Between the foothills of the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean, the Côte Vermeille packs in rocky seabeds of remarkable richness, often just minutes from the shore. Drop-offs, pinnacles colonised by gorgonians, posidonia meadows: here are five playgrounds worth knowing for diving around Banyuls, from your first taster dive to advanced diving.
1. Collioure and la Moulade
Shallow reefs, easy to reach, ideal for a first immersion or a taster dive. Here you can spot starfish, nudibranchs and, with a little patience, seahorses clinging to the seagrass.
2. Cap Béar (Port-Vendres)
A sheltered site where coralligenous reef grows across the rock faces. Gorgonians and sessile life make it a favourite with photographers, with profiles accessible to divers building up their experience.
3. The Cerbère-Banyuls marine nature reserve
Created in 1974, France’s first marine reserve protects around 650 hectares of drop-offs, seagrass meadows and abundant wildlife here, between Banyuls and Cerbère. Diving is supervised: you go through the licensed local clubs, in strict accordance with the regulated zones.
4. The waters around Paulilles
Between the cove of Paulilles and the headland, drop-offs and rocky relief shelter teeming life. An area that combines varied underwater landscapes with the maritime history of the coast.
5. The Peyrefite underwater trail
No tank needed: with just a mask and snorkel, you follow a waymarked route in the heart of the reserve. A format well suited to families, and a lovely way to discover coastal wildlife from the surface, entirely at your own pace.
Diving responsibly
- Book with a local club: it knows the sites, the conditions and the rules. It is also the club that runs your taster dive.
- Master your buoyancy so that you never touch the seabed or the sessile organisms.
- Take nothing, feed no wildlife: leave nothing but bubbles.
Keen to go further? The MERveille festival awaits you on 23, 24 and 25 April 2027, on the Quai Georges Petit and the Allées Aristide Maillol in Banyuls-sur-Mer: three free days, open from the age of 8, built around the Practise, Protect and Share strands.
Conditions, access and regulations change with the seasons and from one zone to another. Always check with a partner club and the reserve’s managing bodies before you dive.