Ligue francophone de recherches et d'activités sous-marines

The Ligue francophone de recherches et d'activités sous-marines (Lifras) is a Belgian non-profit association (ASBL) that unifies and promotes underwater activities among the French-speaking and German-speaking communities of Belgium. It was created on 19 June 1978 and today brings together around 128 clubs and some 7,000 divers. Its official website describes more than 135 clubs and/or diving schools in Wallonia and Brussels federating more than 6,500 members. Lifras offers high-quality training whose certifications are recognized worldwide, and it presents diving as an accessible leisure sport built on team spirit and self-mastery. Lifras is the French-speaking part of the Fédération belge de recherches et d'activités sous-marines (FEBRAS), whose Dutch-speaking wing is the Nederlandstalige Liga voor Onderwateronderzoek en -Sport (NELOS), with nearly 11,000 members. FEBRAS is, alongside other international federations, a founding member of the Confédération mondiale des activités subaquatiques (CMAS), a body that groups many diving federations worldwide. The organization is governed by a board of directors of ten members renewed by thirds every year and elected for three years, including a president, a vice-president, a general secretary, a treasurer and six administrators. The general assembly is made up of club presidents, whose votes are proportional to the number of certified members. Decisions become effective only after publication in the official part of L'Hippocampe, a quarterly sent free to all members. Lifras operates through commissions covering apnea, audiovisual, teaching, underwater hockey, medical, fin swimming, adapted diving, technical diving, scientific and underwater technique. Its presidents have included Joseph Lacroix (1978), Pierre Dernier (1985), Christian Henricy (1996), Robert Henry (2001), Jean Rondia (2010), Maria del Pilar Ruiz Lopez (2015) and Marc Lycops (2022).

The Ligue francophone de recherches et d'activités sous-marines (Lifras) was created on 19 June 1978 as a Belgian non-profit association (ASBL) aiming to unify and promote underwater activities in Belgium. It is the French-speaking part of the Fédération belge de recherches et d'activités sous-marines (FEBRAS), whose Dutch-speaking wing is the Nederlandstalige Liga voor Onderwateronderzoek en -Sport (NELOS). FEBRAS is, alongside other international federations, a founding member of the Confédération mondiale des activités subaquatiques (CMAS), a body that groups many diving federations worldwide. Over the decades Lifras grew into a federation of clubs and diving schools across Wallonia and Brussels. Its official website states that it comprises more than 135 clubs and/or diving schools in Wallonia and Brussels federating more than 6,500 members, while the French Wikipedia article reports around 128 clubs of the French-speaking and German-speaking communities of Belgium and some 7,000 divers. NELOS, the Dutch-speaking counterpart, counts nearly 11,000 members. Lifras offers training leading to internationally recognized certifications, organizes discovery dives, and supports a wide range of underwater disciplines through its commissions: apnea, audiovisual, teaching, underwater hockey, medical, fin swimming, adapted diving, technical diving, scientific and underwater technique. It also publishes L'Hippocampe, a quarterly sent free to all members, which contains an official section where decisions of the board and general assembly and directives of the commissions become effective, as well as news, club life and general articles on underwater diving. The organization is managed for current affairs by a board of directors of ten members, renewed by thirds every year and elected for three years: a president, a vice-president, a general secretary, a treasurer and six administrators. The general assembly is made up of club presidents, who hold a number of votes proportional to the number of certified members; it is the supreme organ of the League, and no important decision can be taken without being submitted to its vote. Presidents of Lifras have included Joseph Lacroix (1978), Pierre Dernier (1985), Christian Henricy (1996), Robert Henry (2001), Jean Rondia (2010), Maria del Pilar Ruiz Lopez (2015) and Marc Lycops (2022).

• 2022

  Marc Lycops serves as president.

• 2015

  Maria del Pilar Ruiz Lopez serves as president.

• 2010

  Jean Rondia serves as president.

• 2001

  Robert Henry serves as president.

• 1996

  Christian Henricy serves as president.

• 1985

  Pierre Dernier serves as president.

• 1978

  Lifras created on 19 June 1978 as a Belgian ASBL.

• 1978

  Joseph Lacroix serves as president.

Non-profit Belgian French-speaking diving federation offering high-quality, internationally recognized training and a friendly sporting community.

• Diving certifications

  Internationally recognized certifications offered through Lifras clubs.

• Discovery dives

  Introductory dives available through Lifras clubs.

• Instructor training (Adeps)

  Sports instructor training pathway for monitors.

• L'Hippocampe

  Quarterly magazine sent free to all members, including official notices and club news.

1. 1Lifras asbl - La Lifraslifras.be
2. 2Ligue francophone de recherches et d'activités sous-marinesfr.wikipedia.org
3. 3Ligue francophone de recherches et d'activités sous-marineswikidata.org