Located in Normandy in the Calvados department, the Côte de Nacre (Pearly Coast) extends between the mouth of the Seulles at Courseulles-sur-Mer and that of the Orne at Ouistreham. Its coastline appears as a succession of small cliffs and dunes whose very simple shoreline looks, at first glance, like a regular coast. Some 18.6 miles (30 km) long, it is bordered by the English Channel, a sea whose depth does not exceed 656 feet (200 m), but which is subject to strong tides and frequent winds. Their dominant southwest orientation is roughly parallel to that of the coast and directs the path of the waves into an eastward coastal current.