Plongée Club de Cannes

Jason Paul

★☆☆☆☆

My advice to anyone considering this dive school is simple: read through the previous reviews carefully, and just as importantly, read the responses from the management team. For me, those responses tell you a great deal about the attitude and culture of the business. Customer feedback appears to be met with defensiveness rather than reflection, and unfortunately that was consistent with the experience we encountered. Diving is a sport that requires patience, encouragement and professionalism, particularly when dealing with beginners. New divers are naturally nervous, have questions, and need instructors who are willing to teach and build confidence. In our experience, that was not what we found. What stood out most was the apparent lack of patience towards those with limited experience. Rather than feeling welcomed and supported, beginners seemed to be viewed as an inconvenience. That is the complete opposite of what most people would expect when booking with a dive school. The experience left us disappointed, not because diving is difficult, but because the environment did not feel conducive to learning. A good instructor should leave a student feeling more confident than when they arrived. Unfortunately, the opposite was true here. There are many excellent dive centres that genuinely enjoy introducing people to the sport and helping them develop their skills. Based on our experience, this is not one I would recommend to anyone looking for a supportive, beginner-friendly introduction to diving. If you are an experienced diver, your experience may well be different. However, if you are new to diving, lacking confidence, or hoping to learn in a patient and encouraging environment, I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere.

Jason Connolly

★☆☆☆☆

Don’t book with this dive school! I booked with this dive school after finding them on Google. At the time of booking, we made it very clear that I had only dived four times before and that my brother had dived once. There was therefore no misunderstanding about our level of experience or the fact that we were beginners. From the moment we arrived, it felt as though our lack of experience was viewed as an inconvenience rather than something the instructors were prepared to accommodate. Both the owner and the female instructor commented several times that it had been an exceptionally quiet season and that we were the only divers booked onto the boat that day. They attributed this to the conflict involving Iran and its impact on tourism in the region. Given that we were the only customers that day and had been completely transparent about being beginners from the outset, the attitude we encountered was all the more surprising. What also stood out was how little preparation was given before entering the water. The briefing felt extremely brief, lasting no more than a few minutes. For beginners, I would have expected a far more detailed explanation of the equipment, procedures, communication signals and what to expect once underwater. Looking back, I cannot help but feel that the lack of preparation may have contributed to the difficulties my brother experienced. Once out at the dive site, there appeared to be absolutely no patience whatsoever shown towards us being inexperienced divers. As beginners, we expected guidance, reassurance and understanding. Instead, the overall impression was that being beginners this was annoying to them both and any difficulties or hesitation were treated as an annoyance rather than a normal part of learning to dive. Patience is one of the most important qualities a dive instructor can possess when working with beginners, and unfortunately it was noticeably absent throughout the experience. I was taken down first while my brother remained on the surface experiencing some difficulties. Rather than feeling supported and guided through the process, there seemed to be very little effort made to build his confidence or work through the issues he was encountering. After my dive, we returned to the boat and the female instructor first gave me positive feedback, telling me that I had done well. She then turned to my brother and, in what came across as a very condescending manner, told him that he should not dive again. I found this particularly disappointing given that we had both been completely transparent about our limited experience before booking. My brother was a beginner who had encountered some difficulties during the dive, yet instead of receiving encouragement, constructive feedback or guidance on how to improve, he was effectively told that diving was not for him. Whether intended or not, the comment felt unnecessarily dismissive and humiliating. It completely knocked his confidence and changed the atmosphere for the remainder of the trip. The boat ride back was awkward to say the least, and what should have been an enjoyable experience ended on a very sour note. Diving instructors need more than technical competence; they need patience, communication skills and the ability to build confidence in nervous or inexperienced divers. Unfortunately, that was not our experience here. The combination of a very brief pre-dive briefing, a complete lack of patience towards beginners, and the way my brother was spoken to afterwards left us feeling that the entire experience was a waste of time and money. If you are an experienced diver, you may have a different experience. However, based on ours, I would not recommend this dive school to beginners.

Barry Connolly

★☆☆☆☆

If you are a beginner, nervous diver, or someone looking to learn and build confidence, I would strongly advise you to look elsewhere. Looking back, I wish I had spent more time reading the reviews before booking. Had I done so, I don’t believe I would have chosen this dive school. This was only my second ever dive. My brother had dived four times previously. We made our experience levels crystal clear when booking, so there was absolutely no misunderstanding that we were beginners. Unfortunately, from the moment we stepped onto the boat, I felt unwelcome because of my lack of experience. Rather than feeling reassured and supported, I felt like an inconvenience. We were sold what was described as a two-and-a-half-hour diving experience. In reality, we were back at the harbour after approximately one hour and twenty minutes, having spent only a matter of minutes underwater. The experience delivered was nowhere near what we expected when booking. The briefing before entering the water lasted no more than five minutes. As somebody on only their second dive, I expected a proper introduction, clear explanations and reassurance. Instead, everything felt rushed. We were also told when booking that my brother and I would be taken down together. That did not happen. I was taken down first while my brother remained on the boat. What followed was the complete opposite of what I would expect from a professional dive school. There was absolutely no patience whatsoever shown towards a beginner. Rather than coaching, teaching and building confidence, I felt pressured, stressed and unsupported. The instructor’s demeanour made me increasingly uncomfortable underwater to the point that I no longer felt confident continuing the dive. I ultimately returned to the surface because I did not feel safe or supported. For a beginner diver, trust in your instructor is everything. Unfortunately, that trust was never established. The most disappointing part came afterwards. When we returned to the boat, my brother was told that he should continue diving. I was then told that I should never dive again. Let that sink in for a moment. A paying customer on only their second ever dive, who had specifically booked a beginner-friendly experience, was told by a dive instructor not to dive again. No constructive feedback. No encouragement. No explanation of what could be improved. No attempt to build confidence. Just a dismissive comment that completely undermined the entire purpose of attending a dive school in the first place. The atmosphere on the journey back was tense and awkward. What should have been an exciting experience and an opportunity to develop a new skill became an uncomfortable and deeply disappointing experience. The irony is that dive schools exist to teach people. Beginners will be nervous. Beginners will make mistakes. Beginners will need reassurance. If instructors do not have the patience, communication skills and desire to work with inexperienced divers, then they should not be marketing experiences to beginners. This was poor value for money, poorly delivered and left me with less confidence than when I arrived. I cannot recommend this dive school to beginner divers under any circumstances.

Kim C

★☆☆☆☆

My two sons went diving and came back so disappointed. The instructor had no patience with beginners and told my son to never bother diving again….horrendous to knock someone’s confidence in such a way. My son had a problem regulating his ear pressure and the lady instructor had no patience insisting he goes down lower without considering there was an issue. When he decided to surface she got annoyed and said ‘to never dive again’. As a teacher she should have encouraged and reassured him. These ladies teaching are sadly not for inexperienced divers and I would recommend to use one of the many more professional diving schools in Cannes.

Martin Malo

★★★★★

The instructors were extremely kind professional and even funny! Price is 65€ for certified diver and 70€ for non-certified. Which is very reasonable. Equipment might have seen better days but I still fully functional which is the most important.