Actualités : Les baïnes: a maritime phenomenon to know and understand in order to fully and peacefully enjoy your vacation.

First of all, it is important to remember what a baïne is.
This is an area of ​​calmer water, often located between two sandbars, which can resemble a small, shallow swimming pool.

The baïne phenomenon is mainly caused by wave action.
When waves break and encounter a sandbar, they can create currents of water that flow parallel to the beach. These currents can carry sand and form hollows between the sandbars, thus creating baïnes.

Another element also plays a role in the formation of this baïne current: the height of the tide.
At mid-tide, the waves break over the sandbanks and cover the bay with water.
This is when the waves form the rip current. This baïne current will head out to sea via the breach, taking the swimmers with it. The narrower and deeper this breach is and the higher the waves, the more powerful it will be. Hence the importance of checking the tide times before going to the beach!

What makes baïnes potentially dangerous is that the water is often calmer than in surrounding areas, which can give a false sense of security.
Swimmers and especially families may be attracted to these less turbulent areas, but the undercurrents can be strong and difficult to detect.
This can lead to situations where swimmers become trapped in the pools and may have difficulty returning to the beach.

GOOD ACTION TO TAKE

It is therefore important to be aware of the presence of baths and to take precautions when swimming, such as swimming in areas supervised by lifeguards, avoiding steep sandbars, and remaining vigilant of potential currents.

• You should always firstly favor supervised swimming areas.
  
  
• If you find yourself caught in a baïne current, you should definitely not try to swim against the current.
  
  
• Let yourself be carried by the waves, without panicking, while attracting the attention of people on the beach or in the water (surfers).
  
  
• Swim parallel to the beach then reach the coast when you find yourself in waters with less current or waves to bring you back to shore.
  
  
• When you get carried away, keep your head above water.

Now that you know everything about the Baïnes, you can enjoy our beautiful ocean beaches and have a great vacation in complete safety!