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Grotte des 3 Pépés (3PP)

Provence · about 2 km from La Ciotat

Grotte des 3 Pépés (3PP)

  • Max depth28 m
  • CertificationIntro to cave
  • Water temperature≈ 13–15 °Cestimated, no reports yet
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Directions

Diving and fills

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Fills nearby

  • Fill stationKraken Plongée (La Ciotat)~8 min drive (estimate)Air, nitrox, oxygen and helium; fills at 230 and 300 barRoute ↗
  • Fill stationCassis Calanques Plongée~17 min drive (estimate)Nitrox and trimix (tech and CCR courses); which gases visitors can have filled, and to what pressure: askRoute ↗
  • Fill stationPlongée Tek Marseille~39 min drive (estimate)Fills diluent (air, trimix) and O₂ for its own CCR and trimix students; fills for visitors: askRoute ↗
All fill stations and places to stay ↓

What it looks like

All 3 videos and posts

Videos and posts

From other divers, via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. They only load when you click; after that, Google's or Meta's privacy rules apply.

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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.

The dive

A dark cave with a descending profile and no current. Cold winter water stays trapped by its density in the deepest part, giving darkness, calm and ~13–15 °C as in the deep sea; outside, above -17 m, it is ~23 °C in summer.

Extremely fragile fauna: even exhaled bubbles can dislodge the sponges. Do not let bubbles collect on the ceiling, no fin kicks, touch or take nothing.
Source: DORIS (FFESSM) – Oopsacas minuta, éponge de verre ↗Source: Parc national des Calanques – Underwater caves ↗
Profile and sections

A dark cave with a descending profile and no current. Cold winter water stays trapped by its density in the deepest part, giving darkness, calm and ~13–15 °C as in the deep sea; outside, above -17 m, it is ~23 °C in summer.

It is a well-known research site: a ~2 cm carnivorous sponge (Asbestopluma hypogea) was discovered here in 1995, and the glass sponge Oopsacas minuta lives here too.

Depth and profile
Entrance at -15 m (other sources: -17/-18 m) · the cave descends over ~120 m to -24 m (one source: -28 m) · sponges mainly 60–80 m from the entrance
Configuration
Passage dimensions not published. The fauna tolerates no trim or finning mistakes: choose a small, streamlined configuration.
DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
Short cave (~120 m) with fragile fauna; a scooter is unnecessary and harmful.
Who can dive where
  • CaveAt least Intro to cave
  • Whole caveConfigurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
  • Whole caveConfiguration unknown — research beforehand · doesn't decide who may dive
  • Whole caveGoes down to 28 m (trimix or deco may be needed) · doesn't decide who may dive
Depends on water level or swell

This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.

How to get there

Anse de Gaméou, La Ciotat, with the Trou du Diable and the Grotte de Gaméou in the same cove (tip from Kraken Plongée, Oct 2026). By sea with a local dive centre (by boat according to one database). The pin marks the cove approximately; the exact entrance location is not published — ask a La Ciotat centre.

Plan your route ↗

Around Grotte des 3 Pépés (3PP)

Fills3 fill stations · nearest 2 km

  • Kraken Plongée (La Ciotat)

    ~8 min drive (estimate)

    Base nautique, Nouveau Port de Plaisance, Av. du Président Wilson, 13600 La Ciotat

    Air, nitrox, oxygen and helium; fills at 230 and 300 bar

    Ask

    CCR support: oxygen, booster and sorb

    The premises on rue Piroddi are temporarily closed; come to the base nautique in the Nouveau Port.

    Dive centre with a rEvo rebreather workshop and tech courses; two RIBs (7.5 and 6 m, 24 divers in total). CCR support: sorb (Sofnolime 797) in 20 kg drums or loose. Details confirmed by Kraken Plongée, Oct 2026.

    Website ↗Navigate ↗

  • Cassis Calanques Plongée

    ~17 min drive (estimate)

    Port de Cassis, 13260 Cassis

    Nitrox and trimix (tech and CCR courses); which gases visitors can have filled, and to what pressure: ask

    Open all year; ask for hours

    Dive centre with a boat at Cassis harbour (formerly Centre Cassidain de Plongée), inside the Parc national des Calanques; tech diving (trimix, rebreather) and CCR courses. Close to the Bestouan and Port-Miou. CCR support and sofnolime: ask.

    Website ↗Navigate ↗

  • Plongée Tek Marseille

    ~39 min drive (estimate)

    Port de la Pointe Rouge, 13008 Marseille

    Fills diluent (air, trimix) and O₂ for its own CCR and trimix students; fills for visitors: ask

    Ask

    Tech centre in Pointe Rouge harbour, the departure point for the Calanques and the Riou archipelago. CCR courses on rEvo, JJ-CCR, Shark, Triton and AP Inspiration; CCR trimix to -70 m. CCR and scooter rental: ask. Also +33 6 72 05 50 16.

    Website ↗Navigate ↗
Where to sleepAround La Ciotat on Booking.com ↗

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Caves nearby6 within 13 km

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Sources, sharing and disclaimer

Sources

Current conditions

Visibility, flow and water levels change quickly. Right before your dive, check what other divers report:

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Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training. Compiled from web research (Parc national des Calanques, FFESSM/Subaqua 2013 and 2017, the Cassis – La Rivière Mystérieuse association, Wikipedia, Grottocenter/Grotto Map, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse commune, Préfecture maritime, DORIS, medsubhyp.fr, dive centres and dive-site databases; Sept 2026). The Trou du Diable, the Grotte de Gaméou and the Pointe Fauconnière are a tip from Kraken Plongée (Oct 2026). Pins from the park page, Grottocenter or Wikipedia (see each site); the Anse de Gaméou (also for the 3PP) and the Pointe Fauconnière approximately from OpenStreetMap; one site without a reliable pin; ~ = estimate. Rules change — check locally.