418 Dive Log Australasia JUNE 2026.pdf

Diving in the Beaujolais Region in France – Who would have thought!?!? D iving in the Beaujolais region of France is not something that immediately, or ever …… springs to mind!!! One tends to think of terroir, good land soil for wine producing world class wines, about rolling hills covered in vineyards, associated domaines; a region dotted with pretty villages of honey coloured stone houses. Text and photos by Mathew Kempton

Whilst staying with friends in the heart of the Beaujolais last year, I was surprised to discover that diving in the Beaujolais is actually possible. The Beaujolais region in eastern France, lies between Burgundy and the Rhône Valley and is internationally known for wine production, interestingly it also hosts a lot of inland freshwater dive sites created from former quarries. One of the most established is Plan d’eau du Colombier , near the town of Ambérieux, 30 mins drive north of Lyon. In June, 2025 I completed two dives at this site with Anne Bernardet from Néréides Plongée , highlighting how quarry lakes can offer structured, wildlife-rich diving that differs markedly from coastal or tropical environments. Plan d’eau du Colombier Several lakes in the region were created through gravel extraction and are now managed for recreation, fishing, and diving. Plan d’eau du Colombier, in Anse, just north of Ambérieux, is one of these. It’s a controlled-access freshwater lake regularly used for diver training, guided dives, and skills development. Entry points, depth profiles, and underwater features are well known to local operators, making it a predictable and manageable site for easy entries/exits and extended bottom times. Néréides Plongée Néréides Plongée specialises in freshwater and inland diving. It provides all necessary hire gear and transport to and from dive sites that you would hope for from an

Mathew and Anne

established dive operator. The owner, Anne Bernardet, provides detailed briefings covering entry procedures, temperature layering, depth limits, visibility expectations, and local aquatic life. Her guiding approach emphasises controlled buoyancy, low-impact finning, and slow-paced exploration, all of which are particularly important in low visibility quarry environments. Environmental and Water Conditions During the dives, surface air temperature reached approximately 31°C , with water temperature varying between 19°C and 24°C , much warmer than I was expecting. Both dives were conducted at depths between 7 and 9

Freshwater crayfish , La crevette rouge

Plan d’eau du Colombier

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Dive Log Australasia #418 June ’26

www.divelog.net.au