Mascaret – sounds exotic doesnt it? It translates into a tidal bore which is when the river changes directions, creating an unusual wave that many enjoy riding – the masca-riders. Here’s a video about the mascaret Called the ultimate ‘surfing party’, the wave lasts about 10-30 minutes and can reach speeds from nine to 18 miles per hour, and reach heights of eight-feet. Its best viewed once a month between June and October, on the days of the full moon. We heard that the conditions might be favorable so we took a gander with our friend Matt and took a train down to Pondesac, about 40 minutes south of Bordeaux. Pondesac is truly a sleepy little town with a train once an hour. We walked into town and seriously, there was literally only one restaurant open for lunch. The other two were closed as the proprietors were on holiday. Almost nothing else was open on a Saturday! After a leisurely lunch, we walked a little over a mile till we came to this bridge, supposedly a great place to see the mascaret. Others had been here too, as evidenced by the tribute to Marco (see below) a masca-rider. Unfortunately, our calculations on the timing were off, and we would miss our return trip train if we stayed, but we did witness how the low tide was taking shape as we watched the water level dropped.Below is a photo of what a mascaret is supposed to look like. We will reschedule a visit this summer and try to guage our timing a little better, but looking forward to seeing this phenomenon.
