The beach is still calm in the early afternoon. Renaud and his little family arrive directly from Brantôme and come for the first time at the pond of Saint-Estèphe. “I said to myself, I might as well take advantage of it for the first days of the children’s holidays” says this former architect.
Buckets, shovels and rakes for sand castles
Renaud distributes to his children, Oscar and Emma, and to his niece Amélia, all beach accessories that he bought the day before. Oscar and Amélia run to the pond to try out their new board. Amélia explains her technique: “We will try to get into the water at full speed and lie down on the boards. And then we will try to stand on it”. A few tries without great results, but it does not matter: “The water is too good” exclaims the schoolgirl.
I’m going to make a sand slide for the little characters
The two children have found another idea for fun. “As the sand is a little stirred up, we try to make stakes, have fun, enjoy and exercise” says Amélia, with a smile on her face. His cousin, Emma, has found another occupation: sand castles. “I’m going to make a sand slide for the little characters” imagine the six-year-old girl.
Watch out for sunburn
Eleanor, lifeguard for four years at the Saint-Estèphe pond, observes swimmers from his high chair. With her colleagues, she keeps an eye on vacationers. All summer long, they watch the beach from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. With this heat, she advises to take precautions. “Avoid bathing the children during the big heat peak at 3 p.m., but rather at the end of the morning at 11 a.m. Also don’t forget to put sunscreen on” she warns.
Since the beginning of the season, the pond of Saint-Estèphe has welcomed between 200 and 300 bathers per day. In the middle of summer, it can sometimes go up to 1,500 people.