Boat to the Oyster Tables with Bleu Marin

What it involves

From the shore at Bouzigues you see the oyster tables as a grid of posts in the middle of the lagoon. This trip takes you among them. It is run by Le Bleu Marin, a family of shellfish farmers from Bouzigues who have been in the trade for four generations: the boat leaves the marina, crosses to the beds and enters their own farm, where they explain how the oysters and mussels of the Étang de Thau are raised.

What you see is what makes this oyster different. In Thau there are no tides, so the oysters do not grow on the bottom but hanging: they stick to ropes that hang from the tables, wood-and-metal structures driven into the lagoon. As you approach you see the ropes and the daily work in the bed.

The boat and the length

The Bleu Marin is a semi-covered boat for 65 people, with a covered saloon for 30 and two open decks, front and back. The trip lasts about an hour, of which a little over half an hour is spent in the bed.

Times

• April, October and until 12 November: one trip a day, at 15:00.
• May, June and September: at 11:00, 14:30 and 16:00.
• July and August: at 11:00, 14:30, 16:00 and 17:30.
• Mid-November to March: only for groups by reservation.

Board at the Bouzigues marina 15 minutes before departure.

Price and booking

• Adult: €14.
• Child aged 3 to 16: €10.
• Groups of more than 10: €12 per adult and €9 per child.

Book by phone, on +33 6 03 31 44 90. In July and August, book ahead; out of summer, call anyway to confirm that the trip is going ahead.

When to go

Spring and September are good months: soft light, a calm lagoon and fewer people. In summer, the 11:00 trip avoids the strong heat of early afternoon.

In a strong wind the lagoon gets choppy and the trip is less comfortable: check the forecast and call if in doubt.

With children and what to bring

It works well with children from three years old: it is short, you see things up close and there is always something to look at. Bring a cap and sun cream in summer and a warm layer in spring and autumn, as it is cool on the water. With a pushchair, ask when booking how to board.

What to combine

The trip is better understood if you first visit the Musée de l'Étang de Thau, on the fishing port quay, a few steps away: the family itself recommends it. Afterwards, go and eat oysters at a producer's mas, such as Le Cercle des Huîtres, or on the terrace of La Côte Bleue.

In Mèze, a few kilometres away, another boat, the Mansathau catamaran, runs similar trips from its port: we cover it in the Mèze entry.