Firefighters and police rescued 18 bathers carried out to sea by a current of baïne this Saturday, August 20 around 6 p.m. in front of the Grande Plage in Biarritz. The current took them more than 200 meters from the shore according to the firefighters.
A rescue operation required the presence of a jet-ski and a helicopter. 16 people were brought ashore by the jet-ski, while two others were rescued by the gendarmerie helicopter. The bathers were found stressed and tired, but none were injured and no one was hospitalized.
With a strong swell and strong currents, the Basque coast was also this Saturday in maximum vigilance against the risk of formation of baïne, these cavities which form under water and cause a strong current offshore.
The authorities advise those caught in this current not to panic, not to fight against the current, to signal themselves with arm movements, and to let themselves float out of the danger zone.