Impact of nourishments on nearshore currents and swimmer safety on the Dutch coast

Abstract

Assessing swimmer safety along the Dutch coast entails more than only assessing the risk of rip currents. Seven criteria have been formulated to make a comprehensive assessment of swimmer safety along the Dutch coast. These are based on interviews with lifeguards, rescue report statistics and detailed lagrangian measurements of the current patterns and bathymetry in the shallow nearshore, at three different field sites along the South-Holland coast.