P38 bomber fighter
Characteristics of the wreck
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27/01/1944
40 m
Confirmé
France
Var
Mediterranean Sea
P38 bomber fighter (0)
Information
A diving trip to La Ciotat and Les Lecques, on the Mediterranean coast of France, allows you to explore the wreck of a P38 fighter bomber aircraft. This P38 belonging to the US Air Force, is a Lightning G15 model which weighs 9500 kg and reaches 660 km/h thanks to its 2 engines. That day, the P38 escorted a formation of B17 bombers whose mission was to bomb the Salon de Provence airfield.
The P38 was shot down on 27 January 1944, over the Bay of Lecques. Later, the fishermen were hauling up pieces of sheet metal in their nets. Then, the divers are attracted by an unusual concentration of fish always located in the same place. Finally, the wreck was reported in 1996 to the CBI authorities, who sent divers to investigate. The radio and the identification plate were then recovered and allowed for the authentication of the aircraft lying upside down on the sand.
To be seen: the cockpit, the landing gear that the pilot did not have time to take out, the original armament that is still in place with the 4 12.7mm machine guns and the 20mm cannon, covered with encrusting sponges, the engine with the 3 propeller blades. Lobsters and conger eels have taken up residence in these remains and lobsters are hidden in the empennage.
Dive centers
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Lecques Aquanaut
France
- Saint Cyr les Lecques
 
The Lecques Aquanaut diving center is located in the new port of Les Lecques, in front of a huge car park. Open all year round, you will benefit from beautiful and comfortable facilities, ideal for groups of divers with changing rooms equipped with hot showers, toilets, a classroom equipped for training with a computer. The shop allows you to stock up on any small equipment you may be missing. The air in the filling station is checked.
The diving school offers ANMP and PADI training courses from baptism to divemaster. About 50 adult and children's equipment are renewed every two years. Park near the Aquanaut and H2O boats, 30 m away, to unload your personal equipment directly. The boats are also suitable for groups, with capacities of 19 and 29 divers respectively. Board the Lecques Aquanaut boats to explore the dive sites of Bandol and La Ciotat.
The former owner of the Lecques Aquanaut diving club, Marcel Camilleri, thought he had found St Exupery's little plane. The wreck of a P-38 Lightning lies upside down on a sandy bottom. This American twin-engine plane is literally covered with fishing nets. Later, divers and experts made the connection with another P-38 lying in the bay of La Ciotat. This one was shot down in the same conditions, the same day, only a few minutes apart! The two wrecks are part of the same Fighter-Group squadron and are separated by 3 nautical miles. [+]
- Near Downtown area
- Located close to the dive sites
- Spacious premises
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Cap Plongée
France
- Six Fours Les Plages

The diving center Cap Plongée is located on the port of Coudoulière, in Six-Fours-Les-Plages. Cap Plongée offers you ANMP and FFESSM training courses, from baptism to level 3. You will board the boat La Mouette, 50 m from Cap Plongée's premises. You have never breathed on a regulator? Take a first dive! Experienced divers, you wish to deepen your skills to explore further? Cap Plongée accompanies you in obtaining your diving levels.
On-site, a changing room is at your disposal to equip yourself. The debriefing of the dive is done outside or in the store, around a coffee. After the dive, you are sure to share your experiences. Take the time to choose your equipment with the advice of the Cap Plongée manager. Whether you are an amateur or an experienced diver, the twenty or so dive sites such as Le Sec de Guénaud and Basses Moulinières, offered by the Cap Plongée diving school are rich in fauna and flora and will leave you with beautiful memories of the Embiez islands, an archipelago classified as a Natura 2000 zone.
Bruno, passionate about photography and marine biology, will direct you to the species you are looking for: sars, wrasses, red mullets, scorpionfish, rockfish, groupers, moray eels, cuttlefish, octopus, and shellfish. Discover also several kinds of gorgonians, anemones, corals, sponges as well as large fields of Posidonia, the green lung of the Mediterranean. Group outings are possible upon reservation, with nearby camping-type accommodations with excellent value for money. [+]
- Nautical activities
- Diving around Islands
- Located close to the dive sites
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Sanary snorkeling
France
- Sanary-sur-Mer

Sanary Snorkeling is located on the fishermen's wharf in Sanary-sur-mer. Amarilli and Jacques welcome you warmly on their boat, a semi-rigid, to make discoveries of the bay and the islands of Embiez.
You can embark for half a day or a full day, at sunset or at dusk in the evening. With family or friends, come and discover the most beautiful Natura 2000 classified sites in the bay of Sanary, for a first dive or a diving course.
Small family structure, Sanary Plongée offers the opportunity to privatize the boat for a birthday, the bachelor party, a theme trip or any other festive occasion!
These outings are accessible to everyone from 6 years old. The equipment is provided and the outings last 2h30 on average. You can choose one of the four possible time slots during the day. [+]
- Friendly atmosphere
- No equipment carrying
- Stay without a car
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Plongée Passion La Ciotat
France
- La Ciotat

Plongée Passion is located in an alley opposite the tourist office of La Ciotat. You will find there the HQ of the boss Philippe Pérusse, faithful to his position for 25 years, every day of the year.
Cumulating responsibilities within the SNSM and the Calanques National Park, Philippe and his team of FFESSM state-certified instructors are particularly concerned about your safety and to make you better acquainted with the sea and the Mediterranean fauna and flora, in a friendly atmosphere. It's a real pleasure to make your first dive in this environment! They offer you exploration trips in and out of the bay of La Ciotat, including on the famous wreck of the US Air Force P-38 fighter plane, which sank during the Second World War.
The bay of La Ciotat has many dive sites spread out mainly around Ile Verte, 10 minutes by boat. Very special mention is given to the site Les Rosiers a magnificent drop off covered with gorgonians, which you discover after a sumptuous descent into the blue with groupers. Other places such as the Pointe de Muguel, the cave of the Virgin will enchant you. Punctual outings with 2 dives take place on the side of Marseille on the wrecks of Chaouen, Dalton, Messerchmit, Lebanon, and on the side of Toulon with the Arroyo.
At Plongée Passion La Ciotat, you also have the choice between PADI courses, from Open Water to Divemaster, as well as FFESSM, from Level 1 to Level 4, including nitrox, normoxic and hypoxic trimix, EFR, RIFAP, PSC1, and PSE1 first aid courses. A great diving center for training and spending good times in diving! [+]
- Near Downtown area
- Stay without a car
- Friendly atmosphere
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C.P.S.M Centre de Plongée de Saint Mandrier
France
- Saint Mandrier

The diving school CPSM of Saint-Mandrier is located on the seaside, in the bay of Sablettes, at the exit of the bay of Toulon. Open on weekdays from April to October, the CPSM of Saint-Mandrier's boats depart at 9:30 am and 2:30 pm and on weekends, at 10:30 am only. In July and August, the first departures of the speedboats with 15 divers each, take place at 8:30 am.
At the CPSM of Saint-Mandrier, you park your car in a large free public parking lot, next to the center and you benefit from a nice infrastructure on the spot, with a classroom equipped with a video projector, a store selling equipment, a changing room with hot showers and toilets.
From the C.P.S.M Centre de Plongée de Saint Mandrier, you have fast and direct access to the most interesting dive sites of the area, including the wreck of the Aroyo, with a 10 minutes drive. Non-divers can enjoy the sun and sea on the sandy beach, a few meters from the center. Further on, games of bowls are played in specially designed areas in the shade of the pine forest. [+]
- Located close to the dive sites
- Functional boat
- Meeting after diving
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