ACERS COGNAC
53 Rue d'Angoulême, 16100 Cognac, France, Cognac, Charente, FRA
Over het Centrum
ACERS COGNAC est un centre de plongée situé dans la ville de Cognac, en France. Certifié selon les normes CMAS/FFESSM, le centre propose une gamme de cours de plongée, s'adressant aussi bien aux débutants qu'aux plongeurs expérimentés souhaitant améliorer leurs compétences.
Les installations d'ACERS COGNAC incluent le Wi-Fi, garantissant ainsi que les clients peuvent rester connectés pendant leur séjour. Le centre se consacre à offrir une expérience d'apprentissage sûre et agréable à tous ses étudiants, en mettant l'accent sur une formation de qualité et l'exploration sous-marine.
ACERS COGNAC accueille les plongeurs du monde entier et se positionne comme une destination idéale pour ceux qui visitent la région de Cognac et souhaitent explorer les activités sous-marines. Leur engagement envers l'excellence de la formation se reflète dans leur affiliation avec des organisations de plongée reconnues telles que la CMAS et la FFESSM.
Beschikbare Cursussen
8 cursosNiveau 3 FFESSM
Niveau 3 is the point where ACERS opens up the more demanding trips on the calendar. The Lavandou autumn outing lists N3 as the minimum level and specifically mentions deep dives — this is not a trip for divers still consolidating shallower certifications. The September Lavandou week runs to six nights and is one of the longer club trips of the year. The Hendaye weekends that appear across the calendar also include dedicated N2/N3 technical sessions, run separately from the more introductory dives. This structure means N3 candidates are working at depth and in open water conditions appropriate to the qualification throughout the course, not just at the assessment. N3 under FFESSM/CMAS qualifies divers to 60 m autonomously. At ACERS, it also unlocks some of the overseas trips — Egypt and the Red Sea destinations in the club's history have included deeper sites where N3 is a practical requirement. Theory for N3 follows the same winter/spring pattern as the other levels, with evening classroom sessions at the club's local. The Comité Départemental de Charente (Codep 16) also organises some theoretical and practical sessions that ACERS members join.
Initiateur FFESSM
Cave diving initiation is organised by ACERS in the Lot region, typically over the Ascension long weekend in May. The Lot has some of the most accessible cave and cavern diving in France, with flooded resurgences and siphons that are well-suited to introductory overhead environment training. The named contact for this stage is Jean-Christophe Dubois. This is not a recreational diver's extension — it's a structured introduction to overhead environment protocols for divers already comfortable at depth in open water. Gas management discipline, line use, and turn procedures are the core content. The club has run this in coordination with the Lot's local cave diving community, which brings local knowledge of the specific sites used. For members interested in progressing further into cave diving, the Initiation Souterraine stage at ACERS provides the FFESSM entry-level overhead environment certification. Contact Jean-Christophe Dubois via the club for current scheduling.
NIVEAU 4
Niveau 4 is the FFESSM autonomous diver qualification that also covers dive leadership responsibilities. Training at ACERS for N4 has included dedicated Hendaye weekends for technical preparation and regional exams held at venues like Royan and Ruelle. The club's calendar records N4 theory sessions starting in autumn and running through winter. Candidates at this level are typically already experienced club divers who have been on multiple sea trips and are comfortable in the range of conditions ACERS dives. The qualification has a leadership component — N4 holders can guide other divers within defined parameters — which fits naturally into the club's structure where experienced members lead outings. The regional exam is organised through the FFESSM Comité Régional rather than the club alone, so ACERS coordinates with the broader federation structure for the final assessment. Preparation involves both theoretical study and documented open water dives at the appropriate depths and objectives.
INITIATEUR
The Initiateur qualification is the first step in FFESSM's instructor pathway, allowing holders to supervise and introduce divers up to Niveau 1. ACERS has run initial Initiateur training stages in Cognac on multiple occasions — typically over a weekend in November or December — and the club also participates in Codep 16-organised sessions. For members who have been diving with the club for several years and want to contribute more actively to introducing new members, the Initiateur route is the logical next step. The club has enough training activity that Initiateurs are regularly in the water supervising pool sessions and accompanying beginners on open water dives. The stage initial format means the core theory and assessment happen in a concentrated period, though practical preparation builds over the preceding season. Contact the club's technical coordinator for current scheduling and prerequisites.
PLONGEUR NITROX
Nitrox training at ACERS runs in two stages — Élémentaire (basic Nitrox diver) and Confirmé (advanced, covering blending and higher mixes). Both are offered regularly, either organised directly by the club or through Codep 16, sometimes hosted at Nautilis. The calendar shows Nitrox sessions recurring most years, typically in winter or early spring before the sea trip season begins. The Confirmé level includes both a theory evening and a practical session — the practical has been held at La Touvre spring, which gives a freshwater site with good visibility for the in-water component. Tank visual inspections (TIV) are also conducted by club-trained members, which keeps the gas management infrastructure in-house. For club members planning the deeper Lavandou or overseas trips, Nitrox Confirmé is a practical asset. It extends bottom time on repetitive dives and is increasingly expected on liveaboard itineraries in destinations like Egypt.
TRIMIX El�mentaire
Trimix Élémentaire has appeared in the ACERS training calendar as an organised formation. It represents the entry point into technical gas blending beyond Nitrox — helium-based mixes for dives beyond the recreational ceiling. The club's engagement with this level reflects the technical breadth of its membership rather than a mass-market offering; not every year sees a Trimix stage run. Candidates at this level at ACERS are typically experienced N3 or N4 divers who have already completed Nitrox Confirmé and are looking to extend their technical range. The club's annual deep dive trips — Lavandou, occasionally Porquerolles — provide the kind of operational context where Trimix becomes relevant. Contact the club directly for current scheduling, as sessions depend on instructor availability and sufficient candidate numbers.
Niveau 1 FFESSM
The Niveau 1 is where most members at ACERS start. Theory sessions and pool work run through the winter at X'Eau on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, building the basics before open water sessions are added in spring. The club's calendar for N1 includes practice dives at freshwater sites — Civaux and La Touvre both appear regularly — which means first open water dives happen in calm, controlled conditions before any sea trip. Once pool work is solid, sea dive weekends at Hendaye complete the qualification. Hendaye is a familiar destination for ACERS, and the N1 candidates join the broader club trip rather than a separate beginners-only outing. The social element is part of it — barbecues, group meals, and the general rhythm of a club weekend. The certification follows the FFESSM/CMAS pathway, recognised across France and internationally under the CMAS framework. N1 qualifies divers to dive accompanied by a qualified diver to 20 m, or to 40 m with an instructor. For anyone coming from Cognac or the surrounding Charente area, ACERS is one of the few options for structured FFESSM training locally. The twice-weekly pool sessions and active open water programme mean progression through N1 doesn't drag out over years.
Niveau 2 FFESSM
Niveau 2 at ACERS is built around the Hendaye weekends that dominate the club's sea calendar from spring through autumn. The site suits N2 training well — varied terrain, decent depth, and enough current on some dives to make buoyancy and trim matter. The club runs multiple Hendaye weekends each year specifically targeting N2 and N3 technical objectives, so candidates have several opportunities to complete the required dives within a single season. Freshwater practice remains available through the year at Civaux and Nautilis, with some N2 theory evenings also scheduled at those venues. This means candidates aren't waiting months between pool and open water sessions — the club keeps the training moving. The N2 qualification under FFESSM/CMAS allows autonomous diving to 20 m and accompanied diving to 40 m. At ACERS, passing N2 opens up the majority of club sea trips, including the Estartit autumn outings and the Cap Ferret wreck dives at the Hortense site. The Charente night dives in summer are another dimension that N2 divers can join — river diving at night is a different experience from sea diving, and the club organises these evenings through July and August.
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Frequently asked
What people ask before booking
It's a club — an association under French law, affiliated with FFESSM (No. 02 16 0074) and CMAS. Membership and enrolment fees apply rather than pay-per-dive pricing. Contact the club via the website for current rates and the 2025–2026 registration form.
Pool sessions run at the X'Eau facility in Cognac, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 20h15, starting in September each year. Sessions pause during school holidays — check the club calendar for exact dates.
Yes — baptêmes are offered during the summer Été Actif programme at various locations including Jarnac, Châteauneuf, and the X'Eau pool in Cognac. Evening sessions typically run from around 19h to 21h. Dates are listed on the club calendar.
The club covers the full recreational pathway: Niveau 1, 2, 3, and 4. Instructor training (Initiateur, MF1) is also organised. Speciality training includes Nitrox Élémentaire, Nitrox Confirmé, Trimix Élémentaire, RIFAP first aid, TIV tank inspection, and cave diving initiation in the Lot.
It depends on the destination. Hendaye and Estartit trips target N2/N3 divers. The Lavandou autumn trip explicitly requires N3 minimum and includes deep dives. Baptêmes and introductory sessions are open to beginners. Check individual trip sheets (fiches) for requirements.
Yes — apnée is a structured strand of the club's activity. Training runs alongside scuba sessions, and the club participates in departmental meets, the Challenge François 1er in Cognac, Coupe de France rounds, palmathlon events, and NAP pool competitions.
Yes. The club has run trips to Egypt (Ras Mohamed and the Brothers Islands), Tenerife, Lanzarote, and various Spanish coastal sites. These are member-coordinated club departures — contact the named trip leader listed on the calendar for availability and registration.
The club has conducted HandiSub EH1 instructor training, indicating engagement with adapted diving under the FFESSM HandiSub programme. Contact the club directly for current provision.