Dive Cannes, etc.
see
http://www.beyond.fr/sports/diving.html for a long listing of dive shops in the south of France.
I've been diving twice with
Plongée Club de Cannes
quai St Pierre - vieux port
(also at 46 r Clémenceau)
tel: (33) 493 38 67 57
See
http://www.sylpa.com/
(their boat). Note that the site gives you English or French (pick on the home page).
Dove with them last November for a morning (1 tank) dive and did the same with them the year before as well.
Rented all gear except mask and reg/computer
225 FF if I remember, all inclusive. (Cheaper if you don't need to rent stuff.)
Very friendly, helpful (I speak very, very little French, n'est pas. And they spoke little english). maybe 10 divers on the boat. Plonc (wine), brie, pan and sausage (?) after the dive. Nice morning. If I remember, they leave the quai at 9 AM ...
Not sure what taking training with them would be like. Some of them spoke OK English. Patrick's English (the boat owner and apparently the owner of the dive shop) is a bit weak. But the two divemasters on the boat were OK. (So was Patrick but it might a struggle doing a class with him -- if he teaches...)
If you're just looking for an open water cert (basic), this should work. Don't remember what agency they're affiliated with. Their boat's web site (home page) says "association nationale des moniteurs de plongee" (ANMP). But if you work your way into the site, you'll see they're PADI as well.
Cheers,
