Tens of thousands of curious visitors have crowded historic Mont Saint-Michel and other beauty spots along the French coastline with the promise of a ‘tide of the century’, but it may not have lived up to everyone's expectations.
Anticipating a wall of water that could equal the height of a four-storey building, tourists and locals staked out positions around the picturesque landmark last night and again today, including the partially-washed out causeway as the tide retreated.
They travelled to France’s northern coast for the first giant tide of the millennium, with experts predicting that it could reach as high as 46ft - 18ft above normal - thanks to the effects from yesterday’s spectacular solar eclipse.
But tidal specialist Nicolas Pouvreau told France 24 the surge was a few inches short of expectations.
Mont Saint-Michel was briefly turned into an island at high tide, but low tide provided an opportunity for people to walk on the expansive flat seabed.
Although it is dubbed the ‘tide of the century’, the ‘supertide’ phenomenon occurs once every 18 years when a rare alignment of the sun, moon and Earth create a massive gravitational pull on the sea.
On each occasion, Mont Saint-Michel provides a stunning setting for those looking to watch the phenomenon.
Incredible photos snapped from the air show Mont Saint-Michel, an 11th century abbey located off France’s Normandy coast, cut off from the mainland as it was surrounded by water in the English Channel.
Perched on a rocky island, the Unesco World Heritage Site is exposed to some of the most powerful tides in the world and attracts an estimated two million visitors a year.
In nearby Saint-Malo, France, spectators were soaked by large waves which crashed over the crowded waterfront.
This morning's high tide was close to peak levels as the sea rushed in from over eight miles out, but calm weather diminished the risk of flooding and let down some of the visitors who travelled from afar.
Tourist Jean-Bernard Delamarche, who visited Saint-Malo, said: 'For the "tide of the century" I am a bit disappointed. We came one year, we were staying at the hotel Ibis and we could not get out of the hotel because the street was flooded. But it's true that it is impressive.'
US student Noah Feingold added: 'It's almost more spectacular at low tide in the end because you will be able to walk kilometres and see some little secret beaches that will only be revealed at this moment.'
