Interview speakers Duikvaker 2025

Diving in the Netherlands? Yes please!

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Text: René Lipmann Photos: Rob Dekker

As the owner of a diving centre in Zoetermeer for many years, Rob Dekker would like to share his love for diving in the Netherlands. His enthusiasm is infectious and he likes to venture off the beaten track when organising diving activities. In this way, he knows how to keep diving challenging for himself, but also for others.

Rob, where do we know you from?

That's a fun question! Many people know me from Dive Post in Zoetermeer. In 2000 I was an Abap programmer at PWC and I decided to quit smoking that year. As a reward, my wife Margreet and I went on holiday to Lanzarote. That's where we learned to dive. When we got back to the Netherlands we went looking for a diving school. That's how we met Cees Langmuur. He had just started Dive Post Katwijk. Together with Margreet we started the Padi path and became Divemaster in 2003. We were already very active in the diving club at that time. One day Cees asked if we were interested in setting up a second diving shop. We were expecting twins at the time, our priorities were elsewhere. The shop was opened anyway, but the owners at the time were unable to get it off the ground properly. In the end we decided to take over Dive Post Zoetermeer. 

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You just got back from a diving holiday in Bali, but you also like diving in the Netherlands. Do you have a favourite diving location in the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands we dive everywhere! Every dive site must be viewed in its own context. I mean, don't expect an enormous diversity of vegetation in the Klinkenbergerplas. Enjoy that one pike-perch that hangs still in the sun that shines diffusely between the reeds. Zeeland and especially the Oosterschelde, that's where we like to dive the most. The Zeeland Bridge between the turning point, drifting nicely on the current from Halverwege to the pillars. We like to take a day for that. And if it fits with an overnight stay. Also diving locations like Plompe Toren, Goese Sas and Wemeldinge are spots that we enjoy immensely. Did you know that the name Galleon Without Money not right? We left a euro there a few years ago as a joke.

What makes diving in the Netherlands attractive to you?

The diversity of underwater life in the Netherlands is enormous. You can come down to the Oosterschelde and I will tell you what month it is. A snot olf in the winter, the hydroid polyp Tubularia in the spring and a little later again the Blue Tip, a sea slug. Each season brings different life or surprises with new species. Our first newest sighting was the Millennium wart slug and recently the flamenco flatworm. The visibility determines your search area, but we prefer to descend and investigate that one square meter. The peace that you radiate under water ensures that the animals accept you as one of them. Then a curious horned blenny fish automatically emerges from its hiding place. Last but not least is the distance. Diving in the Netherlands means a 'short' travel time. You'll be in the water in no time. Foreign destinations are of course great, but you'll be a few kilometers further and euros lighter.

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What can you really enjoy in Zeeland?

We enjoy the extensive possibilities of Zeeland. Relaxed dives with little current, for example at Zoetersbout. A dive site where you hardly have any trouble with current, but surprisingly beautiful underwater life. We found our first seahorse there! Or we take a dive at Vlietepolder (Peilhuisje), close to the Oosterscheldekering. These exciting dives with more current require good preparation. Where does the wind come from? What is the phase of the moon? Which turning point is best for this location and when is the turning point. In collaboration with diving ship MS Bull we regularly organize boat diving trips on the Oosterschelde. We always go along ourselves and then visit special dive sites. Locations that you cannot, or can hardly dive from the shore. For example Putti's Place at Wilhelminadorp, the Fritsberg or the wreck of the Boer at Gorishoek. 

That sounds cool, taking a boat onto the Oosterschelde. There must be some special diving locations there?

Sure, I already mentioned the Fritsberg. This underwater mountain starts at a depth of 25 metres. At low tide, the top is at 6 metres. This mountain is named after its discoverer Frits de Vries, skipper of the Rijnland III. Unfortunately, Frits has since passed away. This mountain is located right in the current area and every season it is teeming with the most exciting sea slugs, sepiola, sepia, butterfish and much more. Here too, a proper briefing and preparation are extremely important. Questions such as what is the shape of the mountain, what is its location, must be answered well in advance.
We only dive here at the low tide. You always dive on the lee side of the mountain and turn with the tide. Really recommended!

You shared a video on social media a few years ago that went viral. Tell us about it?

Yes, that was very special. I started filming underwater during an inspection dive of the Diving park Zoetermeer in 2010. Since then I almost always have a small camera with a film lamp with me. Also during the dive at Stavenisse harbor in 2020. I then found a piece of fishing gear, a so-called rosary. Around that paternoster a short-snouted seahorse had curled its tail. This photo looked strikingly similar to a photo taken earlier by Justin Hofman that was published by National Geographic. A photo that was often used to draw attention to the pollution of the oceans. My video and image were noticed by Errol Vos, the publisher of Duikersgids. He placed it on his website. After that I suddenly became very busy. Omroep Zeeland, the AD, BNNVARA and many more local and national media contacted me for an interview. A great moment to bring diving in the Netherlands to the attention of the general public and also the consequences of plastic pollution.

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You also dive in the IJsselmeer, at Pampus and the Randmeren. That doesn't sound like a first shore dive. How do you get to those locations? 

Diving on the Randmeren actually originated from our inexhaustible desire to keep diving exciting. The Netherlands is a beautiful water country, but a lot of water is not interesting due to shallowness or busy boats. During one of our evenings on the MS Bull, it was mentioned that the season was almost over and the ship would return to its home port of Huizen. This meant that there would be no more diving from the MS Bull for five months. That evening the plan unfolded to go to the Randmeren once in November, to scan the bottom with the scanner and to make a few dives. What we encountered then was so great that we decided to organize three weekends with the theme exploration diving RandmerenThis year again, several weekends offered these exploration dives. 

How do you keep diving challenging?

By constantly looking for new locations or ways to keep it interesting for us. We don't dive for the sake of diving, but dive to gain new experiences in special places. One time we go looking for a newly discovered plant, a seaweed or a sea slug. Another time we follow a course focused on Zeeland's underwater life. So that we can search even more efficiently or know better what to look for. In addition, the establishment of DiveActivity has ensured that we can share this passion with others. In this way we have met many nice new people. 

What kind of diving activities do you organize from DiveActivity?
These activities are very diverse and for all levels. Such as a visit to indoor diving centre Todi, NaturaGart with its beautiful diving course, the old quarry La Gombe or boat diving on the North Sea, Grevelingen and Oosterschelde. We also organise diving trips to Croatia, Scotland, Egypt and Germany. Knowledge-enhancing outings such as a visit to a hyperbaric chamber or a diving museum are also on our programme. 

What would you recommend to someone who wants to start diving? Start abroad? Or walk into a local dive shop?

That is an open door as far as I am concerned. Thousands of people have obtained their open water certificate in our diving centre. The reason for learning to dive with this group was very diverse. One wanted to obtain his diving certificate after bungee jumping, motorcycle driving licence and surfing. These people often do not get further than one diving holiday and then stop. We always try to stimulate new divers, for example by taking them to Zeeland. In this way we want to show them the beauty of the Netherlands. In this way they can also gain experience. So not straight to Indonesia. First try to discover the sea anemones in the Grevelingen. In this way you slowly gain knowledge and skills. A good Dutch diving school will help you with diving sites that suit your experience and in this way prepare you for dives that are more challenging. During this path the diver can decide for himself or herself what he or she likes. What am I going to specialise in? What kind of diver do I want to become? Do I go for nature, wrecks, do I want to teach? You name it. 

Do you dive all year round in the Netherlands? 

Yes, we have! We have always done that. The visibility is getting better and better during the winter months. This season has many special moments. Think of the lumpfish and the sea toad. To find their colorful nests, I like to dive in the coldest season of the year. I have to be honest, however, that our diving frequency is much lower during the winter months. We also use a heating vest under our suit. When we get into the water in January or February, we come out freezing but with a happy face.

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Besides diving you are active as a nature guide at Natuurschool. Are you that educational?

I like to share my passion for something. That I could also apply this to primary and secondary education was new to me. After we stopped the diving school at the end of 2021, I had decided to take it easy for a while. That intention was nice, but apparently not for us. That week, I received a vacancy through various channels for the role of Nature Guide in Noordwijk. The Nature School is part of the IVN Nature Education. I applied and was accepted. Things went quickly, and I am now a guide coordination. I hire new guides and train them. Margreet now takes care of the acquisition, registration of schools and planning of the guides. Last year, we were able to welcome almost 10,000 children at the Nature School. Experienced guides offer a great nature program, in which we try to stimulate the love of nature in these children. You experience great things like that. A nice story is the time when a boy was crushing a few red wood ants upon arrival. They're poking me, Master Rob, and I find them scary. That day, this group got the program about wood ants. During that program, they learn, among other things, how the roles in an anthill are divided. The queen, workers, soldiers, the function of the flying ant and much more. At the end of the day, I saw that little boy walking next to his friend to the bus and heard him say: Watch out man, you almost kick a soldier to death! See, that's what I do it for.

You are one of the guest speakers at Duikvaker. Can you give us a little insight? 

I want to share my love for diving in the Netherlands. Make sure that one novice diver takes the trouble to find a local diving school. Diving is a great hobby! You can get so much fun out of it. Find out what this sport can bring you. Do you choose to go to a warm place once a year? Fine! But don't say that diving in the Netherlands is worthless if you haven't given it a chance. In addition, I also want to show the various diving schools that we have what our method at Dive Post Zoetermeer was to bind a diver to you after his training. If you succeed in binding the diver to you, you get a win-win situation. The diver enjoys everything the sport has to offer and the diving school has a regular customer. 

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Rob Dekker

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