Calanque des Contrebandiers
Dive site · France
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
65Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: Sea: flat, Visibility about 15 m, Water 18 °C
Tue 3 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 54 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 20 kn
- Gusts
- 29knboats in
- Air
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 28 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 20 kn
- Gusts
- 25knboats in
- Air
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 16°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 378, good
- Wed 454, fair
- Thu 528, poor
- Fri 663, good
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 862, good
- Mon 969, good
- Tue 1066, good
- Wed 1157, fair
The site in four facts
- Down to 45 mits deepest
- Advancedand up
- Water 18 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- Faces Sswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 78, good | 0.2 mflat | 1 kn | 7kn | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 54, fair | 0.9 m | 20 kn | 29knboats in | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 28, poor | 0.9 m | 20 kn | 25knboats in | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 63, good | 0.6 m | 4 kn | 7kn | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 0.2 mflat | 5 kn | 10kn | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 62, good | 0.1 mflat | 14 kn | 20kn | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 69, good | 0.4 m | 15 kn | 21kn | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 66, good | 0.5 m | 16 kn | 24kn | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 57, fair | 0.5 m | 17 kn | 24kn | 18°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:11 −0.0 mLow 09:08 −0.1 mHigh 16:03 +0.1 mLow 23:27 −0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:03 +0.0 mLow 10:25 −0.1 mHigh 16:55 +0.1 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 00:01 −0.1 mHigh 05:51 +0.0 mLow 11:26 −0.1 mHigh 17:35 +0.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site and its town
Calanque des Contrebandiers on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More diving near here
5 places
- Impérial de Terre 0.6 km away
- Impérial du Milieu 0.7 km away
- Tombant de David 0.7 km away
- Impérial du Large 0.8 km away
- Bosse du Chameau 0.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Calanque des Contrebandiers
It goes down to 45 m. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces S: swell from the S reaches it, and wind from the N blows out to sea. 9 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 5.8 km away. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit), and 23°C in August, its warmest (5 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is Cassis. Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot, 14 dive sites and 1 climbing area.
- What it is No source states what kind of site it is.
- How deep Down to 45 m: technical diving, past the 40 m recreational limit.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 9 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 5.8 km away.
Water about 18°C: 7 mm wetsuit and hood. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jul and Aug (about 25 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,170–US$2,200 each
about US$1,170–US$2,200 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to MRS, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$497–US$1,030 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$74–US$121 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$282–US$470 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$584 |
| Total | about US$1,170–US$2,200 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Cassis
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
33 min by car · 55 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Cassis its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$107 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 50m
About 17h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MRS, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → MRS on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Cassis · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Cassis · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Centre de Loisirs des Goudes 5.8 km
UCPA Cap Croisette 6.0 km
Atoll Plongée 7.6 km
L'Enfant et la Mer 7.8 km
CMCAS Plongée 7.8 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatusWhale or dolphin
Seen in 5 records.
Common octopus Octopus vulgarisOctopus
Seen in 109 records, mostly Apr to Sep.
Leopard nudibranch Peltodoris atromaculataNudibranch
Seen in 137 records, mostly May to Oct.
Slit limpets Flabellina affinisNudibranch
Seen in 57 records, mostly Jul to Nov.
Cratena peregrinaNudibranch
Seen in 54 records, mostly Jul to Oct.
Felimare orsiniiNudibranch
Seen in 51 records, mostly May to Aug.
Tricolor doris Felimare tricolorNudibranch
Seen in 51 records, mostly May to Aug.
Edmundsella pedataNudibranch
Seen in 37 records, mostly May to Oct.
Giant doris Felimare pictaNudibranch
Seen in 29 records, mostly Jun to Oct.
Flabellina ischitanaNudibranch
Seen in 28 records, mostly Jun to Nov.
Diaphorodoris papillataNudibranch
Seen in 12 records, mostly May to Jul.
Flabellina gabiniereiNudibranch
Seen in 11 records, mostly Apr to Jul.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO) and GBIF.org (1 November 2026, doi:10.15468/dl.jeesns), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS and GBIF; common names from the Catalogue of Life, the GBIF Backbone and Wikidata. Largest datasets here: Programme BioObs: observations naturalistes en milieux aquatiques-Observations de BioObs.; Programme CROMIS: carnet de plongée en ligne de la FFESSM-Observations d'espèces subaquatiques collectées par les utilisateurs de CROMIS; iNaturalist Research-grade Observations; ClimateFish: A database to track the abundance of selected coastal fish species as candidate indicators of climate change; 2015_MNHN_2. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.