Safety · Destination Guide
Volcanic walls, a historic bomber wreck and a protected coast where the rules shape the adventure
The coast combines remote roads, exposed western water and a strictly protected reserve. Use qualified local operators, current Meteo-France marine forecasts and conservative depth or altitude planning. In any serious incident, contact local emergency services first; diving-assistance networks supplement rather than replace emergency dispatch.
Calvi, Galeria and Porto have limited local medical capacity compared with Ajaccio or Bastia. Remote road transfers and sea evacuation can be slow. Centre Hospitalier d'Ajaccio operates a hyperbaric medicine service at the Stiletto site, but chamber activation and destination must be coordinated by emergency professionals.
Carry insurance covering scuba or freediving at the planned depth, emergency oxygen, search and rescue, ambulance, helicopter or boat evacuation, recompression, trip interruption and repatriation. An EHIC can support eligible EU travelers with medically necessary state healthcare, but it does not replace rescue or dive insurance.
Scuba is prohibited inside Scandola
There is no recreational scuba permit to buy for the reserve. Dive only the legal site your operator briefs, and do not cross an underwater boundary because a wall or school of fish continues beyond it.
Wind, swell and site substitutions
Meteo-France marine forecasts can change the viable coast or close a departure. Treat a named site as an objective, not an entitlement, and accept a captain's conservative decision.
Depth, thermoclines and decompression load
Walls and shoals can tempt divers deeper than planned. Use a computer, agree on a hard maximum depth and reserve gas, and keep repetitive profiles conservative, especially before road travel over higher terrain.
Mountain roads after diving
Corsica's coastal and inland roads can climb substantially. Altitude exposure after scuba can add decompression stress. Follow the dive computer, training-agency and operator's conservative guidance before selecting a high route.
Scandola is managed by the Parc naturel regional de Corse. Inside the reserve, scuba diving, spearfishing, recreational fishing, taking flora or fauna, feeding wildlife, hiking, climbing, camping and fires are prohibited. Night anchoring is prohibited throughout the reserve, and the integral reserve has stricter daytime anchoring rules. Wildlife quiet zones and navigation measures can be revised annually.
Use the current official reserve map and navigation tools recommended by the manager. Never touch or collect red coral, gorgonians, shells or archaeological material. Maintain precise buoyancy over coralligenous habitat and Posidonia, do not chase groupers or birds, and choose operators that brief boundaries rather than using reserve branding loosely.
Do Not Do This
Avoid entering when scuba is prohibited inside scandola. Confirm local briefings before committing.
| Contact | Role | Phone | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| European emergency number | Police, fire and medical emergency dispatch | 112 | 24 hours |
| SAMU | Urgent medical assistance in France | 15 | 24 hours |
| Fire and rescue | Fire brigade and rescue response | 18 | 24 hours |
| Police or Gendarmerie | Police emergency response | 17 | 24 hours |
| CROSS maritime rescue | Emergency at sea | 196 by phone or VHF Channel 16 | 24 hours |
| DAN Europe | Diving emergency assistance after local emergency activation | +39 06 4211 5685 | 24 hours |
| Centre Hospitalier d'Ajaccio hyperbaric emergency | Hyperbaric medicine service; access should be coordinated by emergency professionals | 04 95 29 90 24 | Emergency coordination 24 hours; administrative access varies |
| Scandola reserve information | Official reserve rules and current management information | 09 60 03 46 22 | Office and public-information hours |