These images were taken just before I started a pretty special hike — a wadloop from Lauwersoog to the area near Rottumeroog. It's about 14 kilometers across the seabed of the Wadden Sea, and honestly, it was one of the most unique walks I've ever done.

The first part was the hardest — knee-deep in mud at times, and every step felt like a workout. But once we got going, it became more about rhythm and focus. The silence out there is incredible: just sky, wind, and the distant sound of birds.

Rottumeroog is a small, uninhabited island close to the German border. It's part of a protected nature reserve and is closed to the public. Our boat was waiting on a sandbank just beside it.

The journey back took nearly four hours. The boat had to slowly zigzag through shallow channels, carefully timing the route with the tides to avoid running aground. It gave us time to take it all in — the light, the water, the stillness.

The Wadden Sea — also known as the Waddenzee in Dutch — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stretches along the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. The Wadden Sea is a valuable and unique coastal area where the tides create a constantly changing landscape. It's home to a vast array of animals and plants and plays a crucial role in the global ecosystem, particularly for migrating birds.

But it's also a vulnerable place. Rising sea levels, climate change, and activities such as gas and salt extraction are putting significant pressure on this delicate ecosystem. There's even concern that it could lose its UNESCO status if things don't change.

Still, walking across the bottom of the sea, ending up next to this wild little island, and then drifting back with the tide — it's something I won't forget anytime soon.

These images were taken just before I started a pretty special hike — a wadloop from Lauwersoog to the area near Rottumeroog. It's about 14 kilometers across the seabed of the Wadden Sea, and honestly, it was one of the most unique walks I've ever done.

The first part was the hardest — knee-deep in mud at times, and every step felt like a workout. But once we got going, it became more about rhythm and focus. The silence out there is incredible: just sky, wind, and the distant sound of birds.

Rottumeroog is a small, uninhabited island close to the German border. It's part of a protected nature reserve and is closed to the public. Our boat was waiting on a sandbank just beside it.

The journey back took nearly four hours. The boat had to slowly zigzag through shallow channels, carefully timing the route with the tides to avoid running aground. It gave us time to take it all in — the light, the water, the stillness.

The Wadden Sea — also known as the Waddenzee in Dutch — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stretches along the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. The Wadden Sea is a valuable and unique coastal area where the tides create a constantly changing landscape. It's home to a vast array of animals and plants and plays a crucial role in the global ecosystem, particularly for migrating birds.

But it's also a vulnerable place. Rising sea levels, climate change, and activities such as gas and salt extraction are putting significant pressure on this delicate ecosystem. There's even concern that it could lose its UNESCO status if things don't change.

Still, walking across the bottom of the sea, ending up next to this wild little island, and then drifting back with the tide — it's something I won't forget anytime soon.