Tragedy In Dutch Surf Capital Scheveningen: 5 Dead, More Missing

Tragedy struck in Dutch surf capital Scheveningen yesterday, as gale force winds blew up from the NE catching a group of surfers and bodysurfers off guard at the popular surfing beach at The Hague.

The group are reported to be 22-38 years old and all experienced surfers, including surf school instructors.

According to reports, the group had already done one run around as a strong sweep was taking them towards the jetty that protects the harbour entrance on the left hand side of the long beach.

Apparently, the group got into difficulty in deep surface foam whipped up by the wind next to the jetty.

Local news  DW News reports:

Rescue teams in the Netherlands on Tuesday recovered the bodies of three surfers. Two other people rescued from the sea the day before died shortly after being pulled from the water.

Surfers familiar with the conditions at Scheveningen told the Dutch public broadcasting organization NOS that strong winds and adverse currents might have made things difficult for the surfers, some of whom were reportedly very experienced. They said the large amount of foam on the waves may also have played a role.

The long beachbreak at Scheveningen is the hub of the North Sea surf sea on the Continent, and home to pros like Yannick de Jager.

Northerly windswells from the North Sea, as well as less frequent groundswells can serve up surprisingly powerful surf at a variety of peaks, which are bookended by a pier to the east and a harbour jetty to the west, where the tragedy took place.