Spearfishing in France
France is three seas in one: a cold, big-tide, big-fish Atlantic and Channel; a clearer, warmer continental Mediterranean; and Corsica, the wild joy of the south. It's superb ground — and one of Europe's most misunderstood rulebooks, where two myths cost money: "you need no insurance" (FALSE — third-party liability insurance is MANDATORY) and "the grouper is just size-protected" (FALSE — in the Med it's a total moratorium). This guide sets the facts straight.
The thread from north to south stays the same: read the sea, and above all the wind and — on the Atlantic and Channel — the tide. This guide explains the frame, shows where to dive in each region, and links to a daily go / borderline / no-go forecast for every city.
Open the flagship — Marseille (Calanques) →The legal frame in brief
Everything rests on the Code rural et de la pêche maritime (art. R.921-83 to R.921-93, ex-décret 90-618, abrogated but still quoted) plus the minimum-size arrêtés. The essentials:
- Third-party (RC) liability insurance is MANDATORY — not a myth. Every spearo must hold an RC contract for recreational spearfishing and show the attestation on request. Two lawful routes: (a) free practice + a standalone RC policy, or (b) a federation licence (FFESSM / FFPSA / FNPP) that bundles the RC cover. "No insurance needed" is FALSE.
- Licence: no paid licence and no Affaires maritimes declaration since 18 June 2009 (décret 2009-727). BUT since 10 January 2026 (arrêté of 7 November 2025): a free EU registration is mandatory from age 16 for listed species — register at least the day before (the "Recreational Fisheries" portal or the RECFishing app, valid 12 months) and declare your listed-species catch the same day before 23:59. Check the list before you go. Don't conflate the two.
- Age: 16 for the speargun (arbalète). Under-16s may hunt without a gun (by hand, foëne/pole-spear). Breath-hold only: any breathing apparatus (scuba, narghilé, air) is banned. No night hunting — between legal sunset and sunrise it is forbidden. You don't hold a loaded gun out of the water.
- Signalling buoy MANDATORY. Distance: at least 150 m from vessels actively fishing and from marked gear (that's the only national figure — 150 m, not 200/300). Distances from beaches, bathing zones and ports are set locally by the préfecture maritime — check the local arrêté. Banned in ports, fairways and bathing zones.
- Sale banned: the catch is for the fisher's and family's exclusive consumption — never hawked, displayed or sold. Crustaceans: by HAND only — a harpoon/foëne on lobster, langouste or spider crab is FORBIDDEN; by hand while freediving is possible where the species and season are open (min sizes + closures + cantonnements apply). Abalone (ormeau) is NOT taken by spearfishing.
Minimum sizes by coast
The decisive French fact: the same species has a different minimum size depending on the sea. Bar (sea bass) is 42 cm on the Atlantic/Channel but 30 cm in the Mediterranean; maigre 50 → 45; white seabream 25 → 23. Basis: arrêté of 26 October 2012 as amended + EU sizes. These are MINIMUM sizes; the current official tables are held by the façade's DIRM.
| Species | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Bar / sea bass | 42 cm Atl. / 30 cm Med. |
| Maigre / meagre | 50 cm Atl. / 45 cm Med. |
| White seabream (sar) | 25 cm Atl. / 23 cm Med. |
| Gilthead bream | 23 cm |
| Corb (Med.) | 🚫 MORATORIUM — banned until end 2033 |
| Grouper (5 sp., Med.) | 🚫 MORATORIUM — banned until end 2033 |
| No national size (oblade, bogue, amberjack, barracuda, wrasse…) | no national minimum — check the local arrêté |
Grouper and corb: a total Med moratorium
This is the south's most important and most misunderstood rule. In the French Mediterranean (mainland AND Corsica), grouper (5 species: dusky, golden, grey, mottled and wreckfish/cernier) and corb are NOT a legal target — whatever their size. This is not a 45 cm minimum: it is a TOTAL moratorium, spearfishing and recreational rod-fishing both banned, renewed for 10 years after the 2023 consultation — valid to end 2033 (two préfectoral arrêtés, mainland + Corsica). Don't shoot them, don't bring them up. On the Atlantic the grouper isn't a common target anyway.
Never take, all coasts: marine mammals, turtles, seahorses, the fan mussel (Pinna nobilis) and corals. Bluefin tuna is quota-gated (ICCAT/EU) — treat as unavailable to spearfishing, special authorisation aside.
No-take zones — the ones to know
A classic trap: "parc naturel marin = spearfishing banned" is FALSE — Iroise and the Golfe du Lion allow hunting outside their cantonnements. It's the national-park cores and the reserves that are hard. The ones to know:
- Cerbère-Banyuls reserve (Pyrénées-Orientales): fishing and spearfishing banned across the whole reserve (integral reserve, 1974).
- Port-Cros national park (Port-Cros + Porquerolles, Var): spearfishing banned in the marine core.
- Calanques (Marseille/Cassis): the no-take zones (ZNP) are all-fishing/spearfishing forbidden. Elsewhere in the marine core, recreational fishing goes through a DECLARATION and a 7 kg/trip quota — check the park regulation.
- Cap Roux cantonnement (St-Raphaël), Côte Bleue (Carry-le-Rouet, Cap Couronne), Le Mugel (La Ciotat): all fishing + spearfishing banned.
- Corsica: Scandola reserve and the Bouches de Bonifacio reserve (Lavezzi, Cerbicale, Bruzzi) — hunting banned in the cores and reinforced-protection zones; the exact limits and the Haute-Corse cantonnements are not all mapped here — check the local arrêté and the DIRM/OFB zone map before diving.
Tides and northern safety
On the Channel and Atlantic, the tide runs everything. The range is huge (the macrotidal Channel tops 6 m at Saint-Malo/Granville) and it sets up current. The rule: dive the slack — the dead water between two tides, when the current stops — that's when visibility opens and safety is highest. Mid-tide the current can outrun your fins. In the Med and Corsica the tide is negligible; the wind (mistral, tramontane) decides.
Seasons and water
In the north (Channel, Brittany, Atlantic) the window is summer: May to September, when the Atlantic swell eases; the water stays cool (14–18 °C) — 7 mm with a hood for much of the year. In the Med and Corsica the season is long (late spring to autumn, summer most reliable) and the water climbs to 24–26 °C in summer; 3 mm in summer, 5 mm in the shoulder — but mind the thermocline at depth. Always pick the side sheltered from the day's wind.
Where to dive, by region
Hauts-de-France
The far NE Channel (Dunkerque → Cap Gris-Nez → Wissant): macro-tidal, cold, technical — plan around slack water. A summer window for divers who read a tide table.
- Dunkirk — Let's be honest: Dunkirk is a marginal spot.
- Boulogne-sur-Mer — France's number-one fishing port — and honestly a marginal spot for the spearo.
- Cap Gris-Nez — The flagship of the Côte d'Opale: roughly 4 km of cliffs and boulder ledges under the lighthouse, never more than 12 m deep.
- Audresselles — The best-documented shore spot on the Côte d'Opale.
- Wissant — The big sandy bay between the two capes, Gris-Nez and Blanc-Nez.
Normandy
The Cotentin and Chausey (Cherbourg → Barfleur → Granville): huge tides (up to ~12 m) and fierce cape currents. Cold, technical, experienced-only, on slack.
- Étretat — Under the famous chalk cliffs and arches of Étretat: bass, mullet, pollack in 5–17 m, on a circuit of about 3.
- Cherbourg — Note the crucial point first: spearfishing is banned throughout the great roadstead of Cherbourg (French Navy + ferries).
- Cap de la Hague — Expert ground, and I weigh my words. Cap de la Hague gives the best visibility in the region on the right water — big bass, pollack, conger, lobster — but…
- Barfleur — A pretty stone port at the east tip of the Cotentin, dominated by the Gatteville lighthouse.
- Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue — The friendliest base in the Cotentin. Around the la Hougue forts and Tatihou island: lobster, good bass (1.5–2 kg), big mullet, and the oyster tables that…
- Granville — On the Pointe du Roc, at the mouth of the Mont-Saint-Michel bay, where the tidal ranges are among Europe's strongest.
- Chausey — The Chausey archipelago is advanced ground, for those who can read the sea.
North Brittany
The jagged Emerald & Pink-Granite coast (Saint-Malo → Paimpol → Roscoff): macro-tidal but full of sheltered coves. Clear water on the flood slack.
- Saint-Malo — The corsair city, with 12–13 m ranges on springs — among the strongest in France.
- Cap Fréhel — The most spectacular cape on the Emerald Coast, red-sandstone cliffs dropping into water that can be very clear.
- Erquy — A small scallop port famous for its coquilles Saint-Jacques, dominated by the pink-sandstone Cap d'Erquy.
- Plérin — Pointe du Roselier — The Pointe du Roselier, at the head of the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, is a secondary spot next to neighbouring Erquy or Fréhel.
- Paimpol — Bréhat — Pink-granite country, a maze of islets around Bréhat island and the Pointe de l'Arcouest.
- Perros-Guirec — The Pink Granite Coast: visually the finest terrain in the region, a chaos of pink boulders around Ploumanac'h.
- Trégastel — Neighbour to Perros-Guirec, Trégastel offers the most accessible pink granite: beaches, islets and the Île Renote tombolo.
- Roscoff — A characterful port at the west end of the Channel coast, the rich Bay of Morlaix.
West Brittany
The wild westernmost tip (Le Conquet, Crozon, Ouessant, Pointe du Raz): open Atlantic, big swell, upwelling. Meso-tidal, cold, for experienced divers.
- Le Conquet — A small port on the tip of Finistère, the gateway to Ouessant and Molène.
- Camaret-sur-Mer — Iconic clear-water granite at the tip of the Crozon peninsula.
- Crozon-Morgat — The Bay of Morgat, more sheltered than the west face of the peninsula, with its famous sea caves.
- Douarnenez — A large closed bay, more sheltered than the open coast.
- Audierne — A Bigouden-country port, within reach of the Raz de Sein.
- Pointe du Raz — One of the most dangerous capes in France.
- Penmarch — The point of Penmarch, dominated by the Eckmühl lighthouse, is classic south-Finistère hunting: lobster, spiny lobster, conger, bass, on rock and kelp fields.
- Île de Sein — A low, wild island west of the Raz de Sein, expert territory, full stop.
- Ouessant — France's westernmost island, at the edge of the Atlantic.
South Brittany
The gentler south (Lorient, Groix, Quiberon, Belle-Île, Morbihan): islands and gulfs shelter from the westerly swell. Meso-tidal, warmer, doable for confident divers.
- Bénodet — A seaside resort at the mouth of the Odet, a quiet cradle for starting out.
- Concarneau — A big fishing port with its Ville Close, and access to the famous Trévignon–Mousterlin–Glénan corridor.
- Lorient — A big military and commercial roadstead — a port before it's a spot.
- Île de Groix — One of the best spots in the Morbihan, an island that offers clearer water than the mainland.
- Quiberon — A peninsula split in two: the west-facing Côte Sauvage and the sheltered east face inside the bay.
- Belle-Île-en-Mer — Brittany's largest island, ringed in schist: the SW Côte Sauvage drops straight into the Atlantic, while the NE coast toward Le Palais is gentler and more covered.
- Arzon – Port-Navalo — The point that guards the mouth of the Gulf of Morbihan: outside, rock and weed facing Quiberon Bay; inside, extreme tidal currents.
Pays de la Loire
The Vendée coast and its islands (Noirmoutier, Yeu, Les Sables-d'Olonne): meso-tidal, warm shallows, Loire runoff after rain. Beginner-friendly on calm days.
- Le Croisic — The department's flagship rocky point: Port aux Rocs runs a 1.
- Noirmoutier — A low, sandy island, but two rocky bits are worth the trip: the Pointe de L'Herbaudière in the NW and the more sheltered Bois de la Chaise / Pointe des Dames in the east.
- Les Sables-d'Olonne — The Vendée is famous for big fish — including 50 kg-plus meagre on the offshore plateaux — but from shore the action concentrates on the rock between Puits d'Enfer and La Chaume.
- Île d'Yeu — The island that stands out in the Vendée: clearer water than the mainland, big bass and lobster.
Charente-Maritime
The Ré, Oléron and Aix islands + La Rochelle/Royan: meso-tidal, warm summer shallows, Gironde/Charente estuary murk. Best visibility on the islands' offshore sides.
- Île de Ré — A low, bright island whose interest lies in the "banches" — limestone rock platforms set in the sand, mostly around the Phare des Baleines at the NW tip.
- Île d'Oléron — The largest island on the French Atlantic coast after Corsica: the Chassiron point in the NW concentrates the rock, with a limestone plateau pierced by sandy channels and the old fish weirs.
- La Rochelle — More of a base than a real shore spot: the town hosts one of the most active clubs on the coast, but the local water is estuarine and often murky.
- Royan — The mouth of the Gironde and the start of the baïnes coast: the only real structure is the limestone cliffs of Saint-Palais around the Puits de l'Auture.
French Basque Country
The French Basque coast (Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye): warmer but open to heavy Atlantic swell — short windows, watch the beach baïnes. For the experienced.
- Capbreton — The only hard structure on the whole Landes coast, around the port: the wooden pier (189 m) and the stone jetty.
- Biarritz — The start of the real Basque rock: islets, boulders, arches and caves around the Rocher de la Vierge, with bottoms to ~15 m and weak current.
- Saint-Jean-de-Luz — The best-organised Basque spot: the Digue de Socoa drops into the Basque rock strata from 3 to 20 m, rich in bream, bass, gilthead and mullet.
- Hendaye — The last town before the Spanish border: Les Roches Noires, a rock plateau at the Pointe Sainte-Anne mixing reefs and sand, shallow and beginner-friendly.
Occitania
The Languedoc–Roussillon coast (Sète, Cap d'Agde, Collioure, Banyuls): warm, shallow, sandy, long season — but the tramontane wind rules. Med sizes (bar 30 cm).
- Sète — The best of the Hérault: about 2 km of rock at the foot of Mont Saint-Clair, from the Corniche to the "Théâtre de la Mer", cut with fissures.
- Cap d'Agde — Occitania's rare black-basalt cape: the Môle and "Les Deux Frères" offer a real volcanic rock pocket amid the sand, with basalt cliffs.
- Collioure — The start of the Côte Vermeille: schist, drop-offs and posidonia, water that snaps clear at 10–15 m — a different world from the sandy beaches to the north.
- Banyuls-sur-Mer — The town sits at the northern edge of the Cerbère-Banyuls marine reserve, one of France's oldest — and spearfishing is fully banned inside it.
- Cerbère — The last French town before Spain, split in two by the reserve: the north of the commune, up to Cap Peyrefite, is the southern limit of the Cerbère-Banyuls reserve — spearfishing banned.
Provence — Côte d'Azur
Provence & the Côte d'Azur (Marseille calanques → Cassis → Hyères → Nice): clear rocky calanques, long season, mistral-driven. Med sizes; mérou/corb are under moratorium.
- Marseille – Calanques — The flagship of the French Mediterranean: drop-offs, posidonia and water that snaps to 15–25 m around Riou, Île Maïre and Cap Croisette.
- Cassis — Between the Calanques to the west and Cap Canaille to the east, Cassis is only fishable on the EAST side of the port: to the west you enter the National Park with its no-take zone.
- Hyères – Giens — The Giens peninsula has a double face: La Madrague to the west, Tour Fondue to the east, each sheltered depending on the wind.
- Saint-Raphaël – Estérel — The red rock of the Estérel plunges into blue water: the Cap du Dramont, the Baie d'Agay and the Île d'Or form one of the finest rocky fronts on the Riviera, 8–20 m.
- Cap d'Antibes — A flagship of the Riviera: a 2.2 km varied route around the cape, from beginner to expert, 4–6 h in the water. Cracks of 5–8 m on the east face, drop-offs…
- Nice — The big city, where spearfishing only begins EAST of the port: Cap de Nice and Coco Beach offer pebbly rock dropping fast, 6–15 m, with bream, bass and octopus.
Corsica
Corsica (Ajaccio, Calvi, Bonifacio, Porto-Vecchio): France's clearest water, rock and cliffs — but many cantonnements (reserves) ban spearfishing. Check the zone limits.
- Ajaccio — The gulf of Ajaccio and its granite: the Pointe de la Parata and the Îles Sanguinaires close the gulf to the west with water snapping to 25 m and beyond, passes cut by currents.
- Calvi — The Revellata peninsula is "particularly fish-rich": granite, drop-offs and sea fans, exceptional water.
- L'Île-Rousse — The town owes its name to the Île de la Pietra, a red rock linked by a jetty.
- Porto-Vecchio — The Corsican south-east and its postcard beaches, but above all light granite underwater: from Cala Rossa to Santa Giulia, Palombaggia and San Ciprianu, water at 15–25 m and beyond.
- Bonifacio — Corsica's far south, dominated by limestone cliffs and its strait — but spearfishing is tightly framed here.
Frequently asked questions
Rules current as of 2026 and vary locally — the préfecture maritime and the façade's DIRM, the national parks, reserves and cantonnements set their own restrictions. National frame: RC insurance mandatory, 16+, breath-hold only, no night, buoy mandatory, and since 10/01/2026 a free EU registration + catch declaration (RECFishing app). Sizes by coast (bar 42 Atl. / 30 Med.); grouper and corb under a total Med moratorium to end 2033. Always check the local DIRM/préfecture-maritime arrêté before you dive.
Do I need insurance or a licence to spearfish in France?
Third-party (RC) liability insurance is MANDATORY — not a myth: a personal RC contract or a federation licence (FFESSM/FFPSA/FNPP) that includes it, attestation on request. The paid licence and Affaires-maritimes declaration were abolished in 2009, BUT since 10 January 2026 a free EU registration (RECFishing app) and a listed-species catch declaration are mandatory from age 16 — register the day before, declare the same day. Don't conflate the two.
What's the minimum size for sea bass — is it the same everywhere?
No — this is the French fact to remember. Bar is 42 cm on the Atlantic and Channel but 30 cm in the Mediterranean (arrêté of 26 October 2012 as amended). On top, a per-trip bag applies north/south of the 48th parallel (3/day N, 2/day S; 1 Feb–31 Mar in the N, release only). Other species diverge by coast (maigre 50/45, seabream 25/23). Check the current table from your façade's DIRM.
Can I shoot a grouper or a corb in the Mediterranean?
No. In the French Mediterranean (mainland AND Corsica), grouper (5 species) and corb are under a TOTAL moratorium — spearfishing and recreational fishing banned, whatever the size, until end 2033 (préfectoral arrêtés). It's not a 45 cm size: it's a ban. Don't shoot them.
Can I harpoon a lobster, a langouste or an abalone?
Not by harpoon. Crustaceans (lobster, langouste, spider crab) are taken by HAND only while freediving, where the species and season are open (min sizes, closures and cantonnements apply) — a harpoon or foëne on crustaceans is banned. Abalone (ormeau) is NOT taken by spearfishing at all. Check the local rules.
Can I hunt at night? And how far from boats?
Not at night — spearfishing is banned between legal sunset and sunrise. Breath-hold only (no breathing apparatus), signalling buoy mandatory. Distance: at least 150 m from vessels actively fishing and from marked gear (the only national figure). Distances from beaches, ports and bathing zones are set locally — check the préfecture-maritime arrêté.
Where must I NOT hunt — the big no-take zones?
Cerbère-Banyuls reserve, the Port-Cros/Porquerolles marine core, the Calanques ZNP (with a declaration + 7 kg quota elsewhere in the core), the Cap Roux cantonnement, Côte Bleue, Le Mugel. Corsica also has extensive no-take zones (reserves and cantonnements), but their limits shift — don't rely on a fixed list: check the arrêté in force and the zone map on the DIRM Méditerranée / préfecture de Corse site. Mind the trap: "marine park = banned" is false (Iroise and the Golfe du Lion allow it, outside cantonnements and under specific local rules for the Golfe du Lion — verify). Always check the local arrêté.
What's the best season, and how do I handle the northern tides?
In the north (Channel, Brittany, Atlantic): May to September, in the calm-sea windows, and always dive the slack — the current stops and visibility opens. In the Med and Corsica the season is longer (late spring → autumn) and the tide is negligible; the wind (mistral, tramontane) decides, so find the sheltered side. Each city's daily go / borderline / no-go forecast helps you pick the day.