Deep-Water Soloing in Cap d'Antibes

Living in Antibes, I often promenaded myself along the rocky seacoast of the Cape, a green peninsula of land that divides the area of Juan-Les-Pins from the old town center. Despite its surface is abundantly occupied by luxury villas, there still exists several paths to gain access to the see side and to the turquoise blue water, a freshness invitation during the hot summer season.
At page 44 of the climbing guide L'escalade dans les Alpes-Maritimes, JC. Raibaud had already inserted the Garoupe area as a possible site of bouldering and traverses. However, at my knowledge, no more precise information were available. Thus, I bore the idea of opening a bunch of modern climbing routes that would have permit the deep-water soloing in Cap d'Antibes. A climbing purified from the mountaineering traditionalism, in which the forma mentis is the only reason of a triumph, or of a fall.
In a DWS the fall is normally safe, and in the routes that I suggest is even more. In fact, since all the routes have a limited height, rarely a fall would cause serious injures to the climber. Anyway, it's always important to climb carefully, and to avoid at all the activity in slight-sea days.
Finally, on the exceptional white limestone of the Cape, a dozen of DWS routes within the 6 and the 11 meters have been opened. They are distributed along two featured crags. The limited difficulty of these routes (within the 5. and the 6. grade), allows the practice of the deep-water soloing also to not-professional climbers, and in an safe, pleasurable and amusing environment.

July 2009 - May 2019, Balda.

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Access

Drive along the coastal road of Cap d'Antibes by following for the Garoupe beach (Plage de la Garoupe). In summer it could become difficult to park in the area, so climbers would prefer to use two-wheelers. From the beach follow the path on the right that brings to a metal gate reminding the begin of the equipped path. Continue for about 300meters.
The Marine crag is the first one to be reached. It is usually gained from some rocks coming before and swimming until the base of the routes (about 3mt.). The start of the spigolo is from a small rocky platform on the right, and then climbing on the left of an evident crag. For the other two routes is either possible to start from the water or from a left basement. Exposition is south-est.
The Psyco crag come later, in the highest point of the sea-path (~11mt). In summer, the sun shines on this cliff until the late afternoon. The access is some meters before a rocky arch, on the left, where a rocky path (II grade) brings at see level, to a sort of see-platform. The D and E routes can be directly reached traversing on the left (facing the cliff), while for the others is necessary to swim, on the left and start from the see. Otherwise, it's possible to traverse the whole cliff by climbing a VI+. The camino can be reached from a second rocky platform on the left. Pay attention when swimming there: people could dive from the top :)
Click on the photos for enlarge them.