Brouwersdam

The Brouwersdam was completed in 1971 as part of the Delta Works, closing the Brouwershavense Gat between Goeree-Overflakkee and Schouwen-Duiveland and turning the Grevelingen behind it into the largest saltwater lake in western Europe. What that produced, incidentally, is the best watersports geography in the country: on the seaward side a long open North Sea beach with surf and wind, and on the landward side flat sheltered salt water with reliable wind and no waves, separated by a few hundred metres of dam, so kitesurfers, windsurfers, wingfoilers and sailors choose their side by conditions and can cross in minutes. There are schools, hire and beach clubs along it. A tidal power turbine was installed in the dam in 2015 and there is a long-running plan for a sluice to restore some exchange with the sea and fix the oxygen problems in the Grevelingen.

History

The Brouwersdam, the seventh structure of the Delta Works, was begun in 1962 across an inlet 30 metres deep, using caissons with openings that let the tide through during building; the six-kilometre dam was finished in the spring of 1971, turning the water behind it into the Grevelingenmeer (Wikipedia, Brouwersdam).

Highlights

• Two waters, one dam - open North Sea one side, flat salt lake the other.
• The main Dutch watersports strip - kitesurfing and windsurfing on both sides.
• A 1971 Delta Works dam - closing the sea gap and making the Grevelingen.
• A tidal turbine - installed in 2015, with a sluice plan under discussion.

When to go

May to September. A day.

Before you go

It is exposed and windy by definition - that is why people come, and it is unpleasant otherwise. Watersports need instruction and equipment. Parking is charged and fills on good-wind days. Swimming has currents at the sluices.

Nearby

Ouddorp is north; Renesse is south; the Grevelingen dive sites are behind.

Key facts