Riviera Sports

Mise à jour le Mardi, 18 Mai 2010 22:09 Écrit par Administrator Mercredi, 28 Avril 2010 09:06

Sports on the French Riviera

The Côte d'Azur, with its warm and sunny Mediterranean climate, long sandy beaches and beautiful blue seas is a natural destination for all kinds of holidaymakers. Although it is perhaps best known as a haven for party-goers and sun-worsippers, the Côte d'Azur is also extremely highly regarded as a fantastic destination for all kinds of water sports including scuba diving, snorkeling and jet skiing as well as more traditional pursuits such as fishing and sailing.

There are also a host of water-related activities to be enjoyed inland on the region's many lakes and rivers.

Some of the best diving spots of the Riviera are located close to St Raphael and Frejus. The Île du Lion de Mer (Sea Lion Island) has a reputation for being one of the best dive sites of the Côte d'Azur. Principal attractions of the area include La Grotte du Corail (the Coral Cave) where there exists a great concentration of red coral, lobsters and nudibranches, and the sunken statues La Vierge (The Virgin Mary) and La Sirene (The Mermaid). Another popular dive destination, close to Pampelonne Beach, features shipwrecks dating from World War II.

The Riviera is also renowned for its sailing and towns such as Monaco, St Tropez and St Raphael are very much characterised by the gleaming white yachts of their marinas. Although these particular boats are generally only available to those with money to burn, there are scores of sailing clubs and schools which can advise you on the rental of small boats. The French Sailing Federation (FFV) is a useful first point of reference for anyone interested in hiring small sailing boats, they also deal in the rental of windsurfing boards.

Other water sports that are popular on the Riviera include jet-skiing, waterskiing, wakeboarding and kayaking. Facilities for all of these activities are widely available across the Côte d'Azur. Unfortunately very few companies dealing in these sports use the internet to market their services, consequently it is best to approach companies in person, although one notable exception is Kauposport who operate from St Tropez and Pampelonne beach.

For those keen to try something different, Coasteering is an exciting new sport that is not for the faint-hearted. Coasteering involves the traversing of cliffs by means of swimming, climbing/scrambling and jumping and can be done in several locations along the Côte d'Azur, most notably at Cap Camarat and Escalet, both of which are located close to Pampelonne Beach. Canyoning is a similar pursuit to Coasteering, but is conducted in mountain streams and waterfalls. The Verdun Valley is a wonderful location for Canyoning as well as White-Water Rafting and Kayaking.

Water sports are just one of the major draws of the French Riviera. There are thousands more reasons to come and enjoy all that this wonderful region has to offer. But if you truly are a water sports enthusiast, why not invest in a Saint Tropez villa or even move to the region permanently.