France
Best Time to Dive in French Riviera / Corsica
42.98°N 6.39°E
Plan for May to September once the water has warmed to 22 °C from 16. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- May–Sep
- Water
- 14–25 °C
- Visibility
- 15–35 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.1–0.3 m
- Species logged
- 8
Worth knowing: 23% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in French Riviera / Corsica — monthly breakdown
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 15 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 |
| Marine life | Steady | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season May–Sep
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The French Riviera / Corsica diving season
May to September · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 18–25 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 3 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less. The sea is calmer.
Marine lifeOcean sunfish (hit-or-miss), Giant devil ray (hit-or-miss), Blue shark (hit-or-miss) peak at French Riviera / Corsica in these months.
October to April · Off season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 14–20 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 8 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The sea is rougher.
Marine lifeBasking shark (hit-or-miss), Blue shark (hit-or-miss) peak at French Riviera / Corsica in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
French Riviera / Corsica water temperature and weather
750 underwater observation records · 29 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
French Riviera / Corsica water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
12
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 38% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
10
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
6
wet days a month
2 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.7 m | 47% | 8 | 2 | 13 °C | 9.2 h |
| February | 3.2 m | 41% | 7 | 2 | 14 °C | 10.3 h |
| March | 2.8 m | 47% | 6 | 2 | 14 °C | 11.6 h |
| April | 2.7 m | 34% | 6 | 2 | 16 °C | 13.2 h |
| May | 1.8 m | 25% | 6 | 2 | 19 °C | 14.5 h |
| June | 1.7 m | 19% | 2 | 0 | 23 °C | 15.2 h |
| July | 2.1 m | 22% | 1 | 0 | 26 °C | 14.9 h |
| August | 2.0 m | 20% | 2 | 0 | 26 °C | 13.8 h |
| September | 2.3 m | 28% | 5 | 2 | 24 °C | 12.3 h |
| October | 2.4 m | 34% | 8 | 3 | 21 °C | 10.8 h |
| November | 3.0 m | 45% | 11 | 4 | 17 °C | 9.5 h |
| December | 3.4 m | 44% | 8 | 3 | 15 °C | 8.8 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Moderate | June week 1: Excellent | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Moderate | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Moderate | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Good | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Good | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: second of August
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.7 m | 36 km/h | 20% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.9 m | 40 km/h | 25% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.7 m | 41 km/h | 28% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.6 m | 38 km/h | 25% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 14 °C | 3.3 m | 39 km/h | 24% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 14 °C | 3.1 m | 36 km/h | 20% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.8 m | 34 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.8 m | 37 km/h | 30% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.8 m | 41 km/h | 30% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.9 m | 40 km/h | 20% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.8 m | 38 km/h | 17% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.7 m | 34 km/h | 18% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.7 m | 33 km/h | 18% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.7 m | 31 km/h | 18% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.7 m | 32 km/h | 20% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.5 m | 31 km/h | 21% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 16 °C | 2.0 m | 30 km/h | 21% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 17 °C | 1.8 m | 31 km/h | 22% |
| Week 3 | Good | 18 °C | 1.8 m | 30 km/h | 20% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 19 °C | 1.7 m | 27 km/h | 14% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 20 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 11% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 21 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 8% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 5% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 23 °C | 2.0 m | 28 km/h | 3% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 23 °C | 2.2 m | 29 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.8 m | 29 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.9 m | 28 km/h | 5% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 28 km/h | 4% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.6 m | 24 km/h | 5% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.6 m | 24 km/h | 6% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 25 km/h | 7% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.1 m | 29 km/h | 11% |
| Week 2 | Good | 24 °C | 2.2 m | 30 km/h | 15% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 2.3 m | 32 km/h | 20% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 22 °C | 2.3 m | 32 km/h | 18% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 21 °C | 2.3 m | 32 km/h | 17% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 20 °C | 1.9 m | 32 km/h | 24% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 20 °C | 2.3 m | 31 km/h | 28% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 20 °C | 3.0 m | 32 km/h | 31% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 19 °C | 2.8 m | 34 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 18 °C | 2.6 m | 37 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 17 °C | 3.0 m | 39 km/h | 35% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 16 °C | 3.0 m | 39 km/h | 33% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.8 m | 39 km/h | 28% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.8 m | 39 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 15 °C | 3.6 m | 38 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 15 °C | 3.5 m | 35 km/h | 22% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: 7 mm | February: 7 mm | March: 7 mm | April: 7 mm | May: 7 mm | June: 5 mm + | July: 5 mm | August: 5 mm | September: 5 mm + | October: 5 mm + | November: 7 mm | December: 7 mm |
- Nov–May7 mm semi-dry
- Jun5 mm with hood and gloves
- Jul–Aug5 mm full suit
- Sep–Oct5 mm with hood and gloves
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
No tropical storm has come within 250 km in 30 years of records. Swell and wind set the season, not cyclones.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
French Riviera / Corsica marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sperm whale | Jun, Aug–Sep | Near-guaranteed | 79 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | All year | Near-guaranteed | 78 | ||
| Ocean sunfish | May | Hit-or-miss | 507 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Jun, Aug–Sep | Likely | 22 | ||
| Giant devil ray | Jul–Aug | Hit-or-miss | 22 | ||
| Common dolphin | Jun–Aug | Likely | 15 | ||
| Basking shark | Dec | Hit-or-miss | 8 | ||
| Blue shark | Feb, Jun | Hit-or-miss | 8 |
Peak Present
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving French Riviera / Corsica — common questions
- When is the best time to dive French Riviera / Corsica?
- Plan for May to September once the water has warmed to 22 °C from 16. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in French Riviera / Corsica?
- The diving season in French Riviera / Corsica runs May to September.
- Is the diving in French Riviera / Corsica good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in French Riviera / Corsica?
- Between 14 and 25 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in French Riviera / Corsica?
- A 7 mm semi-dry covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 5 mm full suit is enough.
- What is the visibility like in French Riviera / Corsica?
- Roughly 15 to 35 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving French Riviera / Corsica?
- The most consistently recorded species are Sperm whale (near-guaranteed), Bottlenose dolphin (near-guaranteed) and Ocean sunfish (hit-or-miss), from 750 records within 60 km.
- Does French Riviera / Corsica get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in French Riviera / Corsica?
- The tide rises and falls 0.3 m around the full and new moon, against 0.1 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid French Riviera / Corsica?
- November–January, March are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive French Riviera / Corsica?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, May–Sep.