Préparation Niveau 1 (Plongeur Encadré 20 m)

The level 1 course at EDMS is the first formal FFESSM qualification, and the whole thing — theory and final exam — is handled within the club by diploma-holding instructors. Pool training takes place Thursday evenings from 21h00 to 22h00 at the covered municipal pool in Senlis. Once you have the level 1, you can dive to 20 metres accompanied by an instructor at any FFESSM-affiliated club in France.

The practical component includes pool work and fosse sessions at the UCPA facility in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, where depths reach 7 to 20 metres. These are the conditions in which most of the skill assessments take place. You'll also do natural-environment dives, which are a required part of the certification process.

The course covers equipment management, buoyancy basics, and the foundations of safe diving practice. There's no strong current, no cold water exposure, and no technical complexity — just solid fundamentals in a supervised setting. The club organises the final exam (both theory and practical) directly, so you don't need to coordinate with an external structure for level 1.

Membership comes as a pack: FFESSM licence + club membership + training package, which includes fosse sessions, a dive logbook, the FFESSM passport, and a level card. A valid medical certificate or CACI is required before you start.