Formation Niveau 1

The Niveau 1 course at La Tribu Bulles follows the FFESSM framework — the French federation pathway that Georges BUREL (BEES 1, CMAS **) has been teaching for 35 years. The school mentions running this course in a family format, which fits with the overall ethos: small groups, personalised pace, not rushed.

Sessions can be run in a private pool setting for confined water work before progressing to open water. The Presqu'île de Giens and the surrounding Hyères island coastline provide the open water environment — a stretch of Mediterranean that sees reasonable visibility and varied seabed depending on the site chosen.

The school's cap of five participants per group applies here as it does everywhere. Bubu is consistently described as adapting to each diver's style and level rather than pushing a fixed script, which tends to matter more in certification courses than in one-off dives.

A medical certificate is required. The course produces a FFESSM Niveau 1 certification, the standard French entry-level qualification for buddy diving under supervision to 20 metres.