{"id":414999,"date":"2020-09-25T09:37:25","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T13:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/?page_id=414999\/"},"modified":"2020-10-08T10:11:19","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T14:11:19","slug":"surfing-in-belgium","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/surfing-in-belgium\/","title":{"rendered":"Surfing in Belgium"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":13914,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"blog-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-414999","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"dl_page_content":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-415328 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/belgium.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"365\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Belgium has one of the shortest coastlines in the world. Located in Western Europe, the country known for its delicious chocolate is bathed by 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) of North Sea. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One third of Belgium&#8217;s coastline has been artificially manipulated by men to protect citizens and properties from the power of erosion. Dunes, for example, are everywhere. Belgium has a temperate maritime climate, which means cool summers and moderate winters. The average temperature is 18\u00b0C during summer and 3\u00b0C during winter. Breakwaters, jetties and piers are the worst enemies of Belgian surfers. Although these obstacles may create quality point breaks, it is also true that they block the rare quality swells on offer in the North Sea. The North Sea can be dangerous and deadly. Its strong rips and currents add a tricky variable to the local community of surfers. The average water temperature is quite low, so a 6mm wetsuit is compulsory. In the windy Belgian environment, surfers usually have to share the line-up with fellow windsurfers and kiteboarders. The good news is that beach breaks are everywhere. You don&#8217;t have to worry about rocky bottoms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Climate in Belgium<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The climate of Belgium is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cool and wet<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> because it is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, especially on the coast and the plain. In the south-eastern regions (Ardennes), which are located at higher altitudes as well as at a greater distance from the sea, the climate is more continental, and also more unstable in summer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Precipitation<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is frequent, but not particularly abundant. The coastal area is less rainy, and it is also slightly sunnier than the interior: precipitation amounts to 820 millimeters (32 inches) per year in Ostend, located on the coast, to 850 mm (33.5 in) in Brussels, a hundred kilometers (60 miles) away from the coast, and to 1,100 mm (43 in) in Spa, in the Ardennes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Best surf spots in Belgium<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best Belgian surf spots can all be visited in one morning, around Oostende. The Mariakerke, Westende, and Oostduinkerke breaks are located south, while Bredene can be surfed north of Oostende. Two spots can be discovered near the Dutch border: Blankenberge and Surfers Paradise. There aren&#8217;t many surf spots in Belgium, but the entire coast is full of impressive opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Budget Planning<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Meal price range<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simple meals start at $12 USD. Mid-rang meals start at $25 USD. Dining &amp; drinking at high-end restaurants can cost anywhere from $100-200 USD<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Equipment rental<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a few surf schools in Belgium where you can rent gear from.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Prepaid SIM cards<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proximus and Orange are a good choice. SIM cards can be purchased from kiosks, shops, the Eurostar train station, official stores. Prepaid packages start at $25 USD.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Public transport<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is an extensive public transport system in Belgium made up of trains, buses, taxis and the underground.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rental cars start at $40 USD a day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Gas prices\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1.25 USD a liter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Types of risks<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breakwaters, jetties and piers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strong rips and currents\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>How to prepare<\/b><\/h3>\n<h3><b>Visa<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Citizens from <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">62 countries, including the US, and Australia, can enter Belgium without a visa for up to 90 days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Vaccines<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although it&#8217;s not mandatory, it\u2019s recommended that you have been vaccinated for hepatitis A &amp; B, yellow fever, typhoid, rabies, meningitis, polio, Tdap, chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia, influenza, measles, mumps and rubella.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Things to know<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Language &amp; Currency<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There ar<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e three official languages Dutch, French, and German.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Euro <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(\u20ac)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Best time to go<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autumn and spring are more pleasant, but winter is more consistent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Checking Surf forecast\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Checking the forecast about a week before your trip is always a good idea. Understanding what the waves will be like and knowing what gear to pack is essential. You can check the forecast for the waves <a href=\"https:\/\/www.surf-forecast.com\/breaks\/Oostduinkerke\/forecasts\/latest\/six_day\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Do I need pack a pharmacy kit<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should bring a basic kit. Including ear drops, eye drops, bandaids, ear plugs, gaze, alcohol, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mosquito repellent<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and broad spectrum antibiotic ointment.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Travel\/Surf Insurance<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldnomads.com\/Turnstile\/AffiliateLink?partnerCode=nmdsrf&amp;source=&amp;utm_source=nmdsrf&amp;utm_content=link&amp;path=https:\/\/www.worldnomads.com\/travel-insurance\/\">World Nomads<\/a> has great travel insurance packages that are not super expensive and they cover surfing. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Emergency<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dial 100 for medical and fire emergencies. And 101 for the police.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Check surf pictures of Belgium at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/surfingbelgium\/\">#surfingbelgium<\/a>.<\/p>\n","title":"","description":"","test-booking-shortcode":true},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/414999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13914"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/414999\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414999"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=414999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}