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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.