Dangerous Currents on the Atlantic Coast of France

France has suddenly experienced a heatwave — in many regions, temperatures this weekend are approaching 30°C. Taking advantage of the long weekend due to the Pentecost holiday, vacationers have opened the swimming season. However, several deaths related to the so-called courants de baïne — dangerous rip currents characteristic of the Atlantic — have already been recorded on the Atlantic coast of France.
The prefectures of Gironde, Landes, and the Atlantic Pyrenees have already issued official warnings. The main problem is that such areas appear safe. The water looks visually calmer, there are almost no waves, and that is why both adults and children often go swimming there.
In reality, a baïne is a natural sandy “bowl” where a strong current forms, capable of sweeping a person far from the shore into open sea in just a few minutes. On the Atlantic, the danger often comes not from large waves, but rather from water that is too calm.
What is important to know:
— do not swim at wild and unguarded beaches on the Atlantic;
— choose areas between red and yellow flags where lifeguards are on duty;
— do not enter areas where the water looks too calm against the surrounding waves;
— be especially cautious with children and people who are poor swimmers;
— do not go too far if you stop feeling the bottom.
If a current has already swept someone away, French rescuers recommend:
— do not panic;
— do not try to swim against the current — this is how people most often lose strength;
— stay afloat and gradually move sideways, rather than trying to return to the shore by the same route.
French rescuers emphasize: such currents do not pull a person to the bottom, but they can quickly cause panic and physical exhaustion. Those heading to the areas of Lacanau, Arcachon, Biscarrosse, Landes, and generally to the Atlantic coast of France should be especially cautious right now. The first hot weekends almost every year lead to the same tragedies — largely because people simply do not know about the existence of such currents.