The reason the river Etel has the pretty name of 'ria' is because the Atlantic Ocean is responsible for defining its tidal peaks and reach. Viewed from the air, it is like a labyrinth where land and sea seek each other out, find each other, and in places join, offering a richly colourful landscape to the visitor. Once past the "Etel bar", a perpetually shifting sandbar, the amateur sailor can relax and head off to explore the preserved and protected natural environment. A succession of lagoons, wild beaches, marshes and oyster beds are to be found in this little, sinuous interior sea, with its dotting of islets.