Global Dive Team - Marion Moriceau

Marion Moriceau

Location: Les Sables d’Olonne, France

Occupation: Commercial Diver

Scuba Diving Since: Diver since 2000, Royal Navy diver since 2009 and commercial diver since 2013

Favorite Local Dive: Seaweed forest of Iroise Natural Marine Park in Bretagne

Favorite Dive Location: The wreck of the 116 metre long liner L'Afrique sank 48 km and 47 metres deep off Les Sables-d'Olonne in 1920

An Interview with Marion Moriceau

Why did you decide to take the giant stride into the oceans? 

I come from a family of fishermen and sailors from the west coast of Les Sables d'Olonne and it's seawater that runs through my veins. I grew up with surfing, freediving and the epic Vendée Globe solo and unassisted round-the-world race from a very early age. From the moment I first went underwater, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life trying to live under the sea. I began to dream of building my house under the ocean. The men of the Atlantic didn't believe it was a job a woman could do, so I fought to become a technical diver. To reach an excellent level, I joined the divers of the French Navy and after several years of missions across the globe I finally felt credible enough to follow the prestigious IMCA international commercial diver training course. I was proud to become the third woman in France to be certified as a diver class II mention A. My career has focused on ocean-friendly subsea construction and major projects such as offshore extensions and wind turbines.

How has diving changed your life?

Diving is my whole life, it's much more than a job or a passion, it's the greatest love of my life.

What kind of diving do you like to do?

I feel happy in forests of brown seaweed, watching them dance in the currents. I love diving in obscure sites that make me imagine I'm in a science fiction film and that I'm going to discover something extraordinary. I love it when animals come up to me and look me in the eye. But my favourite part is when I take friends to discover the underwater world.

Tell us about one of the most amazing experiences you have had underwater?

I have traveled so much, perhaps the most incredible was the trip to the Galapagos, I think a passionate diver once in a lifetime must visit those fantastic islands. Diving with iguanas, penguins, walls of sharks, orcas, sea lions and so much more was the most incredible experience of my diving life.

Where are some of your favorite places underwater?

The most memorable dive was my first dive under the ice. I cried into my mask as nature offered me such a breathtaking spectacle. The layers of ice, the bubbles caught in this white trap and the ones that came out of my regulator and crashed against the walls.

What is your advice to someone considering diving?

I will invite them to follow their objectives without any fear, to follow training with local clubs that respect the environment, to choose equipment that is also committed to protecting the oceans
in their manufacturing process. They will see how the ocean is as powerful as it is fragile. It’s as important to know ocean meteorology as our own physiology.

What would you tell people about the oceans?

Ocean water circulates throughout the land so we absolutely must be careful about what we put into the water, as all living beings depend on its state.

What does diving mean to you?

Diving is for me a technical means of being able to spend as much time as possible under the sea.

Why did you choose SCUBAPRO for your diving equipment?

I chose scubapro because it is the only brand that invests so much in research, I know this because I am a professional and I attach as much importance to the solidity, the reliability of my equipment, as to the values they carry. The brand has been a pioneer in designer jumpsuits for women and has also been a pioneer in the development of eco-responsible solutions for sustainable manufacturing. Finally, they have a real philosophy of the oceans in which I find myself.

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