Safety · Destination Guide
Wrecks, red-rock reefs, and Riviera coves from Cavalaire to Saint-Raphael
Plan this coast as an active boat-and-weather environment with a wide depth range. Use qualified local operators, disclose recent experience honestly, carry diver-specific insurance, and accept the skipper's final site decision. The most serious preventable errors are overreaching on deep wrecks, surfacing into summer traffic, inadequate thermal protection, and treating protected habitats as scenery that can be touched.
Le Rubis, Le Togo, and other wrecks must be planned to actual training and recent competence. Do not penetrate without specific wreck training, guideline discipline, redundant light and gas, and a team plan that preserves a direct or managed exit. Follow the most conservative applicable decompression and no-fly guidance from the computer, training agency, operator, and medical adviser. After repetitive, deep, or decompression diving, keep the next day free of flights or significant altitude unless qualified guidance supports a longer interval.
Call 112 or 15 for a medical emergency ashore. At sea, use VHF channel 16 or telephone 196 to reach the maritime rescue coordination system. Administer emergency oxygen when trained and available, keep the diver horizontal and monitored, preserve computer and profile data, and follow rescue instructions. Toulon's Sainte-Anne Military Hospital has a subaquatic and hyperbaric medicine service, but suspected decompression illness should be routed through emergency services rather than self-transported to a chamber. DAN Europe members should also use the current emergency contact shown on their card or app.
Deep wrecks are not ordinary sightseeing dives
Le Rubis and especially Le Togo can involve advanced depth, decompression exposure, current, low light, entanglement, and overhead hazards. Use the center's qualification and gas plan, and do not enter a wreck without specific training and a redundant strategy.
Wind can replace the site list
Mistral and other strong wind patterns can produce chop, rough returns, poor entries, or cancellation. Accept sheltered-site substitutions and monitor the official marine forecast rather than pressuring a skipper to run an exposed route.
Summer surface traffic is intense
Pleasure boats, tenders, and personal watercraft increase in July and August. Use operator-controlled entries, remain close to the marker, surface under an SMB when directed, and avoid independent crossings of harbor approaches or channels.
Thermoclines can be abrupt
Warm surface water does not predict temperature at depth. Pack exposure protection for the planned profile, not the beach forecast, and consider a hood for repetitive or deeper dives.
The park's marine core areas require current authorization and acceptance of regulations through CaPeL. Reviewed rules include use of designated moorings, capacity controls, no feeding, no turning rocks, no contact with the bottom or organisms, and regulated night or training activity. Specific zones can have seasonal limits, so the center must verify the current map and operating notice.
For cetacean trips, choose an operator following the official code: slow and predictable approach, respectful distance, limited observation time, no feeding or touching, and no swimming with whales or dolphins.
Do Not Do This
Avoid entering when deep wrecks are not ordinary sightseeing dives. Confirm local briefings before committing.
| Contact | Role | Phone | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| European emergency number | Police, fire, ambulance, and coordinated emergency access | 112 | 24/7 |
| SAMU | Urgent medical assistance in France | 15 | 24/7 |
| Fire and rescue service | Fire brigade and rescue | 18 | 24/7 |
| CROSS maritime rescue | Emergency at sea | 196 from a phone or VHF channel 16 | 24/7 |
| DAN Europe Emergency Hotline | Diver medical and insurance assistance | Use the current number on the DAN member card or app | 24/7 for covered emergency assistance |
| Sainte-Anne Military Hospital, Toulon | Subaquatic and hyperbaric medicine referral center | Emergency referral through 112, 15, or 196 | Emergency routing through public rescue services |