Frédéric Dumas Diving Museum

The Musée Frédéric Dumas association was founded in 1994. Its aim is to preserve the memory of Frédéric Dumas and publicize his contribution to the development of scuba diving.

Frédéric Dumas (1913-1991) was one of the pioneers of scuba diving. Along with Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Philippe Tailliez, he made up the trio of scuba diving pioneers known as the "Mousquemers".

When Frédéric Dumas passed away on July 26, 1991, the memory of his contribution to the birth and development of scuba diving naturally faded. While the memory of the other two members of the trio had been preserved and passed on, nothing had yet been thought of or organized for Frédéric Dumas. This was obvious to a group of Sanary residents and former divers who had known him very well.



Sanary-sur-Mer, a historic city of scuba diving:

Frédéric Dumas has spent most of his life in Sanary-sur-Mer. It was here that he began his underwater activities (spearfishing) and where he lived for the rest of his life. In the early days of scuba diving, Jacques-Yves Cousteau lived with his family in Bandol, then in Sanary-sur-Mer. Pioneers of the nascent scuba diving industry set up their businesses in Sanary-sur-Mer in the late 40s. Among them was Paul Dubois, who sold his "lunette squale", the world's first finished diving mask. Georges Sérénon, one of the driving forces behind "La Spirotechnique", the first company to design, manufacture and distribute diving equipment.

In the Maurice Fargues room, the museum presents the first underwater hunting and diving equipment used by Frédéric Dumas. The museum also displays underwater hunting and scuba diving equipment from the late 1930s to the 1960s. The museum also displays some of the objects that Frédéric Dumas collected from ancient wrecks in the Mediterranean.

Every day throughout the year
Opening hours on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 10 am and 1 pm and between 2.30 pm and 6.30 pm.
Closed Monday, Tuesday and Sunday.
Closed exceptionally on January 1st and December 25th.

Facilities

• Parking

Services

• Pets welcome
• Tour free of charge