BASSIN D'ARCACHON

The 'Bassin d'Arcachon', the locals just call "le Bassin", is the last water area that remains wide opened to the Atlantic ocean, situated as a landmark between the Côte d'Argent and the Côte des Landes on the south-west sea shore of France. For long ago, similar areas became lakes (called in French "lacs" or "étangs") nowadays filled with fresh water; from north (the Gironde mouth) to south (the Adour river mouth), are the Lac d'Hourtin-Carcans, the Lac de Lacanau, the Étang de Cazaux et de Sanguinet, the Étang de Biscarrosse et de Parentis, the Étang d'Aureilhan, the Étang de Léon, the Étang de Soustons, the Étang Hardy, the Étang Blanc and the Étang de Garros.
Its perhaps due to the Leyre river that runs water from the Forêt des Landes and has its mouth (Delta de l'Eyre) in its south east side, that the Bassin still has a link to the sea.
The general shape of the Bassin d'Arcachon is that of an equilateral triangle. The access to the sea being done between Le Cap Ferret and Pyla-sur-Mer, through a 3 Km narrow channel (Les Passes).
Nearly in the middle of the Bassin is a very particular island: L'île aux Oiseaux (birds island). (to be continued)