Freediver in his thirties dies during spearfishing trip in Brittany's Glénan islands
A man in his thirties died on Saturday after vanishing while spearfishing with a group near Penfret island in the Glénan archipelago, off the coast of Finistère, Brittany. A large search effort involving boats and helicopters ended with the recovery of his body, but resuscitation attempts failed.
Disappearance during a group spearfishing trip
On the morning of Saturday, 13 June 2026, a man in his thirties went spearfishing freediving with three other people in the Glénan archipelago, an island group located in the commune of Fouesnant, off the south coast of Finistère, Brittany. The group had travelled to the area on a semi-rigid boat. After entering the water north of Penfret island, the freediver failed to reappear. His companions, who had also been in the water or on board the boat, became alarmed and began searching. Their efforts only turned up his speargun, drifting on the surface. At around 10:30 a.m., they contacted the CROSS Étel rescue centre to report a missing diver.
Mobilisation of air and sea rescue assets
CROSS Étel quickly coordinated a response involving several maritime and aerial resources. Two SNSM lifeboats were dispatched: the SNS 297 from the Beg-Meil station and the SNS 069 from Concarneau Trevignon. A French Navy H160 helicopter, callsign Rescue Beligou, took off from Lanvéoc naval air base, while the Dragon 56 helicopter of the civil security service also joined the operation. Meanwhile, a number of private pleasure craft already near the archipelago volunteered to assist in scanning the waters north of Penfret.
- Alert received by CROSS Étel, freediver reported missing
- Body found 200 metres north of Penfret island
- Freediver declared dead in early afternoon after resuscitation attempts fail
Recovery and death of the freediver
The search ended around midday when the SNSM crew from Bénodet spotted the body of the missing man. It was lying roughly 200 metres north of Penfret, almost exactly at the point where he had disappeared. The freediver was unconscious but still tethered to his parachute safety buoy, a device that freedivers typically deploy in emergencies to signal their position or help them ascend. The Dragon 56 helicopter winched him on board, and the medical team aboard immediately initiated resuscitation procedures. Despite these efforts, the man did not regain consciousness and was declared dead in the early afternoon. The Atlantic maritime prefecture subsequently confirmed the fatal accident to media outlets.
