most of them had a military or commercial background.

Greece is on my Mediterranean bucket list for sure. A couple of trips worth of diving over there. I'll start in Crete, I think.

 

[Antonios (Holy Diver)]

Greece is on my Mediterranean bucket list for sure. A couple of trips worth of diving over there. I'll start in Crete, I think.

On mine bucket, too. I hope to dive someday in Elephant's Cave near Chania (no big deal, OW level required)

Elephants cave - Grafasdiving | Shipwrecks Discovery

Elephant Cave, Crete At Cape Drepano of the Municipality of Apokoronas under the Red Village, outside the bay of Souda, lies the underwater cave of the Elephants as it is called. The cave was discovered in 1999 by Manolis Efthimakis. After which, the Palaeoanthropology and Speleology Ephorate...

www.grafasdiving.gr

 

[ABCdivepro]

I will agree to disagree :

- I'd say the Med improved in the last 30 years : around 1990, seeing a grouper longer than a flash of the tail was possible only in Port Cros national reserve
- Obviously you prefer to dive elsewhere, that's fair with me, but is it really accurate to compare French Med coast with New Caledonia, Caribbean or Polynesia ? To the best of my knowledge, the Med is not yet a tropical sea
- I've got fond memories of diving Malta some years back, but I'm not so sure the sea was in richer in life than off the coast of France. I must admit that water was bluer, cristal clear and warmer, though.

we have different experiences, no dispute though on the increasing pollution in the med from many studies & reports, new conservation rules, dwindling fishing fleets. This page shows the issues Biological diversity in the Mediterranean | UNEPMAP
Not making a comparison between Med and others, just responding to OP on good places to dive in France.

 

[ABCdivepro]

It's not a scuba certification, it's a licence to work that only has diving in it's name.

it is national employment law relating to diving, not a licence.

 

[ABCdivepro]

It might be a the case in Croatia and France, I don't know, but it's not the case in every EU country. Sure, you need to be allowed to work in a given country but I never heard of a licence or work permit that specifies scuba diving.

Every country has its' own employment law, with regulations that need to be satisfied to work there. Most accept certain international dive instructor qualifications to work as a dive instructor.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

60 m will be sufficient . It seems that the best wrecks are in the 40 -60 m range in the Mediterranee.

Not true in the Aegean or Ionian Seas on both sides of Greece. The really good stuff (like untouched ancient wrecks) are deeper. But those are not open to the general public, except on Alonissos (but at 25 meters). Dr. Ferentinos from the University of Patras (and a student of Dr. Vamvakas who did his first PhD aboard the Calypso, was friends with the late Phillippe Cousteau and was instrumental in opening up the Roman wreck at Alonissos to the public) whose team discovered the Fiskardo Roman merchant shipwreck at sits at 63-70 meters-ish off Kefalonia, wants to open up that wreck for diving, but I don't think that's practical. But who knows?

Greece is on my Mediterranean bucket list for sure. A couple of trips worth of diving over there. I'll start in Crete, I think.

I'd suggest Kea. Look up Yannis Tzavelakos (keadivers.com). He's done a lot to open up the diving there for modern wrecks. There's more than the Britannica.

 

[Redtwo]

Hello. As some might or might know, in France, deco training is mandatory from level 2 (which is somehow equivalent to AOW + deep). A Master Diver or Dive Master who is not trained for deco would be limited to level 1 which is 20meters max with an instructor (not even a buddy). And people don’t want to dive with you because of the No Deco constraint. Deco is as natural as clearing a mask for experienced french divers. They even go to 60 m on air with a single cylinder to qualify for level 3, level 4 being dive guide level.
Is there a PADI or SSI or else training that would just teach deco dives down to 60m on air (preferably with twinset)?

This site says completely different things than you state:.

Scuba diving in France: things to know before you go

This post may contain affiliate links. It means I may earn a commission if you book or purchase something. This is at no cost to you and support this website. Learn more here. Like many things, the French like to do it differently. Scuba diving is, unfortunately, one of those things that don’t...

worldadventuredivers.com

So i think you will be good to go (with a guide) to do proper dives up to 40m.