“Sea water too cold to swim!”: coastal rescue services warn

The coast expects a lot of visitors for the extended Pentecost weekend, partly thanks to the good weather forecasts. At least one lifeguard station is also manned in six of the ten coastal municipalities.

Risk of cold shock

Nevertheless, IKWV gives bathers a warning. “The water still has a low temperature of around 14 to 15 degrees Celsius. We usually advise against swimming below 15 degrees, because there is a risk of cold shock,” says Beun.

If you still want to take a cold dip in the sea water, it is recommended not to stay in the water for too long and to warm up quickly after the dive.

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Swimming only in authorized areas

“Moreover, we would like to emphasize once again that it is important to swim in the guarded zones. There are no lifeguards in De Panne, Middelkerke, Bredene and Zeebrugge this weekend. In all other coastal municipalities, at least one lifeguard post is manned.”

From June 17, at least one lifeguard post will be open in every coastal municipality. By the start of the summer holidays, from 1 July, all zones in all coastal municipalities will be guarded.