The island of Embiez is located one kilometer from Six-Fours-les-Plages, near Toulon
It has long been a salt pasture, accessible by wading from the peninsula of Petit Gaou.
In 1938, a sailor who liked to dive met a submarine hunter there.
A little later, he returned there with Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
The trio marked the history of diving.
During the Second World War, in 1942, they made the first French underwater film, "Par dix-huit mètres de fond".
After the war, Paul Ricard bought and developed his island.
The harbors and hamlets of Embiez have been built since 1958.
The island has movie theaters and conference rooms, a post office, shops, and is crisscrossed by small tourist trains on tires.
Fort Saint-Pierre is home to the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute, which studies marine biodiversity and undertakes research into aquaculture and the effects of marine pollution.
There is an aquarium and a small museum.
Paul Ricard himself is buried nearby.
The island is also a refuge for the League for the Protection of Birds.
A Roman style theater allows the organization of shows.
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