The Manche department is the ultimate territory of great tides. The tidal range reaches 13 metres around Mont-Saint-Michel and Granville, among the highest in the world. The Cotentin peninsula, battered by currents, is home to the Alderney Race (Raz Blanchard), one of the most powerful tidal currents in Europe (up to 12 knots).
From Cherbourg, the great artificial harbour, to the Chausey Islands, Europe's largest archipelago with 365 islets visible at low tide, Manche offers a permanent maritime spectacle. Shore fishing around Granville and in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel attracts tens of thousands of enthusiasts during spring tides. The oyster farms of Blainville and the salt meadows of the bay bear witness to a terroir shaped by the tides for centuries.
