Are you going to the beach this weekend? You have to watch out for this!
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It will be tropically warm this weekend and there is a good chance that you will cool off and go for a swim. But be careful! The water, especially the sea water, is still very cold.
That call is made by the Dutch Rescue Brigade. “The North Sea is only at 13 degrees,” says spokesman Ernst Brokmeier. This is partly because we had a cold spring. Last spring was a lot warmer, so the water in June was also much warmer than now.
Watching
Due to the large temperature difference outside and in the water, your body can go into cramp. Just a little cramp in your leg or foot, for example, is not so bad. But if you are completely cramped by the cold, it becomes dangerous. Are you going swimming with your kids this weekend? Then make sure someone is standing next to the side to watch. Or if your kids go into the water alone, keep a close eye on them yourself (if you haven’t already). “Or go into the water with several people, then you can help each other. But preferably stay in a place with ground under your feet,” explains Brokmeier.
Also read: Checklist: take this with you when you go to the beach with your child
According to the spokesman, the rescue posts along the coast are well manned this weekend. “Everyone realizes: it will be really nice weather and for the first time a real beach weekend.”
Prefer not to have an air mattress
In addition to the warm weather and the cold water, there is also an offshore wind this weekend. Floating on an air mattress at sea is nice, but that is not such a good idea this weekend either. Brokmeier says: “That is very nice on the one hand, because that is why it gets so hot. But if you go to sea with an air mattress or if you really go for a swim, you will drift off the coast faster. And coming back against the wind is more difficult.”
Ball line
Swimming in a puddle or lake is also nice in this warm weather. This is less deep than the sea, so the water warms up faster. But the Rescue Brigade warns to pay close attention to this as well. The water in front of the ball line – which most recreational lakes have – is shallower and feels warmer. Only the water suddenly becomes deeper after that line and it is therefore considerably colder there. “Therein lies the danger,” said the spokesperson.
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Source: MAX Today
