The first week of the "Duik de Noordzee Schoon" expedition 2020 has been successful, though impacted by heavy winds.

While we knew in Spring already that it was going to be a different year than others, it turned out to be a very interesting and in some respect also disappointing summer.

Although the story of Zafar's travel and initial rescue ended very positive, it did ha

Recently a 3m bottlenose dolphin has made the headlines in the Netherlands.

There are lessons in every disaster. 

While spring has begun here's a little reflection of the time past and the time to come.

Upcoming Thursday I will be doing a presentation at the Gooise Onderwatersport Vereniging in Hilversum, tickets are still available (presentation in Dutch)!

Recently our latest article has been published in Duiken Magazine.

We all know it by now.

We all have heard about the plastic soup, but for some it is quite an abstract phenomenon.

Our trip back to the Azores has come and gone so fast! It was so great to be back on Pico to meet up with old friends and new.

Sandy got interviewed for an Apnea Special in Duiken Magazine recently.

The magazine is out in stores now!

There was not a lot happening recently here, but that does not mean me nor Sandy have been sitting idle.

I am happy to share the publication of our article "Dolphins of the Bahamas" in magazine DUIKEN.

Pick up your hard copy in stores now!

During our stay in Canada it became clear that it isn´t only fun and games for the sealions.

I am happy to share that images of our time with Steller sealions have been published in the media recently.

Traditionally on World Wildlife Day I would post a fancy pic of some charismatic marine wildlife to celebrate this day..

Shutterstock recently asked me to put in a few words on underwater photography and creating images of sharks underwater.

Usually my dives on one breath are not deeper than 15 meter. 

I encounter most of the big marine life that I photograph in that region.

For me 2017 was the year of chasing the Southern Right Whale story.

Happy to see my image of a very curious pilot whale on the cover of Duiken magazine!

In the latest Duiken magazine our article about Reunion and its Shark Crisis was published.

I am happy to share that National Geographic chose my image to accompany a write up on the conservation work of Planeta Oceano's director Kerstin Forsberg.

I am happy to share the publication of our article "Pioneering in Peru" in magazine DUIKEN.

Dear Charles,

When you set foot on the Galapagos islands in September 1835 you noticed the interesting wildlife and the diversity amongst the animals.

The yearly Dutch diving fair "Duikvaker" has come and gone.

It was great to catch up with friends, fellow (free)divers and underwater photographers.

The NorthSea traditionally is one of the most overused and overfished seas in the world. 

Recently I did lots of talking about my photography and travels.

The Galapagos islands are a dream destination for many people for obvious reasons.

Check out my manta image used on kids swimwear fashion by Molo.

Recently we've been in the far North west of Peru hosted by Planeta Oceano. This NGO is working with the local communities to protect and research the biggest Manta rays in

Some of my Mobula images have been used during this years CITES meeting in Johannesburg.

Below a video I've put together with some drone footage of the Northsea expedition.

While summer arrived and the next big trip was still months away some extra dives in the Netherlands were on schedule.

I am thrilled to share that another article was published recently in Duiken magazine.

Recently I took part in the southern Duik De Noordzee Schoon expedition. 

Have you ever found fossilized shark teeth?

What about finding them in the Netherlands?

Time to boast about something I am proud of. Just a little..

Spring is in the air.

Lots of new life is born and temperatures will be warm again in the Netherlands.

On april 2015 Elio Canestri, a 13 year old French surfing talent, lost his life due to a tragic shark incident on Reunion Island.

Lately some of my images were used in conservation efforts.

A few months ago I got caught up in an interview for a NatGeo Wild show that aired worldwide on TV last week (bad pun intended).

The seas around Reunion island are home to an interesting variety of cetaceans.

Before we embarked on our trip to Reunion island I contacted Aurélien Meynieux, one of the top surfing talents of Reunion.

Travelling all over the world to see and photograph sharks and other big marine life sometimes makes me a bit blind to our Dutch wildlife.

Recently we visited Nemo33, one of the deepest pools in the world, for some freedive training.

The location of our stay on Bimini was perfect for afternoon snorkling sessions in the mangroves.

The waters off Bimini are home to many types of fish amongst which Caribbean Reefsharks and Southern Stingrays.

Although the Great Hammerhead sharks are the latest claim of fame to the Bimini dive industry there is more to be seen.. 

Every once in a while I get caught by images of certain aquatic wildlife.

Manatees are awesome. Period.

Recently the images of our encounter with the mobula rays in Baja were also published on

I was invited to speak at a readers event from Duiken magazine last saturday. I had a great time and enjoyed the presentations of the other photographers a lot.

As part of winning the Frans Lanting award I was invited to join a photo workshop with Frans Lanting in the Oostvaardersplassen.

I am super thrilled to announce that I have won the National Geographic Frans Lanting Award 2014.

Blue sharks are in my honest opinion one of the most beautiful sharks in our seas. The blue shade on their backs and the slender elongated bodies are aesthetically perfect

The Boiler is the hotspot at the Socorros for diving with the biggest Manta Ray species in the world, the Manta Birostris.

One of the main highlights of our trip through Central America was our (first ever) live-aboard trip with the Nautilus Explorer to the Socorros.

I got interviewed by Duiken Magazine because of my nomination as a finalist in the National Geographic Frans Lanting award.

After our great trip to Magdalena Bay we backtracked to La Paz. The rough weather had calmed down and the sun was shining.

I am happy to share that I am nominated as one of the 25 finalist in the Frans Lanting Award 2014. The theme of the competition is "Where the land meets the sea".

My image of a Californian sealion was featured on the cover of the October edition of Dive Magazine lately. It did not look bad at all if you ask me!

As of this week my new article has been published in the Dutch Duiken Magazine.

While we continued our stay in Magdalena Bay it seemed the gray whale season was in full swing already. We could see the whales breach in the opening of the bay every day.

I am happy to announce that I was one of the 10 finalists in this years Save Our Seas Photogr

During and after the whaleshark adventure windspeeds increased, making other trips on the Sea of Cortez impossible.

We made the journey from Costa Rica via Mexico City to la Paz in a day. On the peninsula of Baja California the second part of our trip would start.

Arrived in Cahuita we had a strawl through town to check out what was happening. Not much was happening in Cahuita..

We left Drake by boat and bus and headed for the Panamanean border. The border crossing took us ages.

We did two daytours into Corcovado national park which did not dissapoint us at all. They were awesome.

It took a while before it was finally published, but the article in the March edition of Duiken Magazine came out recently.

In an attempt to become more comfortable freedivers Sandy and I signed up for a freediving course with 

While doing some research on dolphins to write an article for Duiken Magazine I learned that Dusty is not the only friendly dolphin out there.

After the long winter we all expected spring to arrive during April and May, however even in these months there were only a few nice days to be enjoyed.

Hurray! My first ever article is coming out in the March edition of Duiken Magazine in the Netherlands.

Forget the migration of the wildebeest on the plains of the savanna.

Getting around in 3rd world countries like Mozambique is a wicked experience, but sometimes hard and painstakingly slow.

While drinking a cold coke on the porch in Zavora we saw whales jump and slap their fins on the water's surface in the bay.

Day two of our dhow safari started off with a beautiful sunrise over Bazaruto island. A great warming-up for the day to come and a wicked scene to be spectator of..

After our wicked stay in Kruger National Park we flew out of Nelspruit into the fishing village of Vilankoulos in the northern part of the Inhambane province.

After our stay in Umkomaas it was time to set out on the long drive to Mozambique.