- Vacation at sea
- Active holidays in the North Sea
- Other types of recreation
Although Amsterdam has long and undeniably been called the Venice of the North and is considered one of the most beautiful and unusual cities on the water, the town has no outlet to the sea. It is replaced here by the waters of the Northern Canal, which connects the Dutch capital with the North Sea. It turns out that there is still a sea in Amsterdam, but you have to get to it by car or boat.
Vacation at sea
The coast of the Netherlands, as it was said, is washed by the harsh waters of the North Sea. Both the climate and the reservoir itself are extremely strict and ascetic - there is always cold and winds blowing here. The most seasoned and courageous will dare to swim in the local sea.
In summer, the temperature is only 18-22 ° and this is on land! In the sea, even less - only 20 ° mean degrees above zero. In addition, it often rains, a damp, dank wind blows, and the sun pleases with radiance far from every day, periodically hiding behind the clouds. The conditions of Holland are clearly not conducive to a beach holiday, but nevertheless it is here, in spite of all bad weather.
In Amsterdam itself, the beaches are river grassy, you will have to ride to the sea by car, train or water transport. The capital is only half an hour away from the sea coast by car or bus. The best coasts are generally considered to be Scheveningen, Zandvoort, Blumendahl and Noordwijk.
The beaches here are sandy, perfectly clean, fully deserving their Blue Flags and the title of ecologically clean zones. Nevertheless, only a few vacationers decide to swim in the sea, while the majority prefer to lazily wallow on the shore, drinking beer or something stronger.
Active holidays in the North Sea
But the sea in Amsterdam and the surrounding area is considered the best place for water sports. This is understandable - for training here, the optimal conditions were created by nature itself. Incessant winds, powerful waves, solid currents - everything works into the hands of aces and pros. But beginners will hardly like it here - it is too difficult, but such a school is priceless and then it will be easy to conquer the waves on the warm seas.
In addition to windsurfing, kiting and boat trips on all kinds of boats are popular. Regattas and other competitions are not uncommon, attracting thousands of tourists. And the beaches themselves are equipped with the latest technology so that guests have something to do. There are playgrounds, competitions, parties, games.
Things to do on the beaches if you don't want to swim:
- Play volleyball on the beach.
- Taste delicious smoked fish.
- Sit in a restaurant overlooking the sea.
- Feed the seagulls.
Other types of recreation
Surprisingly, but in the North Sea diving is incredibly popular - everyone here dives, young and old, diving in the sea in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and in any other cities in Holland is loved. They usually dive from the shore, where to dive is a matter of personal preference. There are dozens of dive sites for diving, special pontoons are equipped for diving.
What is pleasantly striking is that there are quite a few living creatures in the sea. The flora and fauna of the North Sea are generally rich and varied, despite the low water temperature.
There are over 300 species of aquatic plants, 1,500 species of animals, hundreds of species of fish, crayfish, crabs and molluscs, dozens of species of algae. Underwater visibility is poor - just a couple of meters. At depth, the water temperature is lower, so a warmed wetsuit will come in handy.
At the bottom, you can see brown, red and green algae, zoster seagrass and other types of vegetation. Crabs, shrimps, oysters, cuttlefish, lobsters, scallops, molluscs, modiols, amphipods, sea acorns, stingrays live here. Often, currents "carry" dolphins and killer whales here.
The rich fauna attracts not only divers, but also fishermen. Mackerel, cod, flounder, mackerel, salmon, navaga, smelt, herring, sprats, haddock and dozens of other commercial fish swim in the local waters.
Marine predators in the North Sea are home to the katran, feline and blue sharks, hammerhead sharks and giant sharks. True, they carefully avoid meeting with a person, in any case, such facts have not yet been revealed. Therefore, the sea in Holland is quite safe, while in Amsterdam, in addition to water activities, there is something to fill the rest days. Architectural monuments, museums, art galleries, coffee shops and world-famous vicious entertainment will not let guests get bored.
