Despite all preventive measures, a German bather died last weekend after he was grabbed by a mouse on the beach of Egmond aan Zee. His daughter was seriously injured in the incident, his two sons came ashore unharmed. “Swimming in the sea is never without danger, it is not a swimming pool,” warns lifeguard Ron Zentveld of the Egmond rescue brigade.
The rescue brigade emphasizes that no one can give a 100 percent guarantee that things will never go wrong in the sea again. Nature remains capricious and can strike unexpectedly. “We do everything we can to prevent things from going wrong,” says Zentveld. “We distribute leaflets in many languages, put up warning signs and keep an eye on it as closely as possible.”
The ripples at Egmond are no more dangerous than elsewhere. “But if there is a large audience, this increases the chance that someone will be caught by a mouse,” explains Zentveld.
Don’t panic, don’t do anything
All along the coast are ripples; strong sea currents that can pull swimmers towards the open sea between two sandbanks. There is no point in swimming resistance, the current is always stronger. Swimming is tiring and it increases the chance that you will become exhausted and hypothermic underwater and really get into trouble.
You have the best chance if you don’t panic, keep your head above water, attract the attention of the people on the beach and let yourself float with the current. After the sandbank, the mule always bends again and then becomes less strong. Then it is possible to reach the beach again by swimming.