The organisers had for a while feared that the conference would be under-attended due to concurrent events, even in Brest, and the unusual dates: there is a strong delegate custom of attending an Oceans conference at the beginning of the autumn season. The relatively small number of abstracts and then of papers received reflected this conjunction. Nevertheless, the conference presented a very strong scientific programme and a quite busy exhibition. Delegates, attendants and exhibitors enjoyed the warm, cosy and friendly atmosphere of Le Quartz Conference Centre. On top of the usual Technical Sessions (including Tutorials and a Student poster Competition) and the exhibition area, the conference hosted two main associated meetings: the IEEE/OES Administrative and Technical Committee and the Marine Board of the ESF (European Science Foundation). This gave the opportunity for leaders of the two institutes to meet and exchange ideas.

Technical Sessions
There were 254 papers presented out of 345 abstracts received. Seventeen graduate students were present to defend their posters. Papers were presented over two and a half days, in 62 parallel sessions held in six or seven rooms. For what the following statistics are worth, average attendance was around thirty persons per room, with a high of 56 and a low of seven. We can therefore claim exceptionally high attendance in the session rooms; the level of exchange between delegates and exhibitors was also quite unusual. There was a very successful series of 6 high-level tutorials on the first day, with a high participation of delegates; a mean attendance of eleven persons.

Exhibition
The exhibition numbered 47 stands, of which eight were offered either to coming Oceans conferences or other participating societies (City of Brest, Oceanology International, OES, Imarest and so on...) There were about one hundred exhibitors, many companies bringing two or three representatives. There was good attendance on the part of delegates: having coffee breaks in the exhibition space helped a lot. We had also many visitors. It is difficult to give a number, as the entrance was free. Eighty registered their name, but at least three times this number visited the place, registration of all regular participants, excluding free entrance, being around 650 people. Altogether and including exhibitors we probably had around nine hundred visitors to the stand over the three days of the event.

Social Events
Finally, the social events were greatly appreciated, and all of those attending the ice-breaker at Oceanopolis, the Gala Banquet at the Naval Academy, the Exhibition and the City Hall reception will keep a vivid memory of these fabulous times. After this week of hard work and convivial meetings, the weather having been very kind to us, Brest will be remembered as the Sunny City of the West.