A very special picture of red-eyed damselflies under water. This couple is putting their eggs underwater. The silver color is due to small air bubbles to 'breathe' under water.

Hippocampus hippocampus (short-snouted seahorse). The visibility in the estuary of the river Scheldt ranges from 0 to max. 6 meters. Finding beautiful creatures like this makes it rewarding. (f/8, 1/80, ISO-250, 50mm). - Erik

The toad migration in the Netherlands. This phenomena only lasts a few days. The toads are looking for a place to drop their eggs.

Fresh water nudibranch in the Netherlands. Not as colorfull as in salt water in the tropics, but even a very beautifull creature.

This small heremitecrab has really nice eyes. Taken with use of a snoot.

Eye of a brown frog that tries to stay under water during the wintercold. You can see the third eyelid of the eye.

Larvea of a brown frog. the small 'fishes' have really nice mouths, they are really cute.

Larvae of a dragonfly. Almost nobody knows that dragonflies live most of their lives under water. People only know them as the animals with wings. But they live a few years under water before their last stadium in their lives.

In 1 lake I dive quite a lot in winter, there are frogs found under water. I really like that. The frogs are found at 16-20m depth. And the special thing is that you can see that the waterpressure makes the frogs flat. But they are still alive.

A picture took from garbage. I have a longer lasting project to take pictures of garbage I find under water. This time it was a Barbie doll, the perfect woman for kids. But now dropped, headless and green of algea. A bigger contrast almost impossible

Seahorse taken in the Netherlands. A few years ago, a seahorse was rare in my country, but last year there were over 15 different seahorses found. It is amazing that we have these creatures in our murky waters.

Landscape with seastar taken in the Grevelingen lake in the Netherlands.

Nature is harsh. This brown frog did not survive the winterperiod. It is covered with mold. In this lake brown frogs can be found at 16-20m depth where they try to survive the winter under water.

European Catfish - Silurus glanis
Shortlisted!

A pike in a lake in the Netherlands. In summer we can spot a lot of pikes. I still like that fish.

Gobiidae, Duiklocatie Boschmolenplas

Small crab in the Netherlands. In winter you don't see a lot, but crabs are always there.

Seasquirts (Ascidiacea) in the 'Veerse Meer' in the Netherlands. Not the most impressive animals, but sometimes they are nice to take pictures of.

Palaemon serratus (common prawn) seeking refuge in an empty oyster in the Scheldt estuary. Torch pointed from the left on the light background behind the oyster, leaving the prawn a bit in the shadow; no strobe. (f/4, 1/60, ISO-125, 16mm) - Erik

Neogobius fluviatilis,
Boschmolenplaas, Panheel

"SURPRISE !", this Macropodia rostrata looking like Sid the Sloth yelled while jumping from the mud in front of my lens just when I was trying to shoot an elusive submarined alien vehicle in the Scheldt estuary. (f/8, 1/60, ISO-200, UCL-165) - Els

Catfish Action! (Silurus glanis)
Shortlisted!

Sepia officinalis camouflaged on a silty sloping bottom in the estuary of the river Scheldt. Never seen big ones here. The one in the picture was 10cm at most. Every year they migrate from the sea up the river to mate and lay their eggs. - Erik

Polycera quadrilineata. Shot in the estuary of the river "Scheldt" at the location "Zeelandbrug". Inon UCL-165 wet lens. - Els

Gobiidae

Astacoidea

A small nudibranch, called 'groene wierslak', grean sea snail in Zeeland, Netherlands.