Is Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan) good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 3 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Le Dellec, Les 4 Pompes and Le Mustang. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan)?

The water is usually between 10 °C and 17 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan)?

Divers regularly see dolphins (all year), seals, rays, crustaceans, octopus and conger eel.

Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan)

Diving in France

12 documented dive sites, 3 of them for Open Water divers. Known for dolphins, seals and rays.

Best months: Jun–Sep
Water: 10–17 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
Nearest airport: BES

When to go

Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.

Pick a month

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan) in October

Good season

Sea: 16 °C; at the surface
Air: 17 °C; 13 °C at night
Rain: 140 mm; one of the wettest months
Wind: 21 km/h; on average

Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.

Operator seasons: Arimair (Brest roadstead) March–December; CIP Glénan 1 April–31 October 2026; Ouessant Subaqua April–November (enezgreen) / May–November (MAB France). Jun–Sep is shown as best because every sourced centre is open and the water is warmest (August average 16.7 °C, seatemperature.org). Jan–Feb and Dec are shown as possible (only roadstead clubs; no source says all diving stops). March is shown as possible: only Arimair is open and the water is coldest (10.1 °C average).

Source: tourismebretagne.com

Dive sites in Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan)

From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m3 sites

Wreck

down to 15 m

Le Dellec

A wreck lying flat on a sandy bottom at around 15 m, among the many wrecks between the Brest roadstead and Le Conquet.

Open Water

down to 18 m

Les 4 Pompes

A sheltered shore dive beside the Brest arsenal sea wall, where local clubs take beginners for their first sea dives.

Open Water

Wreck

down to 15 m

Le Mustang

A shallow steamship wreck in the Glénan archipelago lying between 5 and 15 m.

Open Water

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m7 sites

Wall

down to 40 m

Basse du Lys

A reef and wall in the Brest diving area, a long boat ride out, reaching 40 m at its deepest.

Advanced

Wall

down to 30 m

Les Fillettes

A rock beside the Brest shipping channel, from 7 m down to 30 m, with a dozen bronze cannons and two old anchors at its foot.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 31 m

Swansea Vale

An English cargo ship lost in 1918, now a wreck dive in the Brest area at around 28-31 m.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 17 m

Volonta

A 1955 Italian cargo wreck lying on its side at 17 m off Ouessant, torn open by the Iroise currents and home to pouting and pollock.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 20 m

Georgios

A Greek steamship lost in January 1918, lying at 15-20 m in the clear, current-swept waters off Ouessant.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 30 m

Pietro Orseolo

A 142 m Second World War cargo ship north of Penfret, with a gorgonian-covered propeller shaft and a large school of pouting circling the wreck.

Advanced

Cavern

down to 18 m

Laon Egen Hir

One of the signature Glénan dives: rocks rising from 18 m to the surface, riddled with grottoes carpeted in jewel anemones.

Advanced
Rays

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m2 sites

Wreck

down to 34 m

Amoco Cadiz

The 334 m supertanker Amoco Cadiz lies broken across 600 m of seabed off Portsall, its rudder, winches and decks draped in kelp.

Experienced

Rock formations

down to 40 m

Les Bluiniers (Pic Jules Bonnot)

A deep plateau west of the Glénan pitted with 'witches' cauldrons', ancient river potholes where crabs get trapped.

Experienced

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
DolphinsSource: parc-marin-iroise.fr

Peak season
Seen

Also reported here, season not documented yet:

Seals
Rays
Crustaceans
Octopus
Conger eel
John dory

Where is Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan)?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Roadstead of Brest (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Nearest airport: BES

Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan): frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan)?: The best months to dive Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan) are Jun–Sep. Operator seasons: Arimair (Brest roadstead) March–December; CIP Glénan 1 April–31 October 2026; Ouessant Subaqua April–November (enezgreen) / May–November (MAB France). Jun–Sep is shown as best because every sourced centre is open and the water is warmest (August average 16.7 °C, seatemperature.org). Jan–Feb and Dec are shown as possible (only roadstead clubs; no source says all diving stops). March is shown as possible: only Arimair is open and the water is coldest (10.1 °C average).
Is Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan) good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 3 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Le Dellec, Les 4 Pompes and Le Mustang. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan)?: The water is usually between 10 °C and 17 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan)?: Divers regularly see dolphins (all year), seals, rays, crustaceans, octopus and conger eel.
How do you dive Finistère (Brest, Crozon & Glénan)?: The nearest airport is BES.

About this page

Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash