Baine

A common phenomenon along the Landes coast, a *baïne* is a deep pool located near a sandbar. It is within this pool that *baïne* currents—a type of rip current—originate. These currents can sweep unwary swimmers and surfers out to sea, making it difficult for them to return to shore and potentially leading to drowning.
How *baïnes* form: they develop in coastal areas characterized by strong tides, fine sand, and a gentle slope. At high tide, the backwash from waves breaking on the beach shifts the sand, creating sandbars that run roughly parallel to the shoreline. While these bars are submerged at high tide, the receding tide causes the trapped water to force an opening through the bar, thereby creating the *baïne* current. The action of the tides causes the sandbar to build up and the pool to deepen, intensifying the currents.