The tranquil scene of pretty houseboats bobbing up and down in the wind on Amsterdam’s canals was shattered for a few hours on Wednesday morning as former vice-world champion Duncan Zuur carved his way through the water on his wakeboard behind a jet ski, closely followed by fellow international star Denise de Haan.

Just four kilometres down the water from the Amstel river and the Prinsengracht, the longest of Amsterdam’s main canals, the Dutch duo made more than a few waves as they sped under no fewer than 19 bridges, powered by two 250HP jet skis. “In Venice I had just ten seconds of pure adrenaline, here we had ten minutes,” grinned an exhausted Zuun. As in 2008, the Dutchman’s antics weren’t limited to the water-based side of things. Having missed the exit point on the banks of the canal, Zuur and de Haan were forced to flee through the busy Amsterdam streets wearing nothing more than their wetsuits and with their wakeboards tucked under their arms! Despite the authorities having being alerted, the two were able to lose the police at a metro station. “Denise passed her baptism of fire with flying colours,” laughed stunt star Zuur.

The 35-year-old Zuur considers the seven turns he carved across the Piazza San Marco in December 2008 to be the highlight of his illustrious wakeboard career. “The pictures were suddenly all across the world, on all the TV channels.” Indeed, only last week the ‘King of Venice’ was asked about his ride across the famous Italian square during an appearance in Tokyo.

For 23-year-old Denise de Haan, the opportunity to take to the water in her home city of Amsterdam was the perfect comeback after a long period of the sidelines for the multiple world and European champion following a serious knee injury.