Port-Cros and la Gabinière
La Gabinière is an island south of Port-Cros and placed in the wilderness area of the National Park. It is forbidden to land there, but you can dive under certain conditions on developed dive site.
“Scuba diving in the waters of the Port-Cros National Park is allowed only to individual divers or dive signatory institutions of the partnership charter. This Charter provides a limitation to 40 divers simultaneously per site and prescribed behaviors respectful of habitats and species.”
Ulysse Plongée is a signatory to the charter. Ulysse’s divers must honor its different elements, they are set out on the boat before each ride to Port-Cros.
Charter of Scuba Diving in Port-Cros (2015)
- avoid physical contact with the substrate or species,
- avoided any disruption of action, withdrawal or destruction of species,
- prohibit any feeding or attractive process for the animals,
- must make use of a buoyancy compensator to avoid impinging palmages for fauna and flora,
- use of underwater lighting and cameras with respect for the prohibition of any physical contact with the substrate or species,
- particularly for structures and diving support, inform and educate instructors and divers on the sensitive underwater environments,
- prohibit the use of underwater scooter,
- only use mooring buoys for the time required for diving,
- for vessels with a cabin or cockpit, equip mooring lines with a system like diabolo (inverted cone) to prevent re-infestation of the island of Bagaud by rats,
- outlaw any pollutant discharge,
- prohibit any inappropriate production of sounds in the heart of the national park by the use of the fog horn for the launching and recall of divers and any non-encapsulated compressor engine use.