“Calmer”, “more practical”… facing the sea, the reasons for the success of the beaches of the Thau lagoon

Les touristes étaient plus nombreux sur les plages de l’étang (ici à Mèze) au mois d’août. MIDI LIBRE – KELMAN MARTI

Dans le bassin de Thau, deux options sont possibles pour se baigner : la mer ou l’étang. Ce dernier séduit touristes et locaux, notamment pour sa tranquillité.

The sky is blue. The sun is strong. The mercury easily exceeds 30 °C. For many, a swim is a must. For others, it is the perfect opportunity to sunbathe, meet friends or play rackets. These activities are associated with a place: the beach. Whether they are called Aresquiers in Frontignan, Lido in Sète or Robinson in Marseillan… they are the ones that attract (almost) everyone's attention. Almost, because the Thau basin is not just the sea, it is also its pond and its beaches in Balaruc, Bouzigues or Mèze. And these are very popular in the summer, for many reasons.

“It's calmer than the sea”

“We've been to the seaside for the last few days, contextualizes Gildas, 39, sunbathing. There's a lot going on along the coast. But today, with my wife and children, we needed some calm. So we came to Mèze and the least I can say: it feels good." Between the sea and the pond, everyone has their own opinion in the family. Tilio, 12 years old,“has more fun on the Mediterranean coast with the waves”. For her sister Miliana, 9, on the other hand, it's the pond : “It's calmer. It's better.”

This calm can be explained simply according to Carla Labatut and Eva Fontenay, lifeguards in Mèze for 2 and 4 years: “The public is different from the sea where there are many young people and a very festive side. Here, it's more family-oriented. There are a lot of retirees, some are regulars.” The two young women are suddenly interrupted by one of them. The discussion is warm, but for all that, they keep an eye on what's happening in water that displays about 26 °C on the mercury.

Warmer water

“The fact that it's warmer than the sea doesn't bother you. It's easier to get in”, smiles Laetitia Fremont, a holidaymaker from Normandy, with her feet in the water. And she adds: “You have to walk a long way to get wet, but at least you're quiet. It's very peaceful, there's hardly anyone there.”

A few meters to his left, Lance Evory made the trip in a camper van from Wales. Besides the peace and quiet, the retiree prefers the pond “to sail from time to time with a sailboat”. “It's peaceful and also convenient. I've moved to Pézenas with friends. The lake is closer than the sea, so I might as well make the most of it”, he argues. “You have to admit that it's easier to get to. There are no traffic jams and it's easy to park”, continues in this sense Gildas, delighted to admire the Saint-Clair from the beach.

The practical aspect

For these practical reasons, the lagoon is very popular with the inhabitants of the Hérault region. “If you live in Mèze, you might as well go swimming in the pond as go to the sea”, note Carla Labatut and Eva Fontenay, who nevertheless note a slight drop in attendance compared to last year.

“In the end”, as Gildas rightly says: “Pond or sea, both are good. The ideal is to alternate according to your desires. The important thing is, above all, to have fun."

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