Austalian surfers have been spoiled for waves this last few weeks (on the East coast, anyway). Kirra has been the best its ever been (again), Byron was so good you could just about walk on water (there were that many surfers in there), and even Sydney’s had some fun waves too. But we’re also pretty spoilt, just generally speaking, when it comes to the harshness of environment we must endure in order to get our toes in wax.
Speaking of which, a recent photo by Dutch photograher Jop Hermans puts into perspective just how damn good Australians surfers have it. How? He shows how cold it is to surf in The Netherlands.
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While many surfers in Australia might turn their nose up at a knee-high wedge, surfers in The Netherlands are hoping to see more of these kinds of waves in winter 2022 – and are prepared to surf in some pretty chilly condidions to do just that (with thick wetsuits, boots, hoods and gloves).
As Jop wrote, alongside a bunch of photos of fun waves, “Remember these days of ‘whiteout’ and fun surf from last winter? Would be so good to have this again in 2022.”
According to surfforecast.com, Netherland sea temperatures peak in the range 16 to 20°C (61 to 68°F) in Europe’s summer, and are at their minimum on about the 18th of February, in the range 3 to 9°C (37 to 48°F), in Europe’s winter.
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By contrast, average annual water temperature on the coast in Sydney in winter is 18°C, while in in spring the average is 19°C and in summer and autumn the average temperature rises to 22°C.
Jop wrote in the comments that all the images were taken in Scheveningen and explained that “I like a cold surf, but this was next level.”
He also showed off some images of some fun looking beach breaks, presumably pretty confident the rarity of the waves, and the temperature, would probably deter the hordes from ever descending.
Video: Surfing Some Of The Netherlands’ Best Waves
This isn’t the first time Jop has shared some epic looking images of the waves in The Netherlands with his followers, with other posts showing everything from messy overhead days, to perfect little peelers.
If your interest is piqued, have a read of surfer/videographer Yannick de Jager’s description of surfing in Holland, which he wrote in 2016 for The Inertia.
“Surfing decent waves in Holland requires a lot of effort. But that’s also part of what makes it special; it keeps you hungry. You don’t take it for granted, you really appreciate it.”
“It’s like being in the opposite dimension of a country with consistent quality waves. There is so much anticipation for those sweet little sessions, whether it’s just really fun, rippable onshore slob on a good sandbank, or those very few clean days. The tide in the North Sea is massive and influences the waves a lot, which means timing is everything over here.”
Cold or not, we have to admit, some of those waves look damn tasty.
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