France
Limestone cliffs, islands and wrecks off Marseille within the Calanques National Park, regarded as a birthplace of scuba diving, with red gorgonians, red coral, groupers and over 20 historic wrecks.
The Calanques National Park, established in 2012, covers 520 km2 between Marseille, Cassis and La Ciotat, most of it marine. Offshore lies the Riou archipelago with the islands of Maïre, Jarre, Plane and Riou, where more than 40 dive sites offer arches, caves, drop-offs and swim-throughs covered in gorgonians, red coral and sponges, home to groupers, moray eels and barracudas. Grand Congloué is known for the Roman wrecks excavated by Cousteau in 1952. More than 20 wrecks lie in the bay, among them the liner Liban (1903), the cargo ships Dalton and Chaouen and a Junkers 88 bomber. Most dive boats leave from Pointe-Rouge harbour. Diving is banned in two archaeological protection zones, and free mooring buoys protect seagrass and coralligenous beds. Source: Wikipedia, Parc national des Calanques, Marseille Tourism