PORTRAITS
UNDERWATER ADVENTURES IN CORSE
Discovering the oceans and its particularities which vary from one region to another is
also an great opportunity for unique experiences and enriching encounters as with
enthusiasts of scuba diving and wreck discoveries that I met in 2023 as part of research carried out off the coast of Corse.
Corse is an island, it is good to underline it, which fascinates both by the beauty and the diversity of its landscapes in
addition to the richness of its culture and its history and my stay which lasted from 9 to June 16,2023 remains a fabulous
memory completed by my meetings with members of the FFESSM CORSE (CORSE Interregional Committee for
Underwater Studies Sports) which organizes dives on sites, particularly off the south-eastern part of the island. We
embark at the port of Porto Vecchio which is charming with its architecture decorated with narrow streets and typical
houses harmoniously flowered and during our crossing, we have the pleasure of being accompanied by porpoises which
miraculously emerge from the ocean with great and ceremonial gestures before arriving at the corresponding dive sites.
"For many years, scuba diving alon the Mediterranean coasts was subject to numerous restriction s in order to preserve
underwater remains and avoid pillaging," André explains to me while preparing his diving equipment with the group of
3 divers who will accompany him in these blue and crystal clear waters which offer optimal diving conditions."In parallel
"In parallel with our research and visualization operations of wrecks,we also come across a rich and diverse fauna and
flora consisting in particular magnificent sea anemones, small corals or sumptuous octopuses that are pleasant to meet.
Our dives which take us to depths ranging from 6 to 40 meters deep are always placed under the responsability of what
we call a "Divemaster" who supervises the group in parallel with the certification of localized wrecks.Our projects are
regulated and managed in good cooperation with the competent and local authorities taking into account its cultural
and historical data” André tells me before joining his band.
A Natural Fishpond For Adventure Enthusiasts
The sea, a precious source for man in parallel with its specificities, both nutritional and ecological, in particular in the
regulation and influence of the climate through its currents, also fascinates by its possibilities of discoveries in depth
that has been practiced since prehistoric times in the so-called apnea diving technical which preceded scuba diving processes in addition to great equipment allowing immersions in safety conditions.
»The particularities of our research work do not only concern antiquities or vestiges which date from past centuries or from more distant times"
Jean François tell me who is member of André's group that I found at the back of the sailboat after a 3-hour dive.
"Recent history in particular during the period of the Second World War in the Mediterranean Sea allows us to also find
traces from this period which have a significant heritage value like those found in 2016 and buried under meters of sand and algae accumulated for years with the wreckage of a British Spitfire plane shot down by the German Army in 1944."
Covering a whole range of experience levels from beginner to more experienced,diving in Corse waters also has a
particularity which is night diving which allows, in addition to the magic surreal underwater colors and shapes, the
possibility of discovering radiant places from a different angle and thisvast space that is the Mediterranean Sea is also a natural breeding ground for adventure enthusiasts that it is also interesting to discover in its submerged part and which
can only delight people and fans of nature and also of history and
culture in the discovery of this delightful and welcoming territory that is Corse.
Report: Gabriel PAGE
Photo credit: Gabriel PAGE / FFESSM CORSE
