There is a particular music to the ocean — a rhythm of wave upon wave, rising and falling like breath. On the shores of Biscarrosse, where this music meets land each day, that rhythm has lately felt heavier, as if the sea were drawing deeper into the sand it once simply caressed. After a weekend marked by strong winds, powerful Atlantic swells, and the pull of large tides, a stretch of the seaside promenade that once offered a gentle journey along the dunes has now given way, its concrete and boards collapsing into the embrace of the beach below.
Residents and visitors alike know the coast here as a place of light and motion, where summers are long and footsteps wander at the tide line. Yet this winter, the land has seemed less permanent. In the night between January 31 and February 1, dozens of meters of the promenade — once solid underfoot — were claimed by nature’s quiet persistence. Nearly 25 meters have already fallen, with a similar stretch hanging in the air, threatened by its own fragility.
Local authorities had anticipated the possibility, softening the surprise with preparation and precaution. The mayor, Hélène Larrezet, spoke in measured tones about the collapse, noting that the village had taken steps to close access to the promenade, the beach, and a nearby hotel as weather forecasts predicted the storm’s arrival. Météo-France had placed the region under an orange alert for weather hazards, urging people to keep distance from the shifting shoreline.
Erosion here is not new; it is a slow, persistent artist. Each year, the shoreline retreats by an average of a couple of meters, and during harsh winters, that pace can quicken to five meters or more. In Biscarrosse’s southern beaches this season, the recession reached between ten and fifteen meters in certain sectors, exposing dunes and reshaping familiar landscapes in ways that were once almost unimaginable.
Yet for all its inevitability, the sight of a promenade once full of laughter reduced to jagged edges and exposed sand carries a kind of poignancy. Camions loaded with sand now trundle back and forth along the coast, a human attempt to replenish what the ocean has taken. This re-ensablement — a replenishment of sediment — is part of a wider regional strategy to help slow the loss of beach material. But even as new sand is laid and plans are discussed for renaturation projects further inland, the natural dynamics of wind, wave, and tide continue their age-old work.
In the quiet moments between storms, the sea still sings its timeless song. The collapse of a promenade does not silence that song, but it does remind those who walk these shores that land and water are engaged in an ever-shifting dance. The horizon remains vast, and even as structures fall and dunes evolve, people here continue to adapt, honoring both the beauty and the force of the coastal world they call home.
Authorities have kept the beach area closed to ensure safety and will maintain restrictions into the coming days as assessments continue. For many in Biscarrosse, the season’s fierce weather has become more than a topic of conversation — it is a lived experience of a shoreline in motion.
AI Image Disclaimer Illustrations were produced with AI tools and are intended as conceptual depictions, not real photographs.
Sources : Boursorama / AFP TF1 Info Le Parisien Yahoo Actualités France Ville de Biscarrosse official situation report