Photo : Vertounoir / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Bassin d'Arcachon
Arcachon Bay is a lagoon on the Gironde coast covering 174 km² at high tide, but only 60 km² at low tide. Unlike the neighbouring ponds of the Landes, it communicates with the Atlantic through two passes about three kilometres wide, which exposes it to the rhythm of the tides and gives it the look of a small inland sea.
Oyster farming is the main activity: the bay produces about 18,000 tonnes of oysters a year on nearly 1,800 hectares and is Europe's leading centre for collecting oyster spat. Oyster huts line its shores. In the centre, the Île aux Oiseaux is known for its cabanes tchanquées, built on stilts between 1946 and 1948 as holiday homes; contrary to a popular idea, they never served to watch over the oyster beds.
A marine nature park was created on 5 June 2014 to protect the bay's marine heritage and encourage sustainable development. Nearby stretches the Dune du Pilat, an enormous sand dune bordering the bay on the ocean side. Arcachon is the main town of the bay, from which boat excursions leave.
