~ Scuba Diving in Antibes ~

The French Riviera Côte d’Azur s a great scuba diving destination and Antibes & Juan les Pins offers some interesting dive sites. The area is actually the birthplace of modern leisure scuba diving.

The water temperature of the Mediterranean around the Côte d’Azur is over 20 degrees from late May to mid November with great visibility – sometimes in excess of 30 metres.

Diving Antibes

Marine life is abundant in this stretch of the Mediterranean with fish such as barracuda, grouper, dentex (pelagic snapper) and sunfish along with molluscs such as octopus and crustaceans including lobster. Coral is also plentiful including the Gorgonian fan.

Topography: - the underwater landscape is interesting with natural coral reefs, colourful rocks, pinnacles, canyons and small caverns and drop-offs forming the natural underwater topography which is supplemented by a few shipwrecks. The depth of diving ranges from 6 to 60 metres.

Wrecks/shipwrecks: The wreck of Robuste II lies northeast of La Fourmique

When to Go

The best time for diving on the Côte d’Azur is any time from May to November when the water temperature are around 20 °C, although water temperatures can reach 28 degrees Celsius in August. This is also when the tourist season peaks and the high season months of July and August can be pretty crowded.

Antibes Dive Sites

Antibes is host to three main clusters or groups of dives sites, these being La Formigue, Les Iles de Lerins and the Cap d’Antibes itself.

La Fourmigue

La Fourmigue is a large rocky outcrop marked by a light tower in the bay of Golfe-Juan. This deep rock dive site is easily accessed from either Juan les Pins or Golfe-Juan’s harbour.

Notable topography: Just below the water’s surface and dropping to depths of over 30 metres are a spectacular group of vertical rocks called L'Enfer de Dents (Hell's Teeth) but often referred to as L'Enfer de Dante (Dante’s Inferno).

To the south of L'Enfer de Dents and at a depth of about 18 metres is a small cave known as the Grotte de Miro named for the Goddess of the Sea sculpture by the Spanish artist Miró (Joan Miró Ferra) that once stood in the grotto. The cave now holds a bust by the artist Amaryllis, of Commandant Yves le Prieur, inventor of the first self-contained regulator and is carpeted in colourful sponges and soft corals with three entrances/exits.

To the north of the light tower and at a depth of 15m are the remains of what was once an amazing underwater model town constructed in the 1960’s over a six-year period involving 7,000 dives. It started as a village and grew into a town which was used in the film “The Sunken Town” which went on to win a prize at an underwater film festival in 1968.

Northeast of La Fourmique is the wreck dive site Le Robuste II. Why the le Robuste II lies here appears a mystery - it appears to have sunk on an unknown date in unknown circumstances, probably during the Second World War. It does make an interesting wreck dive and the iron name plate is above the engine room.
Level 2 diver | GPS coordinates: 43 ° 32,849 'N, 07 ° 05,132' E

Antibes Dive Holidays

Responsible Travel offer two 8-day Scuba Diving holidays in Antibes, see below for trip outlines. They cater for both experienced divers those wishing to learn to dive in a safe and professional environment. You will be land based with a choice of accommodation; mobile home rental, apartment rental or 1 or 2 star hotel.

Learn to Dive Holiday

Learn to dive where leisure scuba diving all started. This 8 day PADI Open Water Diver course holiday is an entry level diver course leading to PADI Scuba Certification. The theory for the course is undertaken before arrival (study kits are sent to you). The practical part of the course takes place over 4 days on dive sites off the Cap d’Antibes and around “La Fourmigue” which is the lighthouse in the bay of Golfe-Juan. Full details & booking here.

Diving Holiday

This 8-day diving holiday in Antibes and Juan les Pins is for certified divers (both experienced and recently qualified divers needing practice). The dive sites are rock and reef and depth ranges between 6 and 60 metres. The topography is stunning: drop offs, swim throughs, canyons and deep pinnacles. Highlights include a wonderful swim though cavern (see Grotte de Miro above). Our dive boat is a brand new RIB capable of taking eight to ten divers, and we use brand new SCUBAPRO® rental equipment. You will be guided by dual qualified French govt and PADI bi-lingual instructors. Full details & booking here.

Diving Notes

Antibes hosts the World Underwater Photography and Videography Festival each October. If you're in Antibes during this period it's a must see! See our events page for dates and details.

SCUBA is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.

Scuba-diving in French is plongee sous-marine.

Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI)