Barachois

For other uses, see Barachois (disambiguation).

A barachois is a type of coastal lagoon partially or totally separated from the ocean by a sand or shingle bar. The term is used in Atlantic Canada, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Réunion, and Mauritius. On Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory, it describes narrow-mouthed saltwater wetlands within the lagoon.

In some cases, the separating bar is composed of boulders rather than sand, such as at Freshwater Bay near St. John’s, Newfoundland. Salt water may enter a barachois during high tides.

Barachois features often form as a result of sediment deposition in the delta of a river or, in some locations such as Miquelon Island, by a tombolo.

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