New Year's dives in Zandvoort and Bloemendaal cancelled due to coronavirus

The upcoming New Year's Day dives at Zandvoort and Bloemendaal aan Zee have been canceled for the second year in a row due to coronavirus measures, according to the organizations and lifeguard services in the seaside resorts.

"It's not doable. There are about 5,000 divers and 10,000 spectators in total. We cannot scan all those QR codes on a beach," said Leon van Esch of Nieuwjaarsduik Zandvoort. Van Esch was referring to the coronavirus access passes which show if a person is considered to be safe enough to be allowed into an event based on their vaccination, recovery, or infection status.

"We're not going to take the risk," says Ruud Cloeck, a lifeguard in Bloemendaal aan Zee. Cloeck does expect there will still be people who show up, "but that's their own responsibility. Nothing is being organized".

It is not yet clear whether the traditional dive at Scheveningen, the largest in the country, will take place, according to a spokesperson for the Dutch Rescue Brigade.