Freediving in the Var: The Complete Guide, from Toulon to the Hyères Islands
Between the cliffs of Le Pradet, the drop-offs of Port-Cros and the clear waters of Porquerolles, the Var region brings together what is probably one of the finest freediving playgrounds in the Mediterranean — few areas combine this many sites, clubs, protected biodiversity and favourable conditions in such a small territory. Whether you’re discovering the sport or planning a deep-diving course, we’ve taken the time to document, in detail, what makes this coastline distinctive: disciplines, physiology, safety, regulations, spots and clubs. Enough to plan an outing — or simply to understand what you’re looking at when you spot a freediver off the coast of Les Oursinières.
I. An Ancient Practice Turned High-Level Sport
1.1 From Sponge Divers to Jacques Mayol
Freediving didn’t start with the neoprene wetsuit. Homer already described shell-gathering divers in the Iliad, and Aristotle was pondering the physiology of immersion as early as the 4th century BC. For millennia, breath-hold diving remained a purely functional act — fishing, pearl or sponge harvesting, naval warfare — before becoming, in the 20th century, a sport in its own right.
The turning point came in the 1980s, when the rivalry between Jacques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca, immortalised in Luc Besson’s film The Big Blue, brought the discipline into the spotlight: in October 1983, Mayol became the first man to reach -105 metres on a single breath. Since then, the limits have kept being pushed back: over 300 metres covered in dynamic apnea in a pool, -212 metres reached in variable weight, and up to 11 minutes 35 seconds held in static apnea.
1.2 The 1990s Turning Point: International Structuring
AIDA International (International Association for the Development of Apnea) was founded in Geneva in 1992, and would go on to become the world’s reference authority for record ratification and competition organisation. In France, structuring followed its own path within the Fédération Française d’Études et de Sports Sous-Marins (FFESSM): in 1990, on a proposal from Jean-Marc Pujol, the “Spearfishing” commission became “Spearfishing and Freediving.” Georges Oliveras then championed the project of turning freediving into a full teaching discipline, leading, on 15 October 1995, to the creation of the first freediving certification. The FFESSM’s National Freediving Commission (CNA) was formally established in 2005, on the initiative of Antoine Maestracci and Jean-Louis Galy — the latter becoming its first chair, followed by Antoine Maestracci himself (2010-2011), Olivia Fricker (until 2017), Thierry Bertrand (until 2024), and now Laetitia Minier, who currently chairs the Commission.
II. What Is Freediving? Anatomy of a Distinct Sport
2.1 Pool Disciplines
The FFESSM’s National Freediving Commission runs seven official pool events: static apnea, dynamic apnea with monofin, dynamic apnea with bi-fins, dynamic apnea with no fins, and three sprint events (2×50 m, 4×50 m, 8×50 m). The French “combined” championship title brings together static, and dynamic with and without fins.
On the AIDA International side, the international naming distinguishes STA (Static, complete stillness, face submerged), DYN (Dynamic, distance covered with fins) and DNF (Dynamic No Fins, distance covered with no artificial propulsion at all).
2.2 Les disciplines en eau libre
At sea or in a lake, the FFESSM distinguishes constant weight with monofin, constant weight with bi-fins, constant weight with no fins, and free immersion (pulling down and up along a line, without fins, using arm strength alone). The corresponding AIDA classifications are CWT (Constant Weight, with fins or monofin), CNF (Constant No Fins), CWTB (bi-fin variant) and FIM (Free Immersion). One historic discipline, No Limits (NLT), in which the diver descends along the line using a weighted sled — a ballasted device of 15 to 30 kg, sometimes fitted with a brake — before ascending with a parachute or an inflated air bag, is no longer sanctioned by AIDA today. It is, however, the discipline featured in The Big Blue, with its characteristic head-first descent.
Did you know? Since 1992, AIDA International has ratified 330 world records across all statuses. Under the federation’s international rules, every record attempt requires at least two international judges, an anti-doping check, and — for depth disciplines — a camera fixed at the bottom to confirm the diver actually reached the target plate.
2.3 Disciplines at a Glance
| Discipline | Environment | AIDA code | What’s measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static | Pool | STA | Time held, face in the water |
| Dynamic with fins | Pool | DYN | Distance covered |
| Dynamic no fins | Pool | DNF | Distance covered, no propulsion |
| Constant weight | Sea | CWT | Depth reached, with fins or monofin |
| Constant weight no fins | Sea | CNF | Depth reached, no propulsion |
| Free immersion | Sea | FIM | Depth reached, along a line, using arm strength |
III. Three Institutions, One Sport: FFESSM, CMAS and AIDA International
3.1 FFESSM and Its National Freediving Commission, by the Numbers
According to figures published by the Commission itself, the CNA today brings together more than 25,000 licensed freedivers and relies on roughly 750 specialised instructors (first or second degree), working within clubs or professional structures. It is the Federation’s second-largest sporting commission by size, just behind the Technical Commission dedicated to scuba diving — a telling sign of the place freediving now occupies in the French underwater sports landscape.
3.2 AIDA International, the World Authority on Records
Based in Geneva and currently chaired by Saša Jeremić, AIDA International issues its own certifications — from entry level up to instructor training (Instructor, Master Instructor, Instructor Trainer) — and runs the international competition and record circuit. Contrary to a common misconception, FFESSM and AIDA aren’t rivals but complementary: for several years now, the FFESSM has offered mutual-recognition bridges between its own levels and AIDA certifications, making it easier for freedivers who, for instance, want to start out at an associative club and later join an AIDA-affiliated centre abroad.
3.3 CMAS, the Historic Institution Recognised by the IOC
There is, in fact, a third organisation — older than the previous two and often less visible to the general public: the World Underwater Federation (CMAS). Founded in Monaco on 9, 10 and 11 January 1959 by fifteen national federations, under the presidency of Commander Jacques-Yves Cousteau, assisted by Italian diver Luigi Ferraro, it now brings together more than a hundred federations worldwide and is headquartered in Rome. The FFESSM is a historic founding member, which is why every freediving certification issued by a Var club automatically entitles the holder to a double-sided FFESSM/CMAS card, recognised worldwide.
Its distinguishing feature: CMAS is the only world underwater sports confederation officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee, through its membership of ARISF (the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations). Alongside the AIDA circuit, it runs its own world and European freediving championships, where separate records are ratified — including in events unique to CMAS, such as speed apnea (2×50 m, 4×50 m) and endurance apnea (8×50 m, 16×50 m), contested exclusively in the pool. Some top-tier athletes actually compete across both circuits: Russia’s Alexey Molchanov, several times world champion under both CMAS and AIDA, is the clearest example. On the French side, the current benchmark in constant weight is Alice Modolo, holder of the AIDA world record in constant weight bi-fins (96 m, 2022) and the first Frenchwoman to break -100 m in constant weight monofin, in 2021.
IV. The Body Underwater: What Physiology Reveals
4.1 The Dive Reflex, an Inheritance from Marine Mammals
What sets a freediver apart from someone simply holding their breath is a physiological mechanism shared by all diving mammals: the dive reflex (or mammalian dive reflex). First described in the late 19th century through the work of physiologist Paul Bert, then studied in greater depth from the 1960s onward in traditional diving populations such as Korea’s Ama women divers — a landmark study published in 1967 in the Journal of Applied Physiology documented seasonal variation in diving heart rate — this reflex is triggered as soon as the face comes into contact with water, particularly cold water.
4.2 Bradycardia and Vasoconstriction: Protecting the Heart and Brain
According to a review published in the journal La Médecine du Sport, the main components of the diving reflex are bradycardia, peripheral vasoconstriction, reduced blood flow, cerebral vasodilation and splenic contraction. Bradycardia — the slowing of heart rate, which can reach 15 to 25% in a trained subject — lengthens diastole, the phase during which the heart muscle’s oxygen consumption is at its lowest: this protects the heart from hypoxia while conserving the body’s oxygen reserves. Peripheral vasoconstriction, for its part, redirects blood from the limbs to vital organs (heart, lungs, brain), at the cost of a local build-up of lactic acid in the muscles, released abruptly once breathing resumes.
4.3 Splenic Contraction: The Spleen as a Hidden Oxygen Reserve
Less well known to the public, splenic contraction is nonetheless one of the best-documented adaptations of freediving training.
Why the spleen gets involved. It acts as a natural reserve of red blood cells. Under the dive reflex, it contracts and releases this oxygen-rich blood into general circulation — a mechanism Var-based instructors observe first-hand during early pool sessions: beginner freedivers often gain a few tens of seconds between their very first static hold and the ones that follow later in the same session, with no notable change in technique.
What the studies show. A 2023 study compared, in eighteen subjects, the effects of a breath-hold versus closed-circuit rebreathing of equivalent duration: spleen volume decreased significantly after apnea (-20.8% on average, versus -11.6% after rebreathing), while haemoglobin levels rose by 2.4%. This response has even been studied among the Bajau, a Southeast Asian people who have practised subsistence freediving for generations: their spleens can be up to twice the average size, a genetic adaptation that has been the subject of international scientific publications.
What it means for the freediver. This mechanism partly explains why a second or third breath-hold, within the same session, is almost always more comfortable than the first — a phenomenon every trained freediver has felt, often without knowing the physiological reason behind it.
4.4 Blood Shift: When the Chest Absorbs the Pressure
At depth, a third mechanism comes into play: blood shift. Under pressure, blood from peripheral vessels redistributes toward the chest (heart, lungs), partly offsetting the compression of the rib cage and protecting the lungs from lung squeeze — a very real risk beyond a certain depth, tragically illustrated by the death of American record holder Nick Mevoli in 2013, in the Bahamas, following a lung squeeze that had occurred two days earlier during a free immersion record attempt.
Below the first ten metres, off Les Oursinières or Cap Carqueiranne, the noise of the surface world nearly disappears entirely — it’s in that silence, often without the freediver consciously thinking about it, that these three mechanisms unfold together.
V. Safety: The One Subject That Isn't Negotiable
5.1 Hypoxic Blackout: Understanding the Mechanism
Hypoxic blackout — a sudden loss of consciousness due to lack of oxygen — remains the most well-documented risk of the sport. It most often occurs not at depth, but in the very first seconds after returning to the surface, precisely when blood oxygen partial pressure is dropping fast even as the freediver feels safe. This observation is behind two safety rules widely taught in Var clubs: get a physical handhold as soon as you surface, and watch the freediver closely for the following thirty seconds — keeping their airway clear of the water at the slightest sign of trouble.
5.2 Hyperventilation: Public Enemy Number One
A large body of work, including that of physician Corriol, converges on one point: without excessive hyperventilation before getting in the water, hypoxic accidents remain rare. Hyperventilation — a series of forced breaths mistakenly meant to “fill up on air” — actually lowers blood CO2 levels without increasing available oxygen, which artificially delays the urge to breathe and exposes the diver to a blackout with no warning sign they themselves can perceive. Tingling in the hands or face during breathe-up should be taken as a warning to abort the dive.
5.3 What DAN Europe Recommends
DAN Europe (Divers Alert Network), a leading foundation in dive medicine, devotes a growing share of its Alert Diver magazine to freediving. Among its most widely cited recommendations are fifteen basic rules for safer practice, which stress in particular the need to signal one’s presence with a visible buoy — being struck by a boat is, according to DAN Europe, one of the most underrated dangers of freediving at sea, since freedivers, unlike scuba divers, spend a significant share of their time at the surface. DAN Europe also advises, in a dedicated article, against combining scuba diving and deep freediving on the same day: beyond 15 metres, the build-up of bubbles in the body can, according to research it cites, trigger a syndrome comparable to decompression sickness, known as taravana, with neurological symptoms ranging from mild dizziness to severe motor impairment.
Three habits recommended by the leading organisations (FFESSM, AIDA, DAN Europe): never dive alone; rule out any forced hyperventilation before getting in the water; stay in visual and physical contact with your buddy for at least thirty seconds after every surfacing.
5.4 The Buddy Safety Protocol
In practice, the person who stayed at the surface must prompt the freediver as soon as they return and wait for a clear response — a gesture, a hand squeeze — failing which the diver must be brought out of the water immediately. In static apnea, the only visible sign of an ongoing blackout may be a simple release of bubbles; in dynamic, finning that becomes abnormally slow or jerky often precedes the incident by a few seconds. It’s this protocol, more than the beauty of the sites alone, that allows a region like the Var to welcome both beginners and experienced freedivers chasing depth.
VI. Getting Trained: FFESSM and AIDA Pathways
6.1 FFESSM Pool and Open-Water Levels
The FFESSM structures its training into three pool freediver levels and four open-water freediver levels, from the entry-level Pass’ Apnéiste up to Expert Freediver 3 CMAS*. A youth pathway also exists, from the “1st sea star” (under 8, 0-1 metre) to the “Dolphin” badge (age 8 and up, down to 10 metres), with depth limits strictly tied to age brackets.
| Age | Maximum permitted depth |
|---|---|
| 8 to 11 | 10 metres |
| 12 to 13 | 15 metres |
| 14 to 15 | 20 metres |
| 16 and over | depending on certification level held |
6.2 RIFAA, the Dedicated Rescue Certification
Because resuscitating a freediving accident follows different rules from a scuba diving accident, the FFESSM created a dedicated certification: RIFAA (Reaction and Response to a Freediving Accident). Holding it is now considered a prerequisite for any serious instructor, and many Var clubs — starting with the departmental committee — build it systematically into their training courses.
6.3 AIDA Levels and Instructors
On the AIDA International side, the pathway is structured into four practitioner levels (Freediver to Master Freediver), complemented by specialised certifications — Monofin Freediver, Advanced Monofin Freediver, Depth Competition Safety Freediver — followed by three instructor levels (Instructor, Master Instructor, Instructor Trainer), the latter qualified to train new instructors in turn.
6.4 The International Passport: The FFESSM/CMAS Double-Sided Card
Every FFESSM certification issued by a club, including in the Var, entitles the holder to a double-sided card combining the French certification with its CMAS star-rating equivalent — an international recognition system directly inherited from the FFESSM’s historic affiliation with the world confederation. In practice, Open Water Freediver corresponds to CMAS 1-star Outdoor Freediver, Confirmed Open Water Freediver to CMAS 2-star, and Expert Open Water Freediver to CMAS 3-star. This dual recognition allows a freediver trained in Le Pradet or Toulon to have their level recognised at any CMAS-affiliated club anywhere in the world, with no conversion process required.
VII. The Var, a Freediving Region in Its Own Right
Schedules, partnerships and records cited below were verified in July 2026 — as with any club-based activity, they may change from one season to the next; it remains worth reconfirming them directly with the clubs before committing.
7.1 The FFESSM Var Departmental Committee
Based in Le Pradet, the FFESSM Var Departmental Committee brings together several dozen clubs and runs accident-prevention initiatives every year for freediving and spearfishing, in partnership with the University of Toulon and local sea-safety stakeholders.
7.2 The Clubs Keeping the Sport Alive
ASCM Toulon Apnée trains its members at the Port Marchand pool in Toulon: dynamic sessions in the 50 m outdoor pool on Monday and Wednesday evenings, static sessions in the 25 m indoor pool on Fridays. The club is open from age 16 with parental consent, and organises several sea outings a year — since it doesn’t own a boat, it relies on partnerships with two associative clubs to work on verticality, immersion and equalisation, up to an annual outing to the islands of Port-Cros and the Gabinière islet.
Another face of the sport in the area: the Centre de Plongée du Pradet, based at the Oursinières harbour, is primarily a scuba club, but offers freediving as a complementary activity, alongside underwater photography and marine biology. Its outing calendar gives a good sense of how rich the area is: Escampo Barriou, l’Anse au Blé, Les Deux Frères, the Grec wreck, Pointe de Rabat, Cap des Mèdes, l’Arroyo and the Fourmigues de Giens are among the sites that come up, season after season, in their schedule.
Apnéemotion, also based in the Var near Toulon, runs AIDA- and FFESSM-labelled courses and training sessions for all levels, with outings as far as the Deux Frères rock (Cap Sicié) and the Giens peninsula for confirmed divers (30 m), and an expert course targeting 40 m. On the Hyères Islands, the Espace Apnée structure has for several years run sea courses around Porquerolles and Port-Cros, from beginner level to advanced.
The Var also occasionally draws top-tier names: Morgan Bourc’his, three-time world champion in constant weight no fins (personal best of -91 m in 2019, in Villefranche-sur-Mer), regularly runs courses in Toulon as part of his Mediterranean deep-diving training tour.
7.3 Accident Prevention, a Local Priority
The Var’s club network doesn’t treat prevention as a box-ticking exercise. The departmental committee runs an annual accident-prevention day for freediving and spearfishing, deliberately aimed at a non-licensed audience — University of Toulon students included — to reach those who practise outside any federal framework too. These sessions pair hands-on workshops (bringing an unconscious diver to the surface) with theoretical reminders on freediving-specific accident patterns: hypoxic blackout, post-ascent malaise, and managing cold on long outings.
7.4 Figures Who Shaped the Sport on the French Mediterranean Coast
Beyond the clubs, several names that made freediving history worldwide are directly tied to this stretch of coast, spanning the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes.
Stéphane Mifsud is arguably the most directly Var-based of the four: it was in the family pool at his home in La Crau, in the Var, that he set the world record for static apnea on 8 June 2009 — 11 minutes 35 seconds without breathing, a mark that remains unbeaten to this day.
Loïc Leferme (1970-2007), one of the first to structure competitive freediving alongside Claude Chapuis in Nice in the early 1990s, broke the world no-limits record five times, reaching -171 metres. He died in 2007 during a training session in the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer, just a stone’s throw from the Var border.
Guillaume Néry, a Nice-based freediver trained by Leferme and Chapuis, was four times world record holder and twice world champion in constant weight (personal best of -113 metres), before turning to underwater filmmaking alongside director and freediver Julie Gautier.
Alice Modolo, a trained dental surgeon turned professional freediver, holds the world record in constant weight bi-fins (96 metres, 2022) and was the first Frenchwoman to break -100 metres in constant weight monofin.
Alongside these names is Morgan Bourc’his, already introduced above, who remains, to date, the only one of this group to regularly run courses directly in Toulon.
VIII. Port-Cros National Park: A Sanctuary for Freediving
8.1 A Protected Area Since 1963
Established on 14 December 1963, Port-Cros National Park is the second-oldest marine park in Europe. Its core spans 1,700 hectares of land and 2,950 hectares of sea, joined, since its 2012 extension, by a large part of the island of Porquerolles. Its buffer zone covers 11,191 hectares across five municipalities — Hyères-les-Palmiers, La Croix-Valmer, Ramatuelle, Le Pradet and La Garde.
8.2 What the Strict Nature Reserve Protects
Three areas — the islets of Bagaud and La Gabinière, and the Rascas rock — have been classified as a strict nature reserve since 2007 and are completely off-limits, including to diving: a strict protection measure that has, according to the National Park, allowed remarkable wildlife to thrive — groupers, rays, multicoloured fish shoals — in waters never frequented by humans. The Park also manages the Conservatoire Botanique National Méditerranéen on Porquerolles and runs the French portion of the Pelagos Sanctuary, dedicated to protecting marine mammals in the Mediterranean.
8.3 Posidonia Meadows and Coralligenous Reefs
The Park’s marine environment owes its distinctiveness to two emblematic underwater landscapes: posidonia seagrass, a Mediterranean-endemic plant that serves as a major nursery habitat for many species, and coralligenous reef, a biologically-formed rocky habitat that alone shelters more than 180 recorded fish species along with numerous invertebrates.
What to spot underwater. Brown groupers near the edges of the strict reserves, shoals of white seabream and salema along the drop-offs, purple gorgonian fans in the deepest parts of the coralligenous reef, and, occasionally further out, a pod of dolphins passing through the Pelagos Sanctuary.
IX. Where to Practise: Spots Between Toulon and the Golden Isles
Freediving & diving between Toulon and the Hyères Islands
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9.1 The Sheltered Coves of Le Pradet and Carqueiranne
The local underwater terrain lends itself particularly well to progressive training. At sunrise, the water in front of Les Oursinières beach is often perfectly flat calm — the moment most clubs choose for their first sessions of the day. The cove and the Baie de la Garonne area offer a sheltered stretch of water, ideal for static and dynamic work, with two marked underwater trails at shallow depth — a good warm-up ground before heading to more demanding spots. For a fuller picture of the area’s beaches and coves, the coastline between Les Oursinières and Carqueiranne offers a wide variety of entry points. For more advanced freedivers, cable training is possible down to -100 metres off Cap Carqueiranne, facing the red rocks — level required: advanced to expert, club supervision essential, unrelated to the snorkelling entry points described above.
9.2 Porquerolles and Its Wrecks
The Porquerolles archipelago is a different scale altogether: clear waters, drop-offs, caves and tunnels. The island is one of the rare places where wrecks such as the Iéna or the Cimentier remain accessible on a single breath, at depths ranging from a few metres to around fifty — enough to build a progressive course without ever changing base. Level required: the Cimentier (3-15 m) suits a supervised beginner course; the Iéna and the deeper parts of the other wrecks remain reserved for advanced freedivers.
9.3 Port-Cros, Drop-Offs and Caves
Wilder in character, Port-Cros is dense with caves, rocky tunnels and protected wildlife, just a stone’s throw from the off-limits strict nature reserves. The drop-off often appears suddenly, with no transition, at the exit of a rocky channel — one of the topographic features that make the site as prized by underwater photographers as by freedivers. The Palud underwater trail, accessible on the surface or with light freediving gear, remains one of the best entry points to discover the richness of the site without technical equipment. To explore this local marine biodiversity further, the official website of Port-Cros National Park details the full range of protected areas and access rules.
X. Regulations You Need to Know Before Heading Out to Sea
10.1 Anchoring and Restricted Zones
The Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture strictly regulates anchoring along the entire Var coastline. A 2024 order tightened rules further, banning anchoring on posidonia meadows for vessels over 24 metres along the whole Mediterranean coast, while organised mooring areas (ZMEL) limit traffic around Porquerolles and Port-Cros, with a total anchoring ban in certain sectors of the park’s core zone.
10.2 Diver Signalling
Regulations require clear signalling for any freediver or scuba diver at the surface or underwater, under the ministerial order of 27 March 1991 on marking and signalling within the coastal strip: a visible dive buoy, complemented by an alpha flag aboard the accompanying boat. This is the very same signalling DAN Europe highlights as essential protection against the risk of being struck by a boat.
10.3 Navigating and Diving in the National Park's Core Zone
Diving in the core zone of Port-Cros National Park is subject to specific regulation: an online declaration through the CaPel logbook and adherence to a charter are required of anyone organising group outings — a step worth planning for well ahead of any club- or association-led group trip.
XI. Planning a Freediving Course in the Var: What to Prepare
11.1 A Sport That Works Year-Round
Contrary to popular belief, freediving in the Var isn’t limited to the summer months. Water temperature in Toulon remains workable year-round for a freediver in a season-appropriate wetsuit, with a marked gap between winter and the height of summer.
| Season | Average water temperature | Suggested wetsuit |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec-Feb) | around 13-14.5°C (55-58°F) | 5/3 mm, hood recommended |
| Spring (Mar-May) | around 14-19°C (57-66°F) | 4/3 mm to 3 mm depending on the month |
| Summer (Jun-Sep) | around 22-26°C / 72-79°F at the surface (peak mid-August) | 1.5-2 mm at the surface, more recommended at depth |
| Autumn (Oct-Nov) | around 20°C (68°F) | 3 mm |
Far from being a limitation, this range makes it possible to run courses all year: visibility is often excellent from spring onward, ahead of the summer crowds, and training in a thicker wetsuit is very much part of the preparation for advanced freedivers working toward progress across several seasons. One thing to watch for in summer: the Mediterranean thermocline is deceptive, and it’s not unusual to lose 5 to 10°C (9-18°F) between the surface and 15-20 metres — enough to catch out a freediver in static or deep immersion who relied on surface temperature alone. The breathing work involved in preparing for a freediving session isn’t so different, in fact, from certain conscious-breathing practices offered elsewhere at the Mas, around yoga and meditation — two disciplines that share, each in their own way, that same close attention to breath.
11.2 Choosing Your Instruction
Whether it’s an FFESSM club, an AIDA-labelled structure, or an independent outfit like Espace Apnée, the choice of supervision should rest on specific criteria: instructor qualification level (MEF1, MEF2, AIDA Instructor), RIFAA certification, an instructor-to-diver ratio suited to the group’s level, and a written safety protocol shared before the first entry into the water. For any paid instruction, a state diploma (diplôme d’État) is also required in France: the first state diploma specific to freediving instruction was created in 2017, supplementing federal qualifications, which on their own aren’t sufficient to supervise a paid sporting activity professionally.
11.3 Accommodation and Group Logistics
Beyond technical supervision, the success of a group course often comes down to simple logistical details: direct water access with no intermediate transport between accommodation and the entry point, enough space to rinse and dry equipment between outings, and a quiet setting so that recovery — essential in freediving, where fatigue increases blackout risk — is taken as seriously as the training itself.
This is where we come in: Le Mas de la Gavaresse is a family house available for private hire by groups of 15 to 20 people, a short walk from the Oursinières harbour, designed to host sports groups — no noise disturbance, no amplified music, with logistics suited to freediving gear. Practical details — access, rates, facilities — are on our dedicated freediving courses page.
Organising a club course or a group freediving trip in the Var? Le Mas de la Gavaresse welcomes sports groups just minutes from the Oursinières harbour. Discover our dedicated freediving courses page →
XII. FAQ — The Most Common Questions About Freediving in the Var
What is competitive freediving? It’s the practice of underwater immersion without breathing assistance, codified into several disciplines by the FFESSM and AIDA International, in the pool (static, dynamic) as well as at sea (constant weight, free immersion).
What’s the difference between static and dynamic apnea? Static apnea means staying still for as long as possible with your face submerged; dynamic apnea means covering the greatest possible distance underwater, with or without fins.
What’s the world record for static apnea? Official records change regularly; as a benchmark, the 11-minute-35-second mark has already been surpassed in competition.
What’s the difference between the FFESSM and AIDA? The FFESSM is France’s delegated national federation, organised into clubs and departmental committees; AIDA International is the global body that ratifies records and runs international competitions. Bridges exist between the two training pathways.
What age can you start freediving? FFESSM youth certifications start from under age 8 (0-1 metre), with strict depth limits that evolve with age up to adulthood.
Is freediving dangerous? Like any activity in the water, it carries real risks — hypoxic blackout foremost among them — but these risks are greatly reduced by qualified supervision, a systematic buddy system, and adherence to the safety protocols taught by the federations.
What is hypoxic blackout? It’s a sudden loss of consciousness caused by lack of oxygen, most often occurring in the seconds after surfacing rather than at depth.
Is hyperventilation before a breath-hold recommended? No: it is advised against by all the leading organisations, since it artificially delays the urge to breathe without increasing available oxygen, which raises the risk of a blackout with no warning sign.
What is blood shift? It’s the redistribution of blood from the limbs to the chest under pressure at depth, a mechanism that protects the lungs from compression.
What role does the spleen play in freediving? The spleen contracts during a breath-hold to release extra red blood cells into circulation, temporarily improving oxygen transport — a mechanism that’s more pronounced in trained freedivers.
Can you scuba dive and freedive on the same day? DAN Europe advises against combining both activities on the same day beyond 15 metres of freediving depth, due to the risk of excess bubble build-up in the body (the taravana phenomenon).
What is RIFAA? RIFAA (Reaction and Response to a Freediving Accident) is the freediving-specific rescue certification issued by the FFESSM.
Do you need authorisation to freedive at Port-Cros or Porquerolles? The strict nature reserves (Bagaud, La Gabinière, Rascas) are off-limits. For an organised group outing in the rest of the park’s core zone, a declaration via the CaPel logbook and adherence to a charter are required.
Can you freedive on the Porquerolles wrecks? Yes, several wrecks such as the Iéna or the Cimentier are accessible on a single breath at staggered depths, provided local navigation and anchoring rules are followed.
What signalling is mandatory for a freediver at sea? A visible dive buoy is mandatory, along with an alpha flag on the accompanying boat, under the ministerial order of 27 March 1991.
How long does a typical freediving course last? Formats vary by club, from a half-day taster session to multi-day courses combining pool and sea outings, with supervision and ratios adapted to the group’s level.
What’s the best time of year to freedive in the Var? There isn’t really just one: water temperature in Toulon ranges from around 13°C (55°F) in winter to over 22°C (72°F) in summer, making year-round practice possible with a season-appropriate wetsuit. Summer brings warmer water and better visibility, but also more crowds; spring and autumn remain excellent windows for a quieter course.
How do you start freediving safely? By going through an FFESSM-affiliated club or an AIDA-labelled structure, which guides progression through certified levels and teaches buddy safety protocols from day one.
Are there freediving clubs in Toulon? Yes, including ASCM Toulon Apnée and Apnéemotion, both active in the Var near Toulon.
What is CMAS, and what’s its connection to freediving in the Var? CMAS (World Underwater Federation) is the historic institution that brings together underwater sports activities in around a hundred countries and is recognised by the International Olympic Committee. As the FFESSM is a founding member, every freediving certification issued by a Var club grants an internationally recognised FFESSM/CMAS double-sided card.
What’s the difference between the AIDA and CMAS circuits? Both run world championships and ratify records, largely in shared disciplines (constant weight, free immersion, static). CMAS stands apart through pool events unique to it, speed apnea and endurance apnea, and through its official recognition by the International Olympic Committee.
XIII. In Summary
Between a mature regulatory framework (FFESSM, AIDA International), physiology increasingly well understood through research, a dense club network that takes safety seriously, a nature sanctuary protected since 1963, and a playground stretching from the sheltered coves of Le Pradet to the drop-offs of Port-Cros, freediving in the Var has everything it takes to be a sport worth practising — in a group, under supervision, and with respect for the environment that makes it possible.
Bibliography and Official Sources
Federations and reference bodies
- FFESSM — National Freediving Commission — Official site
- FFESSM — The National Freediving Commission: role, figures and history — View page
- FFESSM — Freediving levels (pathway, RIFAA, age limits) — View page
- AIDA International — Competitive disciplines — View page
- AIDA International — Wikipedia page (history, levels, leadership) — Wikipedia
- CMAS — World Underwater Federation — Official site
- CMAS — Wikipedia page (1959 founding, IOC recognition, Rome HQ) — Wikipedia
- FFESSM Var Departmental Committee — Official site
Safety and dive medicine
- DAN Europe / Alert Diver — 15 basic rules for safer free diving — View article
- DAN Europe / Alert Diver — Ensuring Safety in Freediving Competitions (Nick Mevoli case) — View article
- DAN Europe / Alert Diver — Scuba and free diving on the same day: our guidelines — View article
- Apnée Savoie — Blackouts in freediving (FR) — View article
Physiology and scientific research
- “Apnée du sportif: des contraintes physiologiques et environnementales complexes,” La Médecine du Sport (FR) — View article
- “L’étude de l’apnée, un voyage aux confins des limites humaines,” University of Rouen Normandy / The Conversation (FR) — View article
- “Explorer les bienfaits de la plongée en apnée” (Bajau study), The Conversation (FR) — View article
- “Splenic contraction and cardiovascular responses are augmented during apnea compared to rebreathing in humans,” PubMed Central — View study
- Mammalian dive reflex — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Freediving — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- No-limits apnea — Wikipedia (FR) — Wikipedia
Port-Cros National Park and marine habitats
- Port-Cros National Park — Official site
- Port-Cros National Park — French National Parks portal — View page
- Strict Nature Reserve Management Plan 2022-2031, Port-Cros National Park — Official PDF
- Espace Apnée, Port-Cros and Porquerolles National Park — View listing
- Diving regulations in the National Park’s core zone — View page
- Port-Cros National Park — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
Local regulations (navigation, anchoring, diving)
- Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture — Orders on navigation, anchoring and diving — View orders
- 2026 French anchoring regulations (breakdown by zone, including the Var) — View article
Local clubs and structures
- ASCM Toulon Apnée — Official site
- Centre de Plongée du Pradet — Official site
- Apnéemotion, freediving club in the Var — Official site
- Morgan Bourc’his, three-time freediving world champion — Official site
- Morgan Bourc’his — Wikipedia page (record) — Wikipedia
- Stéphane Mifsud — Wikipedia page (static world record, La Crau) — Wikipedia
- Loïc Leferme — Wikipedia page (record, AIDA, death) — Wikipedia
- Guillaume Néry — Wikipedia page (record) — Wikipedia
- Alice Modolo — Wikipedia page (record) — Wikipedia
- Freediving on the Porquerolles wrecks — View page
- Le Mas de la Gavaresse freediving courses page — View page
Sea conditions and seasonality
- Sea water temperature in Toulon — View page
- Water temperature and wetsuit guide for Toulon — View page
Related articles on Le Petit Journal du Mas
- Fishing huts of Les Oursinières — Read the article
- Snorkelling in Le Pradet: the La Garonne underwater trail — Read the article
- Swimming spots in Le Pradet: beaches and coves — Read the article
- Living sea: biodiversity and collective vigilance in Le Pradet — Read the article
- Yoga & meditation at Le Mas de la Gavaresse — Read the article