French exception

[ABCdivepro]

Took a re-look at the actual french law (attached), that applies to dive companies and instructors. It states dive "clients" are allowed to dive air up to 60 mtrs without deco requirement, if suitably qualified with FFESSM, FSGT, UCPA, ANMP, SNMP or CMAS.

CMAS 2 star is required for 20mtrs upto 40 mtrs, equivalent to Rescue diver. Deep specialty or AOW are not mentioned as there is no agreed international course standard or CMAS equivalent.

This means dive companies are not legally allowed to take divers with AOW + deep beyond 20 mtrs, regardless of the guide/instructor.

A French dive company/guide/instructor taking diver beyond 20mtrs with only AOW+deep is breaking the law, and liable in case of an accident. French law does not recognize liability waiver - the typical DTO disclaimer statement students must sign are not worth the paper they're written on in France, it's a lawyer's paradise.

Worth noting the law doesn't apply to private diving, pretty much do what you want at your own risk. But LDS mostly won't hire you tanks, whereas some national chains will provide hire and fill without any requirements.

Good takeaway to prioritise getting dive certifications that comply with international standards if you plan to travel+dive.

Just had confirmed there is another more recent amendment allowing a company's director of diving discretion in interpreting experience and qualifications, as per the earlier post. So many different sections and amendments to the law. If they are happy with you, should be good to dive to 40m with AOW + deep.

 

[JMBL]

Just had confirmed there is another more recent amendment allowing a company's director of diving discretion in interpreting experience and qualifications, as per the earlier post. So many different sections and amendments to the law. If they are happy with you, should be good to dive to 40m with AOW + deep.

I can vouch for that, in fact this has been in possible for quite a while, BUT, many operators won't even consider the possibility.That's why I omitted to mention it before. My 2 cents : contact any diving operators before your trip and ask what they'll do with you. You'll still be subjected to a 'test dive' to show your proficiency but it's better to know first hand if they'll give you some slack or not.

 

[ABCdivepro]

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.

various spots around Agay, Esterel, Calanques de Cannes, Dramont. Heard of divers doing the Village from the shore, the Cathedrale is a simple dive. Bit of a swim but there is Ile d'Or from Port de Poussai. Very shallow LST282 landing craft wreck from plage d'Aigue Bonne, Ecueil des Vielles / Ile des Vieilles from the beach at Antheor., Sadly many spots switch off or remove the beach showers off season. Or just drive the coast road near the Cap Roux reserve, park where you can find access.

 

[ABCdivepro]

I can vouch for that, in fact this has been in possible for quite a while, BUT, many operators won't even consider the possibility.That's why I omitted to mention it before. My 2 cents : contact any diving operators before your trip and ask what they'll do with you. You'll still be subjected to a 'test dive' to show your proficiency but it's better to know first hand if they'll give you some slack or n

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.

It's a work in progress, and getting better every year as the newer generation of divers replaces the "federation or bust" attitudes of last century. This article pretty much says it all, unfortunately only in French.

 

[Angelo Farina]

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

I made my summer holidays in Sardinia for 10 years. Very nice.
First year at Capo Coda Cavallo.
Good but not excellent, with only one excellent dive site: the Secca del Papa at Isola Tavolara.
Then I moved to the west coast, at Capo Caccia. This is really nice, and there are also a number of caverns and caves, if you like them.
Different from coral reefs, but inside these caverns there is a lot of red coral:

 

[ABCdivepro]

I made my summer holidays in Sardinia for 10 years. Very nice.
First year at Capo Coda Cavallo.
Good but not excllente, with only one excellente dive site: the Secca del Papa at Isola Tavolara.
Then I moved to the west coast, at Capo Caccia. This is really nice, and tgere are also a nimber if caverns and caves, if you like them.
Different from coral reefs, but inside these caverns there is a lot of red coral:

Have had some great dives in Corsica and Lavezzi / Razzoli islands, heard there are some great spots on the Smerelda coast too.

 

[ABCdivepro]

Myth

Interested to know why, if you could spare a couple of paragraphs ?

 

[tursiops]

Interested to know why, if you could spare a couple of paragraphs ?

Other agencies were teaching recreational diving prior to the formation of PADI in 1966, for example NAUI (1960) and Los Angeles County (1955).

 

[Angelo Farina]

Other agencies were teaching recreational diving prior to the formation of PADI in 1966, for example NAUI (1960) and Los Angeles County (1955).

Here in Italy formal scuba training began in 1948 by Luigi Ferraro:

Scuba Diving Education | Luigi Ferraro

He and J. Cousteau founded CMAS in 1959.

 

[ABCdivepro]

I'm on my phone and my typing skills are not up towards to do a text analysis. I can do that if required when I get to my desktop and true keyboard.

Usin mymemory of the text I think you are mistaken an muss the difference between brevets, qualifications and capacités. My understanding:
- the zone between 40m an 60m on air, with with or without deco, is reserved to CMAS*** or French PE60 and PA60 (PE60 need to be with an instructor of adequate level, I don't remember which from memory) as long as the dive director thinks your skills are up to date fir the current conditions
- over 40m, with or without deco, is allowed to holders of adequate French or CMAS qualifications as long as the dive director thinks your skills are up to date for the current conditions
- for people without such certifications, the dive director is allowed to give a temporary qualifications upon their own judgment, using factors such as other certifications, dive log, try out dives,...I've seen routinely OW given PA20 and AWO given PA40 (obviously the DR has also to estimate

Note that up to very conditions dependent. Come in visibly drunk and you'll not be allowed to dive.

Note that in general the french law makes a difference between informed consent and responsibility waiver. The later is not allowed and my understanding is that judges have already considered them (perhaps not i diving contexts) as trying to escape from your responsibilities and thus reason for harsher punishment. Likewise professionals have unwaivable responsibilities when contracting with the general public they don't have with other professionals.

I was responding to PE40 / PA40 not 60. That's a CMAS 2 star by CMAS definition and code du sport. Yes you need to consider both DTO standards and national standards, as both have their own conditions. PA/PE 60 doesn't require client divers to be deco trained. Instructors require deco skills from PA20 and deeper. The instructor discretion followed the court case Padi opened and won in Brussels against the French state not recognising other international qualifications, and later new EU laws obliging international standards recognition by member states. Attached shows some of the story.