The (FFESSM) is a French sports federation specialized in recreational and competition underwater sports, like

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

and

freediving Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or skin diving, is a mode of underwater diving that relies on breath-holding until resurfacing rather than the use of breathing apparatus such as scuba gear. Besides the limits of breat ...

. It is the main diver training organization in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The historical ancestor of the federation was created in 1948 under the name "Federation of societies for underwater fishing and swimming", and merged in 1955 with the "French federation of underwater activities" to become the current organization. It is one of the founding members of the

Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS; known in English as the World Underwater Federation) is an international federation that represents underwater activities in underwater sport and underwater sciences, and oversees an ...

(CMAS, World Confederation of Underwater Activities) created in 1959. It has 140,000 members, 6,000 instructors, in 2,500 clubs. The federation has a delegation from the French Ministry of Sports to organize and develop scuba diving and related activities nationwide.

Origins and history

In 1948, the organisation was created under the title, ''Fédération des sociétés de pêche à la nage et d’études sous-marines'' (FSPNES) (federation of societies for underwater fishing and swimming). In 1952, FSPNES became the ''Fédération des groupements régionaux de sports sous-marins'' (FGRSSM) (federation of regional groupings of underwater sports). In 1953, FGRSSM became the ''Fédération française des activités sous-marines'' (FFASM) (French federation of underwater activities). In 1954, FFASM changed its name to the ''Fédération nationale française d’études et de sports sous-marins'' (FNFESSM) (French national federation of underwater studies and sports) in order to avoid confusion with FASM, a rival organisation with a similar name. In 1955, FNFESSM and FASM merged to become FFESSM (French federation of underwater studies and sports).

Underwater sport

FFESSM supports competition at all levels for the following underwater sports:

finswimming Finswimming is an underwater sport consisting of four techniques involving swimming with the use of fins either on the water's surface using a snorkel with either monofins or bifins or underwater with monofin either by holding one's breath or ...

spearfishing Spearfishing is fishing using handheld elongated, sharp-pointed tools such as a spear, gig, or harpoon, to impale the fish in the body. It was one of the earliest fishing techniques used by mankind, and has been deployed in artisanal fishi ...

underwater hockey Underwater hockey (UWH), also known as Octopush in the United Kingdom, is a globally played limited-contact sport in which two teams compete to manoeuvre a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into the opposing team's goal by propelling ...

cave diving Cave-diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the underwater search and recovery, search for and recovery of divers or, as in th ...

, underwater orienteering and

underwater target shooting Underwater target shooting is an underwater sport/shooting sport that tests a competitors’ ability to accurately use a speargun via a set of individual and team events conducted in a swimming pool using freediving or apnea technique. The sport ...

. It also offers competition in

canyoning Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a sport that involves traveling through canyons using a variety of techniques, such as walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling (rappelling), swimming, and raft ...

Qualifications

Diver level

* A level-1 diver can dive to a maximum depth of 20 m when under the direct supervision of at least a level-4 diver. * A level-2 diver can dive to a maximum depth of 20 m with other level-2 (minimum) divers, and up to 40 m under the direct supervision of a level-4 diver. * A level-3 diver can dive to a maximum depth of 60 m with other level-3 divers and of 20 m with other level-2 divers. * A level-4 diver ("dive leader") can supervise level-1 and level-2 divers to a maximum depth of respectively 20 and 40 m (as described previously). * A level-5 diver ("diving officer") chooses the diving sites, implements security measures, builds dive teams, and grants authorizations to divers and dive leaders for exploration dives.

Leadership level

* The level E1 ''Initiateur'' is a level II or III diver who also has a ''diplôme d'initiateur'' and the Rescue specialty (RIFAP), and can teach to a maximum depth of 6 m. * The level E2 is a level IV diver who also has a ''diplôme d'initiateur'' and the Rescue specialty, or an E3 candidate, and can teach to a maximum depth of 20 m. * The level E3 ''Moniteur fédéral 1er degré'' (MF1) or ''Moniteur fédéral 1er degré Associé'' (MF1A) or ''Brevet d'État d'éducateur sportif 1er degré'' (BEES1) can teach to a maximum depth of 40 m with air and 40 m with Trimix and is a diving officer for dives from 0–40 m with air/nitrox and 70 m with Trimix. * The level E4 ''Moniteur fédéral 2e degré'' (MF2) or ''Moniteur fédéral 2e degré Associé'' (MF2A) or ''Brevet d'État d'éducateur sportif 2e degré'' (BEES2) can teach to a maximum depth of 60 m with air and 80 m with Trimix and is also a diving officer for diver deeper than 40m with air/nitrox and 120 m with Trimix. * The level E5 ''Brevet d'État d'éducateur sportif 3e degré'' (BEES3) is an honorific level for research and teaching.

Equivalences

As the federation is a founding member of CMAS (world underwater federation), all certifications delivered to its divers come with a world equivalence.

Presidents of the FFESSM

* Honorary president: Commandant

Jacques-Yves Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called the A ...

* Founding president: Jean Flavien Borelli (1955–1956) * Elie Ferat (1956–1965) * Jacques Dumas (1965–1968 and 1972–1977) * Henry Ducommun (1968–1972) * Pierre Perraud (1977–1980) * Bernard Dargaud (1980–1993) * Francis Imbert (1993–2001) * Roland Blanc (2001-2009) * Jean-Louis Blanchard (2009-2021) * Frédéric Di Meglio (Since march 2021)

References

External links

FFESSM

CEDIP
{{DEFAULTSORT:FeDeration Francaise D'EtuDes Et De Sports Sous-Marins Underwater diving training organizations Underwater sports organizations Underwater hockey governing bodies Underwater sports Finswimming Underwater orienteering Freediving 1955 establishments in France Sports organizations established in 1955 Underwater diver organizations