THE FRENCH ATLANTIC COAST GETS A RARE MOON GRAVITATIONAL EFFECT AS ITS COAST IN THE AREA OF MONT SAINT-MICHEL LOW LYING AREA GETS FLOODED EVERY YEAR

The spectacle kicked off in style shortly after 9am on Saturday as the tide on France’s western coast reached a coefficient of 117 on a scale of 120.

Thousands of people took advantage of the school winter break to converge on observation spots and witness the spectacularly high water levels.

Among the most popular draws were spots along the coast of Brittany and the world-famous Mont Saint-Michel, the Norman hillock that resumes its island form when tides come in.

Each year, police and fire brigades line the beaches beneath the Mont Saint-Michel to warn tourists about the hazard caused by high tides, with waters rising by a staggering 14 metres.

"It's quite simply fabulous," enthused one woman taking in the scene of surging ocean water with the mount’s 11th-century abbey looming overhead. "It's the Mont as it was in the beginning –- surrounded by water."

Saturday’s high tide was the first in nearly a month of remarkable water surges due to culminate on March 20 and 21 with tidal coefficients of 118 on 119 respectively.

http://www.france24.com/en/20150222-crowds-await-tide-century-french-atlantic-coast-mont-saint-michel-brittany/