The KNRM (Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution) was called out on Sunday morning for a person in distress. A naked man had clung to a buoy after his morning swim near Vlieland turned out less well than planned.
The KNRM was called out on Sunday at 6:14 AM. Someone had seen a person clinging to a buoy in the Wadden Sea, according to a KNRM spokesperson speaking to NU.nl.
Rescuers responded to the report with two boats. The person in distress was a man who thought he would “take a quick refreshing morning swim, without swimming trunks”.
But the distance was slightly further than expected, leaving the man naked and frozen on the buoy. He was then taken aboard a lifeboat. “A unique situation,” the spokesperson described.
It could have ended very differently. The KNRM says that swimmers should not underestimate the power of the water. “Especially on the Wadden Islands and near Vlieland, there are quite deep gullies with strong currents. It seems doable until you are in it. You are then pulled along with the current at a few kilometers per hour.”
Warnings are in place for this, according to the spokesperson. “But not everyone reads those signs.” So the KNRM advises to bring “your common sense” when you go swimming. “And just bring your swimming trunks as well.”