Faced with a bane, how to react? Here are the 3 gestures you absolutely need to know on the beach this summer

Want to enjoy the start of summer and the return of the sun with a swim in the sea? Be careful, these moments of relaxation are not without danger and we must not forget the risks and precautions to take, particularly for swimmers on the beaches of the Basque Country, where a maximum alert for rip currents was declared this Sunday, June 30, 2024 by the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The opportunity to remember of the attitude to adopt in the face of this common natural phenomenon.

The term ripple means “small basin” in the South-West, and refers to holes in the sand formed along the beach and of variable size, where water enters and ends up overflowing under the effect of the tidal waves, creating a strong current out of the rip current, or rip current, which can carry bathers out to sea, recalls the National Society for Sea Rescue (SNSM). In 2022, environ 11% drownings accidental would have been caused by rip currents according to the 2021 DROWNING survey, and three deaths related to rip currents or currents were recorded during the summer of 2023, but Public Health France believes that this figure has been underestimated. If these natural pools seem harmless, even fun, rip currents are therefore responsible of several drownings each year.

How to recognize a rip current?

Faced with this risk of swimmers being dragged out to sea in the Basque Country, the authorities recommend following the advice of the operational centre of the south-west defence and security zone (COZ) which advises swimmers to stay “between the flags of the guarded posts”. But how do you react when you find yourself stuck in a rip current?

First of all, it is important to know what a rip current looks like. According to Christian Poutriquet, vice-president of the French Federation of Rescue and First Aid, they are quite easy to spot, because they are areas “relatively quiet” : “It’s moving all around, there are little waves”, he explains on franceinfo. Once the rip current is identified, the lifeguard recommends keeping the water up to your knees, “and especially not up to the shoulders” to avoid being lifted and carried out to sea. And above all, always signal where you are going to someone who remains on land.

Swimming: how to react when you are caught in a rip current?

However, if you find yourself caught in a rip current, there are three basic pieces of advice that you should (absolutely) follow: ““Stay calm, very calm” Despite the impressive and stressful nature of the rip current, “wait and save your efforts” et “don’t fight the current“, explains Christian Poutriquet. If the beach is busy, you can also signal yourself by waving your arms towards the beach to alert potential lifeguards and to warn other swimmers.

If the place is deserted or you are a good swimmer, let yourself be carried by the current and then try to swim parallel to the beach, to reach an area where the waves can bring you back to the water’s edge. Be careful, by swimming perpendicular to the coast, you will have no chance of going back up: by fighting against the current, you risk exhausting all your energy.

What should I do if I see a victim from the beach? “We call the 112“, recalls Christian Poutriquet. And above all, we avoid getting into the water, in order to avoid another accident.

Sources :

• Results of the 2021 DROWNING survey: prevention remains essentialMinistry of Health and Prevention, June 21, 2022
• Rip current phenomenon and recommendations for not being carried away by these currents – National Sea Rescue Society – May 19, 2022
• Epidemiological surveillance of drownings followed by deaths at the drowning site during the summer of 2023 – Public Health France – August 25, 2023