France - Thau Lagune Pics

Hi,

Here are some pics of Thau lagune in France.

We can find there Seahorses, pipefishes, nudibranches, shrimps, cuttlefishs ... it's like a french lembeh !

I really enjoy this place

Do you know Thau ??

Very very nice! I love the angles - great photos.

Cheers

James

Here are some pics of Thau lagune in France.

We can find there Seahorses, pipefishes, nudibranches, shrimps, cuttlefishs ... it's like a french lembeh !

I really enjoy this place

 

Do you know Thau ??

J'aime beaucoup les photos. Je ne sais pas Thau mais [revert to English here] it certainly seems like a french lembeh.

Merci beaucoup et bienvenue,

Ellen

These are lovely, Helene - thanks for posting.

Very nice Helene.

Would love to visit again. Hopefully next year.

Alex

Thanks everyone

@Alex : I dived with JP Trenque 2 weeks ago in Thau, and we would have really enjoyed to be with you I hope you'll come back again. There are so many things to see

Salut Helene!

J'aime beaucoup les images des meduses. J'espere que je pouvais plongee sous marine en France bientot. Sorry I have not spoken, much less written, French in a long time.

-Daniel

--------------

Broadreach and Academic Treks

www.gobroadreach.com

Très jolie Helene!

J'ete un foi en Sète avec EF pour apprendre le Francais, mais I'oublie beaucoup en toute cette anne's (30, plus o meme)....

Salut!

Chris

Thanks for your French words. Your French is quite good ! Probably better than my English !

Thau lagune is close to Sète, so maybe have you been already diving there, Chris ??

Nice shots! Can anyone dive there?

Salut Hélène,

no i was there when i was about 15 years old and was sailing but not diving at this age.

I was 3 weeks in Sète to do e French course with EF language and stayed on the house of a "Madame" who owned a Bar,

but i can't barely remember her while Sète and La Grande-Motte i remember quite well.

I am Swiss, but live from '96 in Sardinia-Italy and now half year here in Costa Rica where i own a dive shop and the other half year back in Sardinia.

I would like to come to Sète to do some photo shootings in the Thau Lagune as your Photos are very nice and attracting to me.

If i can find the time (and money) to take the Ferry from Sardinia to Nice i may come to do some dives there.

Is diving free there or is it necessary to get a special permission and is a Dive Shop around to rent tanks?

I noted on your pictures that there are taken in a "Moules" mussels breeding plant, so i guess that the entrance to it is limitated.

Chris

Hélène Caillaud, the "Queen of Thau"...

Like the Queen of Saba you rule this small lagune like no one else, sharing your true passion for this little French Lembeh.

Hélène, congratulations for your portfolio which looks so much more impressive far from the "Petit Forum"...

I just can't wait to buddy up with you one more time "Binôôôôôme".

Should I say "MADAME".

Damien

HI Everybody

There are two ways for diving there :

- by your own : you have just to rent tanks, ..... It's 7 meters deep, so relax diving, but visibility is rarely good : 3-4 meters in general.

- there are a few dive spots (which i call "tables" -> wide angle pics were shot there) that you only can dive with a dive club. Because they are french clubs, they only dive with CMAS levels (PADI is not recognized yet for them! )

@Damien : Heu, t'y vas pas un peu fort là ?? On verra si tu diras la même chose Samedi !

Lovely shots. Great lighting and composition on the first two. I like how you captured the detail in the black rhinophores on the nudi without overexposing the rest.

beautiful shots! I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw the title of the thread was in France. Pleasantly surprised.

Hi Helene!

Congrats for those beautiful pictures. Like you said it reminds us Indonesian great macro places (a small Secret Bay...).

I'm also French and living in Antibes, so I'll try to dive there this summer :-)

One big difference with Lembeh is probably the 6 degrees we can have in winter ...

Disadvantage, and also advantage because we see very different species at this period !

Here are some other pics ...

Really cool shots! ALex M has talked about this place, very intriguing!

@Damien : Heu, t'y vas pas un peu fort là ?? On verra si tu diras la même chose Samedi !

Hélène,

Thank you very for leading the dives today.

You mastered the place and we were sincerely surprised and you have an incredible talent for finding sea horses and pipe fish with such poor viz conditions.

Congratulations and thank you.

Damien

beautiful shots! I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw the title of the thread was in France. Pleasantly surprised.

You should not be surprised about France, this is an amazing place for diving.

I"ve been to South Africa, Red Sea, Caribbean, Maldives, Coco Island, Cabo Verde, etc... and I will spend my next vacations in the Med sea this summer. This is not about money, but I simply LOVE it while I could go to a tropical place.

This small sea can be surprising, but also amazingly beautiful. If you like big walls, deep dives, gigantic gorgonians, schools of fishes, tunas, WW2 wrecks, etc... or simply critters in Thau, southern part of France can be surprisingly pleasant.

Few shots taken in France:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigeyebubblef...57607059003894/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigeyebubblef...57621576549894/

And I have really impressive stuff in my database that I have not shared to date. I would be pleased to tell you where and when to go if you are interested.

I simply love it, even if I had the chance to travel the world.

Damien