Stand up paddle illustration -

Rafael Ben-Ari / Cha / NEWSCOM / SIPA

  • Faced with the large number of operations carried out recently, the Maritime Prefecture of the Mediterranean would like to remind you of good behavior before any trip to sea.

  • These rising figures can be explained by the inability to travel abroad or the closure of ski lifts in the mountains, which could increase the arrival of tourists on the coast during these holidays.

Tuesday, two people in stand up paddle were stranded off Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes) unable to return to the coast and fight against gusts of wind.

Equipped with their mobile phones, they were able to alert the firefighters who transmitted the call to the Regional Center for Surveillance and Rescue Operations in the Mediterranean Sea (Crossmed).

Located 1.8 km away, the couple was hypothermic when rescuers arrived thirty minutes after the call, according to information from France 3.

With this latest rescue, the Mediterranean maritime prefecture indicates that it has observed an upsurge in operations since the start of the year.

"With 197 transactions recorded against 70 on average during this period in other years, the number has already practically tripled".

It calls for everyone to be careful when practicing activities at sea.

Good practices to be carried out before setting off at sea

This can be explained in particular by an increase in events linked to water sports such as paddleboarding, windsurfing or kitesurfing.

According to information from the prefecture, they represent 43% of activity, against 20% in normal times.

It also notes an increase in users due to the inability to travel abroad or to practice alpine skiing in the mountains.

It also anticipates the influx of tourists for the winter school holidays.

The maritime prefecture points out that the context is not the same as in summer, which could reduce the chances of survival on the water: night comes faster, temperatures remain cool at sea despite the mildness on land, winds induce almost permanent swells.

The greatest caution recommended

The maritime prefecture of the Mediterranean therefore invites all users of the sea to be extremely careful and recommends checking the weather forecast before going out to sea, knowing your physical condition to face the winds as well as being equipped with compulsory safety equipment.

It also recommends telling someone close to you about your activity before leaving, specifying the location and times.

"In case of difficulty or doubt, if you yourself are in a difficult situation or witness a potentially difficult situation at sea, call CROSS Med without delay on 196 (emergency number from any mobile phone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) or via VHF channel 16 ”, communicates the maritime prefecture.

Planet

They clean the Mediterranean sea standing on a paddle board

Miscellaneous

A sixty-year-old drowned in Antibes, the prefecture recalls the ban on bathing

  • Boating

  • Mediterranean

  • Rescue

  • Wed

  • Prefecture

  • Paddle

  • Nice

  • Marseilles