Hof der dingen - Foghorn of Joeri Van der Veken

Joeri Van der Veken: “This isn’t just any object — this tool has saved countless lives. Its sound is urgent and unmistakable – nothing like the jingle of an ice-cream truck.” 

Nearly 50, Joeri Van der Veken has led the lifeguard team in Koksijde-Oostduinkerke for many years." 

“I started here as a student worker at 17 – and well, I never left. The tide and current can turn the sea against you. A good lifeguard is, above all, a sharp observer — someone who spots what might happen and acts before it does, drawing on their knowledge.” 

Things can take a turn for the worse incredibly fast. 

"You never forget your first resuscitation. Just after closing time, a father came running — his ten- or eleven-year-old son was choking. When I started CPR, I realised it was exactly like on the training dummy, and that reassured me. Afterwards, I felt unmoored and shaken as the tension drained away, but my fellow lifeguards gave me great support.” 

The foghorn was first used by fishermen - the original lifeguards, long before the job had a name 

“Before there was an official lifeguard service on the Belgian coast, it was the fishermen who kept watch over our safety — and that’s how the foghorn became part of the job. As a lifeguard, you need it to quickly guide people from one area to another. I’ve yet to find anything that can replace it -any alternative would need to prove it can match this powerful sound.”