French exception

[JMBL]

Hey, @JMarc and @SYdive can you recommend any good shore dives east or Marseille were you can park close to the water and are OK for when the weather is not so good?

Sorry for the OT question.

These books should help you, they're the only ones about shore diving in France. One drawback though : no English translation. Might be a problem, might not.

 

[BoltSnap]

My impression so far that France and the french aren't friendly towards the non-French divers and agencies and those that don't speak French. Too bad, I really like to visit France to dive with my family for a summer. Perhaps Spain is a more friendly place.

 

[Angelo Farina]

My impression so far that France and the french aren't friendly towards the non-French divers and agencies and those that don't speak French. Too bad, I really like to visit France to dive with my family for a summer. Perhaps Spain is a more friendly place.

I did dive in Corsica and I found it very friendly for foreign tourists. Some of the best diving sites of my life. A dive outside Centuri remains my best dive ever, I was surrounded by 1 meter long "cernias" (I do not know the English name of this fish).

 

[BoltSnap]

I did dive in Corsica and I found it very friendly for foreign tourists. Some of the best diving sites of my life. A dive outside Centuri remains my best dive ever, I was surrounded by 1 meter long "cernias" (I do not know the English name of this fish).

How's Sardinia for diving? I know in the Summer it is very busy.

 

[JMBL]

I was surrounded by 1 meter long "cernias" (I do not know the English name of this fish).

Obviously a nice specimen of Epinephelus marginatus , so "(dusky) grouper" should translate it correctly.

 

[berndo]

My impression so far that France and the french aren't friendly towards the non-French divers and agencies and those that don't speak French.

I'm surprised you've had such bad experiences. I've spend a lot of time in France, not on the coast but in Departement Lot. I don't speak any french but all of the locals and the French divers I've met were all super nice.

 

[BoltSnap]

I'm surprised you've had such bad experiences. I've spend a lot of time in France, not on the coast but in Departement Lot. I don't speak any french but all of the locals and the French divers I've met were all super nice.

I am not talking about "being nice" or being "rude" at all. When I say "aren't friendly," I mean it in the context that they don't accept credentials from non-French agencies, don't have guides or information in other languages and don't make it easier for the outsider to dive there. In other words, non-accepting of "un" French things. Nothing about being "nice" or "rude" at all.

 

[jborg]

I think that varies a lot depending on where you are. My, admittedly limited, experience of diving on the riviera (at Frejus, specifically) is that it works just fine to waltz in with a PADI cert and get on the dive boat. I expect this to be close to the norm at the touristy places where they actually want customers... The situation might be entirely different on the northern coast.

 

[JMBL]

I think that varies a lot depending on where you are. My, admittedly limited, experience of diving on the riviera (at Frejus, specifically) is that it works just fine to waltz in with a PADI cert and get on the dive boat. I expect this to be close to the norm at the touristy places where they actually want customers... The situation might be entirely different on the northern coast.

I'll second that, but I must admit some diving operator are more broad minded than others.

 

[JMBL]

I'm surprised you've had such bad experiences. I've spend a lot of time in France, not on the coast but in Departement Lot. I don't speak any french but all of the locals and the French divers I've met were all super nice.

The Lot is quite a special place, quite different than the coast : cave diving only, very few operators. I'd say it a different kind of diving and culture, which explains why operators have more opened spirits.