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Josephine's bathtub Fonds blancs François MartiniqueJosephine's bathtub Fonds blancs François Martinique
©Josephine's bathtub Fonds blancs François Martinique|MDES
The White Bottoms and Joséphine's Bathtub

The White Bottoms and Josephine’s Bathtub

Seen from the sky, they are small translucent spots in the middle of a deep blue ocean: the “Fonds Blancs”(white bottoms) of Martinique arouse the curiosity of the traveler. A natural curiosity to discover and rediscover. Aboard a fisherman’s skiff or a kayak, on a jet ski or a catamaran, a real tourist activity has been organized around this particularity of the windward coast…

What is a White Bottom?

From Sainte-Anne to the Caravelle peninsula, Martinique’s Atlantic coast is a succession of shallow bays protected from the open sea by the coral reef and dotted with islets. Light spots here and there: so here are the famous white bottoms… These are in fact sandy bottoms in the open sea where you can swim in one meter of water in complete peace: “I’m on foot!”. The Martiniqueans as well as the tourists have taken the habit of coming to settle down with a glass of rum or fruit juice in hand. Taking an aperitif in the open sea while splashing around, water up to your waist, is an experience worth the detour!

Located mainly off the communes of François, Robert and Vauclin, it is obviously impossible to get there by foot. The options are numerous and meet everyone’s requirements, depending on whether you are looking for a quiet stroll, a festive atmosphere, an activity in total autonomy…

The white bottom of

Joséphine's Bathtub

the most famous !

Many legends surround this white bottom located 2.5km from the shore, between Oscar Islet and Thierry Islet. For some, Joséphine’s bathtub would be named in memory of the Empress* who had her habits here. *(Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie, known as Joséphine de Beauharnais, born in 1763 in Trois-Îlets, first wife of Emperor Napoleon I). Others point out that Napoleon’s future wife, living south of the island in the village of Trois-Ilets, must have had other bathing places closer to home, and that the nickname would instead come from the name of a small sand-dredging boat “La Joséphine” that supplied itself here. A more prosaic but perhaps more realistic version!

And also ...
The white bottom of the Trapèze

Le Robert

The white bottom of the Chevalier islet

Sainte-Anne

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