Fancy a refreshing dip in the sea? Make sure you are well prepared and follow the rules. The sea takes no notice of you.

Swimming advice

• Swim at guarded beaches: the Texel beach poles 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21 and 28 are guarded in July and August from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• Follow the flag of the lifeguard
• It is best not to go into the sea beyond waist-depth, unless you are an experienced swimmer
• Swim along the shore, don't swim off the shore
• Never swim alone
• Someone in distress at sea? Do not go into the water yourself, but sound the alarm
• Stay away from breakwaters (the stone dams in the sea)
• Inflatable air mattresses, swimming rings, etc. are prohibited

Lifeguard-supervised beaches

On Texel, beach areas 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21 and 28 are patrolled from July until the end of August. Lifeguards are present daily from 09.00 hours to 18.00 hours. The other beach areas are not patrolled. Between posts 31 and 33 it can be very dangerous to swim; so do not do this!

Watch out for rip currents, breakwaters and strong currents

A rip current is a strong current close to the coast, towards the sea. The location of a muy can vary from day to day, they can arise anywhere on the coast. The muy itself is not dangerous, but panic and exhaustion are. Powerful ripples can form around breakwaters. In addition, breakwaters are overgrown with barnacles and mussels that can cause severe cuts.

What if you get caught in a rip or strong current?

• Call for help
  
• Do not panic
• Let yourself float, so do not swim against the current
• Swim left or right when the muy loses power

Flags

Lifeguards use flags to indicate whether or not the water is safe:

• Red flag: swimming not permitted
• Yellow flag: dangerous to swim, do not go into the sea
• White flag: a child has been lost or found

More on Texel in summer