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.

We felt privileged to be part of the CW Azores family once more.

This time we got a great impression of how the islands made their transition from the whaling days into being an example of what ecotourism looks like nowadays.

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

The magazine is out in stores now!

Pretty cool huh!? I am proud of the little mermaid (one without fake tail, hair and eyelashes :-) ).

She is the perfect example of that freediving does not have to be all about depth and numbers.

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

Steller sealions are still listed as "Near Threatened" under the IUCN Red list for endangered animals since the commercial harvesting of these animals stopped decades ago.

Seasonal and yearly fluctuations in abundance of prey due to overfishing and the danger of being caught as by-catch or shot by fishermen are not making their lives easy.

Also the risk of getting entangled in fishing gear or other marine debris seems to be affecting these animals.

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.

There have been cases however that I regretted to not be able to dive deeper comfortably and safely.

That's why I decided to attend the the deep dive specialty of Enker freedive experts.

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

The September edition of Duiken contains our story on the pilot whales of Tenerife.

I will try to come up with a little blogpost about our stay and our experiences on Tenerife soon too.

In the meantime, here is the photo story of the pilot whales in Tenerife in my portfolio.

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

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

On both of the fair days I shared my photography from the main stage with the audience.

I explained why freediving helps me get images of big marine wildlife and how I use it to create photo stories about our oceans.

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

The island's history and its (for the biggest part) well protected nature reserve have attracted many holidaymakers and naturalists over time.

This year we finally managed to visit the place for the first time.

"For the first time", because for sure we need to return once to the archipelago with its abundant marine life.

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 the world; the Manta Birostris.

After the discovery of a population of giant mantas off the coast of Tumbes the manta got national attention in Peru, which in turn led indirectly to its nationwide protection starting from 2016.

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

Nemo33 is located in Brussels, Belgium. The pool consists of different segments. One of the segments in the pool is 10 meters deep. The shallower part of the pool has a depth of about 5 meter. The deepest section of the pool is a whopping 33 meters deep, for which Nemo was named the deepest pool in Europe.

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

For years the Spotted dolphins have been star of the show at the dolphin grounds off Bimini. They are known for their interactive behavior and that's what we were after as well.