In over 40°C heat, hundreds of people are sunbathing on Lazaret beach in Sète

La vigilance orange canicule devrait durer au moins jusqu’à dimanche. Midi Libre – Valentine GRAFF

The heatwave is back in Hérault. Tourists and locals nevertheless meet at the beach in the middle of the afternoon.

"Ah ! The sand is hot! ", shouts a young girl on the Lazaret beach. On the thermometer, the temperature was around 40 °C, this Saturday, August 10. As a reminder, Hérault is placed on orange heatwave alert throughout the department.

Bathers not discouraged by vigilance

"It's too hot, we don't have a swimming pool", confides Julie, who came with her husband and two children. There are hundreds of them who have come in the middle of the afternoon, to come and enjoy the freshness of the Sète water, around 22°C. However, the sun is clearly in the sky. The UV index is described as very high at this time of day. Essential gestures must be respected during periods of high heat.

“We remind you that you must drink water regularly, get wet and cover your head, explains Zoé Chevallier, lifeguard. I also note that it is essential to have a parasol when you are lying on the sand. People are generally careful. Cases of fainting and hydrocution are present, but not alarming,” she adds.

"We can't stop them from exposing themselves"

"We're here on vacation, so we want to enjoy the beach as much as possible. We put on sunscreen, drink water and that's it,” says a mother. As Zoé says, “we can't stop people from exposing themselves. They do what they want. On the other hand, we do prevention and intervene if necessary.”