Ocean swimming: on the Côte Sauvage and the Grande Côte, we are preparing for the summer of all dangers

The summer season is approaching, and with it, the risky swimming season. For several days, sixteen lifeguards trained on the dangers of the Wild Coast under the auspices of the SNSM (French National Maritime Safety Service)

Have you heard of towel syndrome ? In the small world of lifeguards, anecdotes abound about this very common condition among swimmers: wanting at all costs to regain your footing at the exact spot where you entered the water, facing your towel. It's annoying when a strong lateral current pushes you further and further out, and you'd need the skills of a salmon to catch it. Yet, against all odds, you fight, you panic, you swallow your first mouthful of sea water, and the adventure can end very badly. "This syndrome claims lives every year," sighs Thibaut Seuwin.

The young man is perched on the upper beach of the Grande Côte, between Saint-Palais-sur-Mer and La Palmyre. He trained at the National Sea Rescue Society (SNSM) center in Rochefort, he has traveled from the English Channel to the Mediterranean, and this summer he will be head of the Grande Côte/Côte sauvage sector, from Saint-Palais to Pointe espagnole, in the commune of La Tremblade. Seven lifeguard stations, 61 lifeguards, and a host of interventions to assist swimmers in difficulty.

The fault lies with a treacherous coastline, especially on the Wild Coast, where it piles up perils similar to those found south of the Gironde estuary, on the long sandy strip stretched between Médoc and the south of Landes: shore breaks – in good French – rip currents with filling and emptying currents , swells that hit the foreshore, drift currents, etc. Everything needed to classify the ocean beaches of La Tremblade as “level 2”.

Like Mathieu Sauvage, who arrives from La Rochelle, and Paul Bellalba, from Bordeaux, Thibaut Seuwin is one of the nine supervisors of the "Dangerous Coasts" training week, organized on site from April 27 to May 3 by the SNSM. "Advanced training for lifeguards who could be assigned to sites of this type," summarizes Olivier Postiaux, the leader of the troop. Selected on a national basis, the sixteen candidates all have one or more lifeguarding seasons under their belts.

"I've already worked for five seasons, in Vendée as well as at La Lagune, La Teste-de-Buch, in Gironde. Here, the conditions are definitely not the same! It's harder, more physical, and the techniques you have to use are more demanding. You have to know how to tame the environment to be effective. Both in the water and during classes, I'm learning about the currents and the swell. It's necessary: ​​I've applied for a position on the Côte Sauvage, at La Bouverie, La Coubre , or Pointe Espagnole," explains Iris Lefez, who emerges from the foam in her orange lycra. Aged 26, originally from Normandy, the young woman is a physiotherapy student in the city.

That morning, the sea was almost calm on the Grande Côte, where the lucky beneficiaries of the May 1st bank holiday were flocking. A priori, there were no more dangers lurking beneath the surface than bull sharks in the Seudre estuary. The problems were only gauged by the successive exercises. There, a swimmer, far out to sea, was waving his arms in a call for help. By the time the rescuer reached him and secured him to his paddleboard, the pair had drifted some 300 meters north toward Bonne Anse Bay.

The rescue of swimmers stranded between submerged blockhouses at high tide gives rise to a few similar scenes, with treacherous currents sending the trainees back towards the concrete walls. "That's why we came to the Grande Côte this morning: to master intervention in rocky environments," says Olivier Postiaux. Earlier in the day, the entire crew climbed the Coubre lighthouse to perfect their reading of the coastline. "By observing the colors of the water, the size and shape of the waves, we must be able to identify dangers and label them with the appropriate words. When the time comes, this prior knowledge allows us to correctly position the swimming area, pre-position the boat, and anticipate," continues the training manager.

Learning to use the waves and the current rather than fighting against them is the key technical skill for lifeguarding. But the learning doesn't stop there. It's about rescuing people who are exhausted and/or panicked. Talking to them, reassuring them, and guiding them toward the right behavior. "We deal with a wide variety of people, people from all walks of life, with all possible reactions. Depending on the location, the relationship with vacationers is not the same. I worked in Brittany and Normandy, and I felt like a hero. Conversely, in Saint-Tropez, I mostly felt like a servant in the eyes of some," laughs Thibaut Seuwin. When the experience on the sand marries clichés...