Published on 25/05/2026 – 20:03 GMT+2
Two separate drowning incidents involving swimmers caught in riptides have led French authorities to caution about hazardous currents along the Gironde coast in southwestern France.
A 56-year-old German woman drowned on Sunday near Lège-Cap-Ferret, while a 60-year-old man perished in a separate incident in Lacanau.
Emergency responders in the Gironde department have rescued 31 individuals from the water since Friday, with authorities advising beach visitors to maintain utmost caution.
Officials are alerting the public to the dangers of riptides—narrow, powerful currents that flow from the shore out to sea.
Riptides develop when waves deposit water onto the beach, which then converges and returns to the ocean via a focused channel.
These currents can be exceptionally strong and perilous, posing risks even to skilled swimmers by swiftly pulling them offshore. They are often hard to detect, sometimes looking like a calmer or darker area amidst breaking waves.
If ensnared in a riptide, swimmers should avoid fighting the current. Instead, they ought to swim parallel to the shore to escape the current’s pull and then head back to land.
Unseasonably warm temperatures, surpassing 30°C, were observed in southwestern France over the weekend, drawing large numbers of people to the beaches.
