Search for missing watersporter off Scheveningen halted again on Monday 26 October

Alarm raised on Sunday afternoon

Shortly after 14:00 on Sunday 25 October, the emergency services received an alarm about a watersporter who had gone missing off the coast of Scheveningen. The person may have been a surfer or a kitesurfer, and it was still unclear which. A Kustwacht spokesperson said the missing person was part of a group and had gone out of sight. Searchers first covered the area between Kijkduin and Noordwijk before narrowing it to the Scheveningen coast, where the person was last seen. Lifeboats from four KNRM stations in Scheveningen, Katwijk aan Zee, Noordwijk aan Zee and Ter Heijde joined a Kustwacht helicopter and a coast guard plane in the search. Around 16:45 GRIP 1 was declared, meaning the emergency services began coordinating their work jointly.

Search halted on Sunday evening

Darkness, strong wind and high waves forced the search to stop on Sunday evening. Gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour were measured in Scheveningen that day, and storm Boelo brought strong to stormy winds to the coastal areas. Earlier in the evening the safety region had said the search would go on for now, even after dark, until it became truly impossible. When the conditions deteriorated, the Veiligheidsregio Haaglanden said it could no longer carry on safely:

“The hard wind and the high waves are hampering the search. Now that it is dark, this makes it impossible to continue a safe search.”

In the afternoon, police also removed visitors from the breakwater, where conditions were described as extremely stormy.

Search resumed on Monday and suspended again

Searchers went back out at about 07:30 on Monday 26 October. The fire brigade searched in the water near the Havenhoofd in Scheveningen, while police drove along the coast and a helicopter flew overhead. Around midday the search was suspended again because of the weather. A spokesperson said the search would resume once the tide and weather improved, and that divers could join later on Monday 26 October if conditions allowed. As of the latest reports, the missing watersporter had not been found.

Open questions

The identity of the watersporter, and whether they were surfing or kitesurfing, had not been confirmed in the reports. Officials have not said how the person came to lose contact with the group. The search remains open, with the emergency services waiting for the sea to calm before returning to the water.