Five surfers have died in a tragic circumstances in the North Sea near Scheveningen.
It is beleived that strong winds, spring tides and strong currents combined with the large amount of thick foam may have contributed. The surfers were all experienced watermen, two had been reported as qualified lifeguards, and some were doing training when hey were lost.
The six surfers went missing shortly after 7 p.m. Monday, and there may still be more missing. The Dutch Coast Guard have said that several additional surf boards and kite surf boards had been found. A message, “Please check if 1 of these boards is yours!” was posted on the city’s Twitter account.
‘I speak on behalf of every Hagenaar and every Scheveninger when I say that we sympathize deeply and stand with their loved ones.’ a spokesman for the lifeguard service KNRM said in a statement.
‘The strong wind from a northern direction and strong sea current due to the spring tide made the joint search actions a tricky job,’
Our condolences to all affected.
Surfing was always legal in England, it was just the travel side and pressure not to overwhelm the NHS that put the kibosh on all but locals going surfing (in theory). Now new rules state ‘unlimited exercise’ and ‘unlimited travel’ can be applied to surfing.
The vital pieces of advice are “People can now also spend time outdoors”, “People may drive to outdoor open spaces irrespective of distance” and finally “Exercise outside as many times each day as they wish”.
This is all subject to people continuing to maintain a 2 metre distance, and not travelling with others out side of their household. This is still illegal and even bigger fines are in place if you are caught breaking them.
Also travellers are not allowed to stay outside of their primary residence. So no camping, staying in second homes or AirBnB. You can still be sent packing for this.
It is important to remember the main reason for applying restrictions was spread of a very dangerous virus. This has not gone away, and indeed the lifting of restrictions will only spread it further so don’t be surprised if this backfires.
There are no lifeguards on beaches so we would still recommend learners do not go in with water.
Everyone else, please respect each other, do not push your limits, do not drop in. Stay safe, save lives.
If you are travelling into smaller coastal communities in Devon, Cornwall, Yorkshire and Northumberland remember the areas are served by limited NHS hospitals facilities so most locals see the lifting of the travel restriction as against common sense and a threat to regional health. Be nice!
If this goes wrong we will all be locked down again.
At present time numerous coastal car parks are closed so do your research before you travel.
You can not drive into other UK countries to surf from England.
