the essential
Despite the return of the sun this Sunday in the South-West, the greatest caution is required on the coast. Particularly dangerous baïne currents are forecast for this Sunday, June 16 and Monday, June 17.
Baïnes, watch out for danger. Even if the ocean temperature still remains cool, the return of the sun could attract people to the beaches of the Atlantic coast this weekend. The sun is back, and so are the baïnes. A maximum alert is launched on the beaches of Landes and the Basque Country for this Sunday June 16 and Monday June 17.
If local residents are aware of the phenomenon of baïnes, this is not always the case for tourists. Baïnes – “little bath” in Landes dialect – are sea currents which can be dangerous by carrying bathers out to sea. Every year, swimmers fight the waves to get back to the beach and drown. According to the New Aquitaine Coast Observatory, “along the sandy Aquitaine coast, there is on average one baïne approximately every 400 meters, or nearly 600 baïnes in total”.
Nouvelle-Aquitaine prefecture credit
Beaches already monitored on weekends
It is therefore essential to swim in supervised areas. While waiting for the summer holidays, few beaches are still supervised at weekends in the South-West. This is only the case for:
- Biscarosse on the North and South beaches
- Mimizan Garluche beach and South beach
- Saint-Julien-en-Bornat Contis beach
- Bed-and-Mixe, at the Cap de l’Homy beach
- Old Saint-Gironsin Saint-Girons-plage
- Moliets-et-Maaat the central beach
- Messagesat the central beach and the south beach
- Vieux-Boucauat the central beach
- Soustonsat the ocean beach
- Seignosseat the beaches of Penon, Bourdaines and Estagnots
- Soorts-Hossegorat the central, southern and Chênes Liège beaches
- Capbretonat the central, Santocha and Océanides beaches
- Labenneat the central beach
- Ondresat the central beach
- TarnosMetro beach
- Angletat the beaches of Cavaliers, Madrague, Marinella, Sables d’Or and Chambre d’Amour
- Biarritzat the Grande plage, at the beaches of Port-vieux, Côte des Basques, Milady
- Bidartat the beaches of Ibarritz, Royal Pavilion, Center and Ubahia
- Saint Jean de Luzat the Grande Plage Pergola and at the South beach
- Ciboureat Socoa beach
- Hendayeat Pointe de Sokoburu beach
Surveillance schedules, beach by beach, are available on the Nouvelle-Aquitaine prefecture website.
