Negative swimming advice, high risk of complaints. Swimming in the water near Dorregeest seems to be discouraged on the site www.zwemwater.nl. And to make that even clearer, there is a frightening icon. Yet there appears to be little wrong with the bathing water and you can take a refreshing dip here. How about that?
People enjoying the sun on a chair, children splashing in the sand or splashing in the water. The negative swimming advice swimmingwater.nl doesn’t seem to scare anyone.
Water quality class
Every year, just before the start of the swimming season, the quality class for the coming year is determined for each swimming location. The quality class provides insight into the average water quality of the relevant swimming spot. This assessment is based on the measurement data of the past four swimming seasons and can therefore deviate from the current water values at the measurement moments.
With a ‘deterrent’ icon, Dorregeest is qualified with the status ‘poor’ this season, but if you look at the latest measurements, you will see that they are currently fine and you can take a dip with confidence.
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Own way
The site therefore appears not to be leading for Dorregeest visitors. They have thus found their own ways of controlling the water. One of them is Annemiek. “I’m not really into online,” says Annemiek Schlüter. “I used to come here with my husband to surf and have learned to look at the water to determine the status. In addition, it is just now starting to get warm again, so then you actually know that it is safe.”
“When we go swimming you can see if there are other people in it and I just look at what it looks like”
Iris de la Cruz Batista mainly looks to others to determine whether the water is safe or not. “I haven’t been watching any news at all for a year and a half. It made me stressed. When we go swimming you can see if there are other people in it and I just look at what it looks like.”
Yet not everyone dares to rely on their eyes. Kim van der Slikke keeps a close eye on the site. “I’ll check for blue-green algae or something. I just haven’t checked today, but I usually do it the night before. I have four kids so I just want it to be safe swimming.”
Separate plates
Ultimately, it remains wise to consult the website, as it is used not only for testing for blue-green algae, but also for specific bacterial controls that may be present in human and animal feces.
Fortunately, if the current water quality is really bad, this is also indicated on a separate sign below the general information board at Dorregeest.