FAQ · Destination Guide
Volcanic walls, a historic bomber wreck and a protected coast where the rules shape the adventure
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Kurze Antworten aus Recherche und lokalen Betriebsabläufen.
Late May through early October is the practical dive season, with June and September offering the best balance of warm water, active operators and lower crowd pressure. July and August have the warmest sea, commonly around 23°C to 25°C, but also the most expensive accommodation, busiest roads and heaviest boat traffic. May and October can work with 5mm or thicker exposure protection and flexible site goals. From November through April, confirm directly whether the Calvi, Galeria or Porto center is operating and expect western weather to cancel or relocate departures.
No. The Parc naturel regional de Corse lists recreational scuba diving as prohibited inside Scandola Nature Reserve, along with spearfishing and recreational fishing. There is no visitor dive tag or permit that overrides this rule. Local operators instead use legal sites at or outside the boundary, including Punta Muchillina on the southern edge, and may combine the dive with a separate surface visit. Ask the operator to identify the exact site and boundary during the briefing. Annual wildlife quiet zones and navigation measures can also change the route, so an old map or previous trip report is not sufficient.
Yes, provided a local center matches the site to the day's conditions. Sec des Belges is described as relatively sheltered and suitable for introductory or novice dives, while Pointe Saint-Francois and Punta Bianca can support easier rocky and Posidonia profiles. Beginners should not assume the B17 wreck or deeper Revellata routes are appropriate, because those objectives involve greater depth, historical structure and potentially more boat exposure. Tell the center your certification, recent dive count and comfort level. A discover-scuba session should remain fully supervised and separate from advanced groups pursuing wrecks or deeper shoals.
The upright B17 rests on sand at roughly 25 m to 28 m beneath Calvi's citadel. That puts it within advanced recreational range, but depth alone does not make it an automatic booking. Divers need suitable certification, recent experience, stable buoyancy, gas discipline and comfort around a fragile historical wreck. The operator may replace it if visibility, swell, traffic or group ability is unsuitable. Do not touch, enter restricted structure or remove artifacts. A guided first visit is the responsible choice, and a computer should track the repetitive-dive and no-decompression load.
Calvi offers the easiest choices, including Pointe Saint-Francois, sheltered beach water and operator-led outings to Sec des Belges or suitable Revellata coves. Around Galeria, use calm bay margins or an instructor-led trip toward legal reserve-adjacent water. Porto and Piana have scenic rocky coves, but many are exposed and some routes are reserve-adjacent. Never assume swimming is legal anywhere inside Scandola. Ask the captain exactly where a swim stop is permitted, stay clear of active boat routes and turn back before swell or fatigue makes the rocky exit difficult. Water shoes and visible flotation are useful.
Yes, especially around Galeria, where L'Incantu publishes dedicated freediving buoys, lines, weights, boat support and instruction. June through September is the most reliable window for warm water and scheduled infrastructure. Visiting athletes should contact the center before travel, because a buoy is not automatically open for unsupervised public use. Provide certification, recent comfortable depth and training goals, then confirm the instructor, safety team, line system and boat inclusions. Calvi can add coached coastal sessions around sheltered sites or Revellata, but wind, traffic and reserve boundaries require local route selection. Never train alone or hyperventilate.
Allow at least 7 nights for a useful first circuit, and 9 to 10 nights if diving is the priority. A practical split is 3 to 4 nights in Calvi, then 3 to 4 nights in either Galeria or Porto, plus one weather-buffer day. Choose Galeria for the strongest diving and freediving focus; choose Porto for Scandola sightseeing, Girolata and the Calanques de Piana. Visiting all three bases in a short trip creates too much packing and winding-road time. Avoid fixing the B17, a Scandola cruise and a flight or ferry on consecutive immovable days.
Calvi Sainte-Catherine Airport, CLY, is the most convenient for Calvi and Galeria, at about 7 km from Calvi and 30 km from Galeria. Its route network is seasonal, so Ajaccio, AJA, may be more practical for Porto and Piana, while Bastia, BIA, can offer useful alternatives for a north-coast start. Compare total road time, rental-car availability and arrival hour rather than airfare alone. An evening landing followed by a long winding transfer can undermine the next morning's boat check-in. Ferry arrivals at Ile-Rousse are also effective for car-based travelers.
A rental car is strongly recommended for a multi-base trip. Calvi itself is walkable, and the Balagne train can help between Calvi and Ile-Rousse, but it does not reach Galeria, Porto, Piana or most early boat departures. Taxis are limited and become expensive over long coastal transfers. Reserve early for July and August, and select a vehicle you are comfortable placing on narrow roads. Download offline maps, refuel before remote stretches and allow more time than the distance suggests. After scuba, do not choose a higher mountain route until conservative post-dive altitude guidance has been satisfied.
A 5mm full suit is the most versatile choice for summer scuba and freediving, especially for repetitive dives, deeper thermoclines or cold-sensitive travelers. In July and August, some snorkelers are comfortable in 2mm to 3mm, but a suit also reduces sun exposure and chill during long surface sessions. May, October and winter diving may call for a hood, 7mm system or drysuit according to the operator and personal tolerance. Do not choose exposure protection from surface temperature alone. Ask the center about recent water temperature at depth, and reserve rental sizes before peak-season arrival.
The reliable appeal is Mediterranean biodiversity rather than guaranteed megafauna. Depending on site and season, divers and snorkelers may see dusky groupers, barracuda, amberjacks, wrasse, damselfish, salema, seabream, morays, octopus, nudibranchs, lobster, starfish and stingrays. Deeper shaded habitat can support gorgonians and protected red coral, while Posidonia meadows shelter juvenile life. Dolphins are possible offshore but should be treated as a bonus, not a bookable encounter. Good buoyancy, slow movement and avoiding fish feeding improve natural behavior. Never touch, collect or reposition coral, shells, archaeological objects or animals for photographs.
There is no trustworthy fixed cancellation percentage, because western Corsica's sea state changes by weather pattern, departure port and site exposure. Revellata, Galeria, Scandola and the Gulf of Porto can all be affected by westerly swell or strong wind. A professional captain may move the group to a sheltered site, shorten a route or cancel entirely. Check the official Meteo-France marine bulletin, but let the operator make the final operational decision. Protect the itinerary by keeping one buffer day, avoiding rigid same-day transfers and understanding refund or rebooking terms before paying for a specialty dive or sightseeing cruise.
Do not assume that a road transfer is safe just because you are not flying. Corsican routes can climb substantially, and altitude exposure after diving may increase decompression stress. Before choosing an inland shortcut or mountain excursion, follow the most conservative applicable instruction from your dive computer, training agency and local operator. Consider the day's maximum depth, repetitive dives, decompression loading and individual factors. Build the itinerary so you can remain near sea level after deeper days. If symptoms such as unusual fatigue, joint pain, numbness, weakness, dizziness or breathing difficulty appear, call emergency services and DAN rather than continuing the drive.
Inside Scandola Nature Reserve, scuba diving, spearfishing, recreational fishing, collecting flora or fauna, feeding wildlife, hiking, climbing, camping and fires are prohibited. Night anchoring is prohibited throughout, and the integral reserve has stricter daytime anchoring controls. Wildlife quiet zones can be updated annually, so captains must use the current official map rather than a previous season's route. Visitors should keep distance from nesting birds, never demand an unauthorized swim stop and avoid loud or intrusive wildlife approaches. Outside the reserve, maintain neutral buoyancy, protect Posidonia and coralligenous habitat, and leave red coral, shells and archaeology untouched.