When is the best time to dive Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast?

The good months to dive Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast are Apr–Sep. Courses and try dives run April–September; with a drysuit, local clubs dive all year.

Is Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 1 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Bizeux Plateau. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast?

The water is usually between 8 °C and 19 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast?

Divers regularly see crustaceans and conger eel.

Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast

Diving in France

12 documented dive sites, 1 of them for Open Water divers. Known for crustaceans.

Good months: Apr–Sep
Water: 8–19 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
Nearest airport: DNR

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

Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast in October

Possible

Sea: 17 °C; at the surface
Air: 17 °C; 12 °C at night
Rain: 90 mm; average for the year
Wind: 19 km/h; on average

Exposure suit: 5 mm full suit · if you feel the cold: 7 mm full suit or 8/7 mm semi-dry. How we choose

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.

Compare with another destination

Courses and try dives run April–September; with a drysuit, local clubs dive all year.

Source: adrenactive.com

Dive sites in Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast

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

The bay has some of the strongest tides in Europe, so site depths change by many metres with the tide, and dives are planned around the weather and tides.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m1 site

Reef

down to 15 m

Bizeux Plateau

Sheltered 3–15 m plateau in Saint-Malo used from try dives to training, with a reconstructed archaeological trail of an anchor and cannons.

Open Water

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m9 sites

Reef

down to 20 m

Basse Chrétienne

Rock heads in the bay of Saint-Lunaire sheltered from the current, dived in a circle around the main head from 6 to 20 m.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 20 m

Hamone (Garibaldi wreck)

Fixed-mooring site where the wreck of the Garibaldi still shows its cargo of slates, next to a rock with typical local life.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 25 m

Hilda & Skeldon wrecks

Two wrecks reached from a fixed mooring near Saint-Malo, on a marked underwater trail.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 20 m

Laplace (Fort La Latte)

A 92 m weather frigate lying overturned on sand at the foot of Fort La Latte, very sheltered from the current.

Advanced

Wall

down to 20 m

Bizeux Tombant

A drop-off from about 10 to 20 m off Saint-Malo, inside the underwater biodiversity observatory zone, known for lobsters and conger eels.

Advanced
Conger eel

Wreck

down to 20 m

Fetlar

A 55 m cargo wreck on a fixed mooring, one of the best-known wrecks of the Bay of Saint-Malo.

Advanced

Wall

down to 20 m

Fort de la Conchée

A drop-off to about 20 m running all around the rock that carries the Vauban-style Fort de la Conchée off Saint-Malo.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 30 m

Frémur

A 39 m sand dredger lying overturned on a sandbank at 20–30 m, now an artificial shelter for many species.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 20 m

RO21

A Second World War cargo ship requisitioned by the Germans, lying from 6 to 20 m along a rock near the Roche des Courtils.

Advanced

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m2 sites

Reef

down to 40 m

Catis

A deep rock head and boulder field that the club counts among the richest areas of the bay, often with good visibility.

Experienced

Reef

down to 35 m

Vieux Banc

A large offshore plateau and rock head whose faults host very rich marine life, at 15–35 m depending on the tide.

Experienced

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Reported here, season not documented yet:

Crustaceans
Conger eel

Where is Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Saint-Malo (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Nearest airport: DNR

Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast: frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast?: The good months to dive Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast are Apr–Sep. Courses and try dives run April–September; with a drysuit, local clubs dive all year.
Is Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 1 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Bizeux Plateau. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast?: The water is usually between 8 °C and 19 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast?: Divers regularly see crustaceans and conger eel.
How do you dive Saint-Malo & Emerald Coast?: The nearest airport is DNR.

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