21 deaths and more than 3,500 interventions during the summer period

21 deaths and more than 3,500 interventions during the summer period
21 deaths and more than 3,500 interventions during the summer period

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Ronan Houssin

Published on

Oct 7, 2024 at 11:31 a.m.

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The summer period is now complete. There Atlantic maritime prefecture takes stock of operational activity between the 1is May and September 30, 2024 on the 2,500 kilometers of Atlantic coastline.

Swimming, main cause of operations

Between the beginning of May and the end of September, 3,527 maritime rescue operations were coordinated by the Regional operational surveillance and rescue centers (Cross) of Etel (Morbihan) and Corsen (Finistère). For comparison, 2,944 relief operations were coordinated during the summer of 2023.

As in previous years, swimming is the main cause of rescue interventions for people with 82 operations during the season.

Atlantic Maritime Prefecture

According to the Atlantic maritime prefecture, “it is the department of Finistère which accounts for the most operations” with 550 interventions between May and September. Another Breton department, namely the Morbihancomes in second position with 496 operations.

Atlantic Coast: 21 deaths recorded during May and September

According to the report communicated by the Atlantic maritime prefecture on Friday October 4, 2024, “21 people” died on the Atlantic coast between May 1 and September 30. In 2023, 29 deaths were recorded during this same period.

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Of these 21 deaths, 7 were attributable to swimming, making it once again the most significant cause of death among water activities. Several capsizes and falls have also been reported, as well as the death of three underwater hunters and the death of a woman after a collision between two jet skis.

Atlantic Maritime Prefecture

The departments most affected by these deaths are Finistère with five deaths, and Morbihan, with four deaths recorded over the entire season.

The report on swimming-related operations presented by the Atlantic maritime prefecture only takes into account those coordinated by CROSS Etel and Corsen. This “does not give a global vision of the problem taking into account the different centers that can ensure coordination”, it is specified.

Baïnes, a little or poorly known phenomenon

Each year, raising awareness of the phenomenon of “isolated by the tide” is one of the important points of the water sports and boating safety campaign. But the season was marked by numerous operations linked to this phenomenon.

This phenomenon could easily be avoided if sufficient precautions were taken, in particular by knowing the tide times before any trip to the coast, especially during high tides.

Atlantic Maritime Prefecture

THE baines have been the cause of fatal accidents among swimmers. “This phenomenon, little or poorly known to users, still causes a large number of accidents,” notes the Atlantic maritime prefecture.

One dead in collision between two jet skis

The practice of Nautical Motor Vehicles (NMV) has increased significantly in recent years. This practice also leads to a need for regulations for the safety of users, but also for the repression of dangerous behavior that contravenes the regulations in force in order to ensure the safe practice of this nautical leisure activity by users.

The practice of Nautical Motor Vehicles can lead to serious accidents, as was observed in August, during a collision between two VNMs in the Arcachon basin, which resulted in one death and one serious injury.

Atlantic Maritime Prefecture

Originally, failures to comply with regulations concerning jet skis were mainly observed in targeted areas of the coast, such as the Arcachon basin or the bay of La Baule, the practice of this nautical leisure activity is spreading now across the entire coastline.

August, an intense month in intervention

With 890 operations coordinated by CROSS Etel and Corsen, “the month of August is the month with the most operations linked to the practice of boating and nautical leisure activities”, informs the Atlantic maritime prefecture.

The maritime prefecture explains this number of interventions in August by the weather conditions which have improved over most of the Atlantic coast.

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