Scheveningen in March Is the Best Version of Scheveningen
People always look at me a bit funny when I say March is my favourite month at Scheveningen. They picture the summer — crowded beach, frites stands, kids screaming, that very particular smell of sunscreen and pier. And yes, that has its own energy. But that’s not my Scheveningen.
My Scheveningen is right now. Grey sky, 6 degrees, wind from the northwest, and a 1.5 metre swell that the forecast has been teasing for three days. I was in the water by 7:15 this morning. There were maybe four other people on the whole stretch of beach. The water was freezing and it was absolutely perfect.
Why the off-season is the real season
There’s a version of Den Haag that exists only in winter and early spring that most people who didn’t grow up here never see. The boulevard is quiet. The light is completely different — lower, sharper, the kind that makes everything look like a Scheveningen School painting, which, if you know your Dutch art history, is exactly what it should look like.
I’ve been surfing here for three years now and I genuinely think the March swells are the most consistent of the year. The summer is crowded and the waves are mostly small and messy. Autumn can be stormy but unpredictable. March hits this sweet spot: the Atlantic low pressure systems are still active, the crowds are gone, and you can actually score a clean session without spending 45 minutes in the lineup waiting for a gap.
Post-surf ritual, unchanged since year one
After a morning session I always do the same thing. Rinse off at the beach shower — yes, it’s cold, yes I do it anyway — walk up toward the boulevard, and get a coffee somewhere warm. My spot is Tigershark Coffee on the Badhuiskade — a tiny espresso bar tucked between a surf shop and a skate shop, about five minutes from the water. The owner Vinnie is a barista and a surfer, which means he actually understands why you’ve just come in dripping and slightly wild-eyed. Flat white, window seat, watch the pier. Perfect.
If you’re in Den Haag and you’ve never been to the beach in March: go. Dress properly, bring a flask, and just stand there for a minute. It’s the best the city has to offer.
