A siltation in Andernos, northern lights on the Pilat dune, Tom Cruise… Here are the most read articles on the Arcachon basin on sudouest.fr

1 Man found silted

It was after reading an article from sudouest.fr that neighbors of a young man, who had disappeared on Monday November 25 in Andernos-les-Bains, found him alive, but in hypothermia, in the mud near their home. them. The Andernosian had dove into 13 degree water early in the afternoon and had not reappeared; a letter had been found, suggesting that the man may have wanted to end his life. A neighboring couple had read the article. “With my wife, Sophie Buisson, we were shocked. We said to ourselves that we would still look outside. She went out and heard a distant but terrible cry carried by the wind. She quickly warned me. I walked towards the sound and saw it, about 200 yards from shore, it was screaming. I moved forward into the mud. He was lying there, in his underwear, in a state of severe hypothermia. Without this article, I would have stayed on my sofa,” notes Romain La Posta. An article read by nearly 950,000 Internet users.

2 Two surfers, two destinies

Two emblematic surfers of the Basin died this year. Philippe Alonso, who died of illness at the end of January, was licensed to the Surf Club of the Cap-Ferret Peninsula. He had been French champion and European kneeboard champion several times and had been manufacturing kneeboards for years in Lanton. famous surfboards. The French Surfing Federation paid tribute to his memory, thus shining the spotlight on the Basin.

Collin Martins, the surfer “who searched for the perfect wave at the end of the world”, died in a diving accident in Australia. This child from the peninsula left at the age of 20 to pursue his passion. His death on September 17 resonated in the small world of surfing. On Sunday September 29, on Sailfish beach, in Cap-Ferret, and on Gnaraloo beach, in Western Australia, his friends took their boards and all rowed in the water to pay tribute to, they wrote , “our legend”. “He was living the life he had dreamed of and that all his friends would have wanted to live,” his father testified for “Sud Ouest”. Ben Bireau, one of his friends, fixed this quest for eternity, the incarnation of the “soul surfer” in a film, “Sail for surf”.

3 Jet-ski drama near Bird Island

A jet-ski accident occurred on the evening of August 4 during a family outing near Île aux Oiseaux. A 47-year-old woman from Angoulême has died. The jet ski of his teenage daughters-in-law allegedly collided with his. Testimonies abounded, notably those from the SNSM of Arcachon. They were collected in a context of controversy surrounding the practice of jet-skiing on the Basin and the closure of launching slipways this summer.

4 The tone rises between gendarmes and police officers

At the end of January, during an alcohol test near Arcachon, the tone rose between the gendarmes and two police officers, passengers in vehicles checked. Everything had been filmed and recorded by the police body-worn camera. One of them, Arcachon police commander, was sentenced on March 13 to two months in prison for contempt of the gendarmes. A story to reread on sudouest.fr

5 Tom Cruise et Grégory Alldritt en visite

Le Bassin is also home to stars who come on vacation. At the end of May, Tom Cruise landed his jet in La Rochelle before being taken on board towards Arcachon. The actor would have come to do location scouting for the filming of a series planned for 2025. On board the helicopter, he was able to admire Fort Boyard and the Cordouan lighthouse. That weekend, who remembers seeing the famous actor?

Another piece of news, real estate this time, increased the audience. After Antoine Dupont, rugby player Grégory Alldritt will also have a house built in Pyla-sur-Mer. On June 24, he filed a building permit for a detached house. Yes, rugby players love Pyla. We often meet Vincent Moscato there, but also Denis Charvet, from time to time Bernard Laporte and it is the former three-quarter wing of CA Bègles Bordeaux William Téchoueyres who runs the Co(o)rniche and Ha(a)ïtza.

6 Mirage, storms and auroras on the Dune

Another icon, nature, this time: the Pilat dune. This year, the highest sand dune in Europe was generous with “magical” photos. She gave us “stunning images of the Northern Lights” on May 10 and 11, an astonishing shot of comet C/2023/A3 and the Milky Way, and a beautiful “mirage of the Pyrenees” on December 17.