In the Landes, an ocean swimming school to avoid being trapped by baïnes

Every summer on the Aquitaine coast, bathers drown, carried away by the powerful currents of the baïnes, these basins formed by the movement of sand which fill up at high tide and empty violently when the sea recedes. But if we know the phenomenon, we can get out of it. So on the Landes coast, three lifeguards decided to create an ocean swimming school to teach the youngest to evolve in complete safety.

We realized during our rescues that the main cause was people’s lack of knowledge about the ocean environment. Our philosophy is to pass on basic knowledge to do well in the ocean.

Laurent Falceto

swimming education manager – Safe Ocean

“The water enters through the sand plateau and it will evacuate along the baïne to the other plateau“. That day, it was Julien Bachoué, educational manager at Safe Ocean, who jumped into the water with the children: “They are taught how the baïnes work, the current in one direction and the other, how to get back to shore. With little games, we show them how the ocean works“. And in particular how to get out of this bad patch when you are suddenly caught in a current of baïne. Do not resist, and let yourself be carried out to sea to circumvent the phenomenon and reach the shore.

But the baïnes are not the only danger, the waves also cause their share of accidents every summer. And here they can be particularly tricky. So Safe Ocean teaches children to tame them. How to pass below without danger, how to use it to regain the beach. Advice that reassures parents, like this mother who did not hesitate for a moment to enroll her daughter: “I really wanted her to know the currents, the baïnes, to know how to dive in the waves. I think it was important, when you live here, to understand all that“. Children also receive here some notions of first aid.