“The beaches of Nouvelle-Aquitaine are marked by sea currents which can be dangerous. Every year, swimmers are swept away and drown. Today, these currents are particularly strong and could easily drag you out to sea. For your safety, swim between the flags of the supervised stations. “
This is a message that will be broadcast from summer 2022 via the media, the municipalities concerned, etc. on the entire Atlantic coast, in the event of strong baïnes, announced this Tuesday Martin Guespereau, delegated prefect for defense and security, on the occasion of the presentation of the summer report on the safety of water sports. This warning device was tested for five days this summer and will be rolled out next season.
Prevent drowning
On the Neo-Aquitaine coast, we deplore on average between 20 to 30 people who drown because of baïnes, depending on the year. During the summer of 2021, that number was a little lower, thanks to the weather and 13 bathers lost their lives. “Each time, no one was swimming between the flags or during surveillance hours,” emphasizes Martin Guespereau. This summer, the emergency services (123 lifeguards supported by six helicopters) saved 1,055 bathers in difficulty in the water.
The sandy coasts of New Aquitaine are conducive to the formation of baïnes. Ropes of sand can constitute a basin by closing on the coast “which fills up with the waves and empties at a point, creating an enormous tearing current towards the sea, the bather is attracted by the bath because it has less waves than the dune cordon, ”explains the prefect delegate for defense and security. If all the inhabitants of the region are not yet aware of this risk, the tourists who come in large numbers to the coast are even less aware of it.
Ten days of alert per year on average
The thesis of a Bordeaux researcher, Eric Tellier, emergency doctor at the Bordeaux University Hospital, attracted the attention of the authorities, until then quite lacking in the exercise of anticipation of baïnes. He based his model on the data collected between 2011 and 2014 and it was then supported with those going up to 2018. His report was published in 2020. “We have a beginning of statistical power and we know too much not to not use it, ”comments the Deputy Prefect for Defense and Security.
A scientific committee was formed, bringing together researchers from Météo-France, including specialists in maritime risk and waves, to carry out a sort of second opinion. The model, also submitted to lifeguards who know the beaches well, will be refined over the summer. “We have set the parameters so that this device is triggered ten days a year, where 80% of drownings occur”, specifies Martin Guespereau.
Other countries, whose coasts are subject to the risk of baïnes, have already shown interest in the statistical work of Eric Tellier.