The Dives river is about 105 kilometres long and has its source near Exmes in the Orne. It flows into the Channel between Cabourg and Dives-sur-Mer, after having drained a large area of marshland.
The Dives marshes stand as bastions of nature, vast land-sea interfaces with remarkable ecological diversity. Subjected to the dynamics of the estuary and always changing, salt meadows and mudflats form landscapes of metamorphosis and natural breathing spaces, refuge areas for migratory birds.