The mayor of Anglet has issued a ban on hydrofoil equipment in local beaches. The French surf town wants to protect beachgoers and swimmers.
Claude Olive signed an executive order that will change the way local and foreign water sports enthusiasts engage with the idyllic 2.8-mile (4.5 kilometers) stretch of beaches.
Anglet is a coastal commune located in the southwest of France, near Biarritz. The shoreline is comprised of 11 beaches and, in all of them, hydrofoils will not be allowed from May 29, 2018.
The Anglet beaches are Plage de la Petite Chambre d'Amour, Plage du Club, Plage des Sables d'Or, Plage de Marinella, Plage des Corsaires, Plage de la Madrague, Plage de la Petite Madrague, Plage de l'Océan, Plage des Dunes, Plage des Cavaliers, and Plage de La Barre.
"The practice of any activity that may pose a danger to the public (swimmers) is strictly prohibited especially activities using foils," tells the executive order signed by the mayor.
"Any infringement of this rule will be registered and prosecuted according to the provisions of the penal code."
Anglet, also known as "la Petite Californie" - in English, "Small California" - is banning all sorts and variations of foil surfing, foil kiting, and foil stand-up paddleboarding.
Interestingly, the executive order doesn't mention foil windsurfing, but it should be implicit in the reference to foil surfing.
Anglet has some of the best competitive surfing beaches in France, and it often holds World Surf League events like Surf de Nuit and Pro Anglet.