Throughout France in the mountainous regions, lakes are covered each winter with a layer of ice of varying thickness. A small hole, and the adventure begins!Val Cenis – Sollières Water Body (Savoie)From December 15, 2019, until March 2020, depending on the snowmelt, the Sensations Vanoise diving center, located at the aquatic base of Val Cenis – Sollières in Haute-Maurienne, offers daily ice dives open to everyone from 9 a.m. for daytime dives. On Wednesdays at 7 p.m., the center also offers night dives followed, if the divers wish, by a fondue.
Tel.: +33 (0)6 60 08 47 80
Lake Montriond (Haute-Savoie)This lake is the third-largest in Haute-Savoie, after Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy. You can dive to a depth of 8 to 10 meters. It’s a site in the heart of unspoiled nature, open from December 21, 2019, to March 31, 2020. With the Léman Aquaventure diving center, dives are organized on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, either at 9:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Find all information on the Aquaventure website, the ice diving school.
Tel.: +33 (0)6 07 14 95 39
Lakes Robert in Chamrousse (Isère)From December 14, 2019, to April 19, 2020, theDive Extreme ice diving school of Chamrousse is open every day. Just 30 minutes from Grenoble, experience an extraordinary adventure at over 2000 meters altitude. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced diver, you can explore under a thick layer of ice ranging from 50 cm to 2 meters!
Tel.: +33 (0)6 16 96 71 73
Les Angles (Pyrénées-Orientales)
Discover the adventure at the village-resort of Les Angles.
– The Cap Cerbère Diving Center offers ice diving for beginners and experienced divers. The outings take place on Lake Balcère at the Angles resort every weekend from January 18-19 until early March 2020 (depending on the ice). By reservation only.
Tel.: +33 (0)4 68 88 41 00
– Rédéris Diving, based in Banyuls-sur-Mer, also organizes day trips to the resort on the weekends of January 26-27 until early March 2019. By reservation only.
Tel.: +33 (0)6 87 25 70 17Lake Lou at Val Thorens (Savoie)From early December 2019 until April 2020, accompanied by a professional guide from theEvolution 2 ice diving school, you will trek in snowshoes on an easy and gently sloping path to reach, in about 45 minutes, Lake Lou perched at 2035 meters altitude. The ice dive lasts about 20 minutes. After this extraordinary experience, enjoy a delicious hot Savoyard meal at the Lou Refuge.
Tel.: +33(0)6 13 76 78 74 or +33(0)6 61 29 38 82Starting December 15, 2019 (weather permitting), the team of Fifty Shades of Blue partners with Evolution 2 at Val Thorens to introduce you to ice apnea.Four workshops are offered: a « surface » workshop, a « vertical » workshop (from 4 to 8 meters), a « horizontal » workshop, and a self-sufficient workshop for experienced freedivers.It is a zen and contemplative apnea, far from any idea of a record.
Tel.: +33(0)6 81 96 95 52
Lake Tignes (Savoie)Located right by the 17-meter deep lake, the ice diving school of Tignes is open from early December 2019 until early April 2020. This is where the ice diving scenes from the film « The Big Blue » were filmed. Night ice dives are also offered.
Tel.: +33 (0)4 80 98 50 01Lake Genin (Ain)
Every year, the subaquatic club of Oyonnax organizes ice diving weekends on this small mountain lake surrounded by fir trees at 830 meters altitude, nicknamed « the Little Canada of Haut-Bugey. » This year, the weekends of February 8/9 and 15/16, 2020, are planned. Dives are open from diving level 1, by reservation.
With a novelty this year: asection for apnea under ice (12 meters in length and 10 meters vertically). A first session took place following requests from the clubs of Ambérieux (the Cap) and the club of Bourg-en-Bresse (the Clip). Reserved for clubs only, with supervisors and safety divers, the CSO ensures only surface safety for the apnea.Tel.: +33 (0)6 18 84 34 94