It was in the 1960s that the decision to build a dam on the Durance became a reality. Born at the end of the 19th century to absorb the impact of the river's floods, it is thanks to the galloping industrialization of the country and the growing need for electricity that the project of a hydroelectric plant will become a reality.
It took 2 years (from November 1957 to November 1959) to build one of the largest water reservoirs in France. The figures that describe the lake of Serre-Ponçon are impressive. 91 kilometers of shoreline, 9 public beaches, 7 sailing schools and 1,200 rings bring in 40% of the tourist revenue of the Hautes-Alpes every summer. It is an understatement to say that the lake of Serre-Ponçon is one of the economic lungs of the region, and well beyond.
A protected tourist area
Christophe Piana is Director of the Syndicat Mixte d'Aménagement et de Développement de Serre-Ponçon. He speaks to us with passion about this privileged tourist area and the management choices that have been made: " Of the 91 kilometers of shoreline, we will never develop more than 14 kilometers, in order to preserve the wild character of the lake. We want to offer a range of facilities that will allow all users to enjoy this stretch of water, which we want to keep popular and family-friendly "says the director.
Indeed, there are many activities on and around the lake:
- Fishing all year round on the lake, but also on the Durance and Ubaye rivers, their associated tributaries and the lakes and water bodies
- The ski resorts of Réallon, Les Orres and Crévoux
- Paragliding sites and motorboat or ULM areas
- Classic water sports activities: towed buoys, windsurfing, kitesurfing, water skiing, kayaking, rowing or paddling, sailing, paragliding
- A dozen lookouts with orientation tables
- The GRP Tour de Serre-Ponçon
- The tour of Serre-Ponçon by mountain bike and several routes labeled FFC
Each of the 12 municipalities ( 8 from the Hautes-Alpes, 4 from the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ) that share the shores of the lake provides its share of activities that tourists will enjoy discovering.
More than a thousand rings for all users
The lake compares favorably with some seaports. A total of 1,200 moorings are available to boaters all year round. A dry port, 3 service stations and no less than two careening areas are available to users. And all this, free of charge. The director of the syndicate explains: " There are no fees or taxes to pay to navigate on the lake. The only thing you need to do is to have a coastal or fluvial permit to come and rinse your engine and take advantage of our infrastructures ".
These rings are divided into 12 ports ( 8 are public and 4 private ). A harbour master's office is installed in Savines, which proposes services of dry dock an area fairing as well as a mini shipyard . When we talk about the sea in the mountains!
The maritime sensations are not absent from the lake. With a tidal range of 5 meters, some pontoons run aground, others are mobile. Most of them are accessible to people with reduced mobility.
About opening up to all audiences, Christophe adds: " The yacht club has a sailboat that can accommodate both able-bodied and wheelchair users. We have installed an elevator for wheelchair users that allows them to bridge the 5-meter tidal range in total autonomy. We want full inclusion to allow all users to fully enjoy the lake. "
Users who have a natural affinity for towed sports (s ki nautique, wake surfing, wake board .. ) will sometimes need to power the engines. This is what the 3 service stations which are available on the lake shore.
The classic services of marinas are available free of charge. Careening area, pumping of grey water and black water allow the lake to keep its "green" labels year after year clean port " and " clean port active in biodiversity" . Finally, each of the 8 beaches that border the lake is labeled Blue Flag for the quality of its water.
The safety is not in rest for the boaters using the lake. A VHF network is set up and monitored 24 hours a day by the CODIS. During the season, the search and rescue brigade is permanently present from 10am to 7pm every day, accompanied by a Gendarmerie boat. Then, still for safety, the river beaconing present on the lake is luminous, thus allowing the boaters to navigate there by day and by night.
" The syndicate invests 130,000 euros in safety and 100,000 euros in the budget for lifeguards every year "says the manager who takes the safety of his users to heart We remain one of the only water bodies in France that has not had any drowning for more than 10 years ".
Sailing on Serre Ponçon ? Sporty ... or not !
" Sailing on the lake of Serre Ponçon will be as we want it to be. Unlike the sea, our location in the mountains means that thermal breezes are always present on the lake, so sailors can easily "play" at tacking. The advantage over the sea is that these thermals set up at precise and known times and directions, which gives the ability to choose your practice at the hour "says this boating enthusiast.
Be careful, as with all artificial water reservoirs, the appearance and visibility of certain reefs change during the day. Caution should be exercised regarding the possibility of sudden violent thunderstorms, as on mountain lakes in general. Finally, scuba diving is only allowed in the Baie des Lionnets.
Last regulatory clarification, a RPP ( Special Police Regulations ) and nautical instructions are available at the harbour master's office and on the website of the Syndicat de gestion du plan d'eau. It is mandatory to consult them in order to navigate safely.
How to sail well on the lake?
Christophe Piana explains:" You should avoid the morning, the thermals are not yet present. I recommend to start the launch at the end of the morning, to be able to arrive on the water when the breeze is going to form. This way, you can start calmly and, as the breeze gets stronger, you will be able to increase your sensations! In any case, sailors will always have wind in Serre Ponçon! "
Two rooms, two atmospheres
A bridge is present on the lake ( attention, Air draft of 3 meters at maximum water level of the lake ), it has the particularity of dividing the two major spaces of the lake.
" Upstream of the bridge, sporty sailing, for those who like to have fun and go fast. Downstream, the promenade and the livable, for family picnics. "explains Christophe.
An outing on the lake of Serre-Ponçon is being prepared. It is a technical lake with its own traps.
This is the reason why the lake of Serre-Ponçon has welcomed, in the summer of 2021, a stage of the tour de france under sail . " Serre-Ponçon has been proven to be the equivalent of Lake Garda in Italy. We have both quality infrastructures and attractive winds for sailing enthusiasts "says the director proudly.
Advice from the lake lover
When the director is asked about his favorite spot on the lake ... the answer is that of a lover.
" A lake area offers a diversity of landscapes close to what we see at sea, with favorable safety conditions and at a much lower cost. It is this diversity that gives Serre-Ponçon its beauty. You only have to go a few hundred meters away to go from a mountainous landscape to a seaside. It is in autumn that it is most beautiful, when there is no one left and the vegetation becomes red. In summer, despite the crowds, the evenings are particularly pleasant. At night, when the weather is fine all day, there is a calm and lively atmosphere on the lake and its shores. "
Christophe testifies " When I think about it, it is the diversity that seduces me the most and that characterizes our 'land of contrasts': these few pictures are meant to modestly illustrate these differences between winter, in calm waters, and summer, agitated in the afternoon by its thermal breezes, between the paradoxically wild character of our shores and the "urbanity" of our infrastructures, between the modesty of the surface of our nautical destination and the feeling of freedom that it can nonetheless give. "
Any last words of advice for boaters, Mr. Director?
" Come and rinse your engines in Serre Ponçon! "
