Photos
So-called ‘tide of the century’ actually occurs roughly every 18 years
The Associated Press Posted: Mar 21, 2015 11:40 AM ET Last Updated: Mar 21, 2015 12:49 PM ET
A supertide turned France’s famed Mont Saint-Michel back into a visible island and then retreated out of sight, delighting thousands of visitors who came to see the rare phenomenon.
The so-called “tide of the century” actually happens every 18 years. Although the tide rushes in and out along the whole northern French coast, it’s especially dramatic at the UNESCO world heritage site, which is normally linked to the mainland only by a narrow causeway at high tide.
Tourists walk on the bridge access to the Mont Saint Michel off France’s Normandy coast March 19, 2015. The UNESCO world heritage site is normally linked to the mainland by a causeway. (Pascal Rossignol/Reuters)
The high tide, said to rise at the pace of a horse’s gallop, turned the Mont briefly into an island Saturday, while the day’s low tide allowed people to walk on the expansive flat seabed.
Tidal specialist Nicolas Pouvreau told France 24 the surge was a few centimetres short of expectations.
The Mont Saint-Michel 11th century abbey, as it appears in most days. The tourist site became, for a brief moment, entirely surrounded by the English Channel following exceptionally high spring tides. (Pascal Rossignol/Reuters)
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