All hands on deck on the beach: “Lost children and people get unwell”

“We have a huge number of people who pass out because of the heat,” says Blankenberge’s chief rescuer Tom Cocle. And that has not only to do with the heat: “We also notice that many people drink alcohol, which is not very wise in such weather.”

Add to that a lot of lost children and you understand why the rescuers are extremely busy. “We’re getting ready, because it’s high water at 7 p.m., so people will be closer together.”