Cocolite treatment full of hope and optimism

At Lakeside Paradise they continue to hope and believe in a good summer. Just like every year, this week a cocolite treatment was performed on the 11ha big Duinenwater Lake. This should ensure that this summer's recreational use of the lake will not be compromised by sudden algae growth.

Frank Vanleenhove: "This treatment has to be done at a water temperature that fluctuates between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius. Of course, we keep a close eye on this from mid-March onwards. Over the past 4 years, this action has always borne fruit, so we could not leave anything to chance this time either. According to the calculations, 30 tonnes of chalk have to be spread out evenly and this week was the day. Cocolite chalk is completely organic, harmless to humans and animals, and stops algae growth. We had already confirmed the order in January and so everything was ready. Through the Lakeside Paradise instagram and facebook page we received dozens of offers to come and help but that was not to be this year...We provided a large raft on which we stacked the 20 kg bags and two people a few metres apart could pour out bag after bag. A third person sat in the motorboat so that we complied with the rules. Now we hope that everyone really sticks to the corona standards because together with all the entrepreneurs from Knokke-Heist, the entire coast and the whole country, we are of course hoping to save the summer. The worst that can happen now is that everyone pulls the reins back and a new eruption will be the result and the months of July and August will be compromised...".

When to return to water sports?

" I think that, once the movements are made more flexible, water sports can easily be practised, uncoupled from the associated catering activities within the clubs. That the HORECA is among the last on the list is understandable, but water sports are done individually and at a considerable distance from each other. In our case, the wakeboarders are pulled by the cable at 80 m from each other! Also for the cloakrooms and showers, the same standards could be applied as in department stores, for instance maximum 2 persons. In our municipality, young people can come with their bicycles, already wearing a surfing suit, so this will not cause any problems either. I also think that it would be an enormous boost for morale and many water sports enthusiasts would then have something to look forward to...hope springs eternal!

What about the condition of those water sportsmen then?

" We have also thought about this. It's true that many water sports enthusiasts have been lying still for weeks and that wakeboarding uses specific muscle groups that are otherwise less well trained. That's why we have joined forces with Waterski Vlaanderen and from now on, every Saturday morning, the Belgian Young Talent and Tomorrow Team will start a "get fit to wake" programme. Everyone can participate and get exercises that you can repeat during the week. The sessions will continue once a week until further notice on Saturday morning at 11am and will be led by a Lakeside Paradise Cable operator. Anyone can join and the programme is free to download: call zoom and google: join training Get Fit 2 Wake Meeting ID: 893 9313 9297
Password: WSV

Is the Lakeside Paradise Oudoor Gym also a useful tool for this?

"We have indeed noticed that many walkers find their way around the Duinenwater Lake. In collaboration with the municipality of Knokke-Heist and the Sports Service, we installed an outdoor gym there last year. It involves two pieces of equipment at corona distance from each other on which everyone can do a simple work-out as they see fit, which can be quite tough if the number of repetitions or the amount of time spent on it is taken into account. It is important that everyone can use them for free, and that you perhaps wear gloves to operate the equipment during these times. Washing your hands well afterwards is, of course, highly recommended. We water the plants on the terrace of Lakeside Paradise every day and we notice that many people use it alone or in pairs, young and not so young, and the government recommends to stay in motion outside, so in fact perfect during the walk to loosen all the muscles.