France. Normandy. Arromanches. Wrecks of the DDAY, June 6, 1944

Normandy is not very known and not famous for its scuba dives except perhaps by divers coming from the Calvados department, who know all the underwater treasures that lie on the sandy bottoms. Off the small village of Arromanches, hundreds of wrecks dating from the landing of June 6, 1944, are home to dozens of species of fish such as sea bass, pouts or many crustaceans like lobsters, sea spiders or big crabs.

The color of the North Sea is far from the intense blue of the Mediterranean Sea or the Red Sea, because the sea is shallow and the currents are often very violents. They brew a lot of sand, which makes visibility sometimes very poor. But Arromanches is a great place for underwater photographers because the environments are unique in the world. The bottoms are spotted with these huge vessels with steel hulls that provide shelter for thousands of fish. It's a fantasy world populated by ghosts and historical relics such as the guns of Susan B. Anthony, the whiskey bottles that were used to intoxicate the wounded before surgery.

Exploring the bottom of Normandy is like diving into a still very recent past we have not known other than through war movies made by Hollywood studios. When you come out after a dive on a historical wreck, it is not quite the same. You come back rich in emotions, sensations. You understand better what might actually happen during those terrible days. These wrecks impose use the duty of remembrance.