Meeting place of the Douve and Taute rivers

Photographed a little after sunset.

The tidal range (difference in height between high and low tides) of this section of the Normandy coast is normally a little over four metres - 13 feet - but during high tides can exceed six metres.

To the left the river Taute is discharging water into the canal connecting Carentan's inland port to the sea.  To the right the water flows from the river Taute, and the meeting of the two rivers creates a succession of little whirlpools and a strong anticlockwise current, visible towards the right of this photo.  The black colouring of the vegetation indicates the water level at high tide.

At right bottom is the end of the Carentan port system.  Just behind me are the lock gates which give access to the port during the hours when the water level is high enough.

The flow of water from the two rivers to the sea is regulated by massive tidal gates (portes à flots)  located a little further upstream.

This entire system is man-made, and the 4 kms long canal to the sea has to be dredged regularly.