Aquatile Diving: from the 12-year-old course to the recommendation

To learn how to get the most out of your gear underwater, discover the AquaExposure training. Before I explain why the AquaExposure team and I wholeheartedly recommend Aquatile Plongée, you need to know how it all began. Because this recommendation doesn't come from a brochure or a commercial agreement. It comes from a 12-year-old boy who arrives at a dive center in Canet-en-Roussillon for his first professional training course.

This kid - it was me. And the two people who opened their door to me that day are named François and Karine.

I was barely in middle school when I did my first internship at Aquatile. At that age, you don't really know what you want to do with your life, but you do know what fascinates you. And for me, diving was already fascinating. The sea, the underwater world, the idea of being able to breathe underwater and discover a world that most people never see.

François and Karine were the first to trust me. They welcomed me into their center when I was still a minor, with no prior experience, and only a basic understanding of diving gained from the surface. At the time, Aquatile was located in Canet-en-Roussillon, and the center was in the process of being established. I was fortunate to witness these early moments, to see a dive center being born and grow from within.

What François and Karine passed on to me during these courses is not just the technique of diving. It's a way of approaching the profession. The welcome, the patience with beginners, the insistence on safety, and the respect for the marine environment. I absorbed these values at a time when I was like a sponge, and they are part of what I have become as a professional.

I still remember the first dives, the first baptisms I witnessed, and the first students I saw go from fear to amazement in just twenty minutes underwater. It was probably there that the vocation to be a teacher took root in me, long before I ever put it into words.

Aquatile has grown. The center has moved to Argelès-sur-Mer, on the harbor, and has become one of the most recognized diving centers on the French Mediterranean coast. PADI 5-star IDC training center (one of the highest certification levels in the PADI system), certified by France Qualité Tourisme and Green Star Award.

The Green Star Award is a distinction that I hold very dear. It recognizes dive centers that are actively committed to protecting the marine environment. Given François and Karine's strong environmental awareness, this recognition is no surprise at all.

Today, Aquatile is located at 2 Place Magellan, Atalaya residence, on the port of Argelès-sur-Mer. The center has a comfortable boat, a well-equipped classroom, hot showers, changing rooms, and a large parking lot nearby. But beyond the equipment, what makes Aquatile special is the team. The welcome, availability, and teaching skills. It is a center where you feel comfortable from the first minute, whether you are a beginner diver or a trainee instructor.

One of the strengths of Aquatile is the breadth of its offerings. The center caters to both non-divers with introductory snorkeling trips (starting from €59, equipment included), beginners for introductory pool or open water dives (from age 8), certified divers for exploration and advanced training, and aspiring professionals for Divemaster and PADI Instructor training.

As a 5-star IDC center, Aquatile is authorized to train diving instructors. This is the highest level of training center in the PADI system, and it means that you can start your training at Aquatile and finish it anywhere in the world, thanks to the ISO standards that standardize certifications.

The center also offers professional retraining courses, in partnership with employers and France Travail. For those who, like me at the time, feel that diving could become more than a hobby, it's a serious gateway to a profession that you're passionate about.

From Argelès-sur-Mer, Aquatile has access to all sites on the Vermeille coast. The Cerbère-Banyuls Marine Reserve, the first marine reserve in France, with its 630 groupers and exceptional coral formations. The Cap Bear area with its drop-offs and faults. The Port-Vendres shipwrecks (the Alice Robert, the Saumur, the Astrée), some of which are accessible from Level 1.

The Argeles-sur-Mer location is strategic: the harbor is located between Port-Vendres to the north and the Cerbère-Banyuls reserve to the south, which provides access to all the diving sites along the Catalan coast in less than 30 minutes by boat.

The Aquatile photo galleries showcase the richness of these waters. The center offers galleries dedicated to the Mediterranean, but also to Mexico, the Canaries, the Maldives, the Philippines, and French Polynesia, as François and Karine regularly take their divers on trips. It is a center open to the world, rooted in the Mediterranean.

When I'm asked which dive center to choose on the French Riviera, the answer is always the same. The AquaExposure team and I wholeheartedly recommend Aquatile. This isn't a marketing or strategic choice. It's a human choice.

François and Karine were the first to give me a chance in this profession. They trained me, guided me, and inspired me. All the path I have taken since then (diving instruction in Greece, Cyprus, the Seychelles, the Maldives, the creation of AquaExposure, underwater photography training) originates from this center in Canet-en-Roussillon, where a 12-year-old boy discovered that diving could be a profession.

I could talk about labels, certifications, and equipment. All of this is true and verifiable. But what motivates me to recommend Aquatile is something simpler. It's a center run by passionate people who have turned their passion into a profession without ever losing what initially motivated them. Twenty years after their opening, François and Karine still welcome beginners with the same patience and enthusiasm. This is rare. This is valuable.

Their diving expertise, their secure framing, their knowledge of the sites, and their warm welcome are exactly what a underwater photographer needs to focus on their images. And that is why, during AquaExposure events and training sessions on the French Riviera, we hope to have the opportunity to bring you to their sites and let you experience their expertise firsthand.

Whether you're coming for a baptism, for training, or for exploration of the most beautiful sites of the French Riviera, you'll be in good hands. I know this, because it's the same hands that guided me when I was 12 years old and knew nothing.

Where is the Aquatile dive center located?

Aquatile is located at 2 Place Magellan, Atalaya residence, on the port of Argelès-sur-Mer (Pyrénées-Orientales). The center is ideally located between Port-Vendres to the north and the Cerbère-Banyuls marine natural reserve to the south, providing access to all the diving sites of the Côte Vermeille in less than 30 minutes by boat. A large parking is available nearby.

What diving levels can be taken at Aquatile?

Aquatile is a 5-star PADI IDC center, the highest level of training center within the PADI system. It welcomes all levels, from introductory dives (from 8 years old) to instructor training. The center also offers snorkeling trips for non-divers, explorations for certified divers, and professional retraining courses in partnership with France Travail.

Can you take underwater photos with Aquatile?

Aquatile is the center that the AquaExposure team recommends on the French Riviera. During future AquaExposure training courses in the region, we hope to be able to bring you to their sites to take advantage of their diving instruction, their boats, and their knowledge of the area. AquaExposure would provide photographic support, the natural light method, and visual pedagogy.

Can you dive with Aquatile without prior experience?

Absolutely. Aquatile welcomes complete beginners with pool or sea baptisms, available from the age of 8. For non-divers who want to discover the marine environment without diving, snorkeling excursions are offered from €59, including equipment. The team of François and Karine is known for its patience and pedagogy with new divers.

Discover the AquaExposure underwater photography course. A natural light approach, an ethical approach, and personalized coaching. If the opportunity arises, we hope to be able to take you diving with the Aquatile team on the most beautiful sites of the French Mediterranean.

• Underwater photography in the Pyrenees-Orientales - A complete guide to accessible spots from Argelès-sur-Mer and the Vermeille coast.
• The Cerbère-Banyuls Marine Reserve for the photographer - 630 groupers, gorgonian formations, and techniques for underwater photography in a protected reserve.
• The wrecks of Port-Vendres - Alice Robert, Saumur, Astrée: photographing the wrecks of the Catalan coast.
• Mediterranean fauna of the Catalan coast - The best underwater photography subjects on the reefs of the Vermeille coast.
• Official Aquatile Plongée website - Prices, schedule and reservations directly with François and Karine.