Text: René Lipmann Photos: Peter the Virgin

Wisdom comes with age, says underwater photographer Peter de Maagt. During his presentation at Duikvaker he shows that you can also come home with very nice photos when you only snorkel. There are enough examples to be found; orcas in Norway, whales in Sri Lanka and gannets in the Shetlands!

You grew up in Pauluspolder, a hamlet in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. Is that where your love for nature originated?

I think that if you ask 10 people when their love for nature began, you will hear from 9 people that it began in their youth. I am certainly no exception. Maybe I belong to the category where the love for nature has only increased. And that certainly does not only apply to underwater.

After your studies at the technical university in Eindhoven you were able to work at the University of Surabaya in Indonesia. You have seen a lot of Java, Maduro and Bali. A completely different culture and a dream destination for many divers. Did you dive then? 

Funny you should ask that, because Indonesia was the trigger for me to start diving. I could only snorkel then, but the drive to stay underwater longer was born then. When I got back to the Netherlands I immediately started taking lessons.

After returning to the Netherlands, you went to work for the European Space Agency, ESA. An employer where you work very internationally. That's how you ended up in South Africa for a few months. That must have been a unique opportunity to dive with sharks? What was that like?

South Africa is a fantastic destination if you like sharks. Don't expect crystal clear water and tropical temperatures. But South Africa has of course a lot to offer that is unique; such as the sardine run or the many locations where you can dive with sharks. And, if you leave the great white shark aside for a moment, where you can simply dive with sharks. The variety is also great: tiger sharks, raggies, blacktip, hammerhead sharks etc. In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

Your work at the ESA antenna department and diving sometimes come together. For example, you helped develop a tag that can be used to track animals. Can you tell us a bit more about this? 

The tag is a great example of what you can achieve with some perseverance. The older tags work on the principle that they start transmitting as soon as they come up for air. Whether or not there is a satellite available to receive the data. Of course, that reduces the lifespan of the batteries enormously. The new tag that we have developed first checks with a kind of SMS whether a satellite is available and then also checks regularly whether the data has been received. The result is that the complete data is received anyway (without missing pieces) and that it costs much less battery.

The tag is actually a high-tech example that biologists and experts enjoy a lot.

ESA is also investigating how satellites can help detect and reduce plastic pollution in the ocean. As part of this, a short animation film was created. Ideas from the pupils of 't Vogelnest, your old primary school in Hengstdijk, were used for the ESA animation video. What was it like to be back in your old school after so many years? 

Within ESA it was very easy to get support to see how we can use satellites to detect plastic. But it soon became clear that we also had to explain it to those who will experience the consequences themselves; the youth. Coincidentally, we had discussed it once when I was visiting my sister. So the connection was quickly made. The good input you get from the younger generation is incredible. It was of course great to go back to your roots and give a lecture.

Started diving in 1993, but you didn't buy your first underwater camera until 2004. For someone with so much talent and knowledge about photography, you took your time…

You can also look at it positively! Maybe it is a good idea to learn to dive properly before you start underwater photography. Very rarely I sometimes get the idea that some photographers started too fast, which means their buoyancy is not always perfect 

You started with a simple point & shoot camera, now you dive with professional cameras. Was that a gradual process? 

Now that I look back, I also see the path of gradualism as an advantage. During lectures I often say that I have already made all the mistakes that people in the audience make. The realization that you run up against limitations when you are a point & shoot will come naturally after a certain time. Solving problems eventually leads to understanding what you are doing and why. 

What is your goal with your underwater photos? What do you want to achieve?    

That is an easy question for me to answer. If my photos can contribute in any way to the protection of the underwater world, then I am completely happy! It is actually nothing more and nothing less. So far I have had the privilege to contribute to this a number of times.

You count the famous underwater photographer Alex Mustard among your friends. What have you learned from Alex?

“You don't take a photo, you make a photo” and “you have to expose it in such a way that no one can see that you have exposed it”. These are just a few mottos of Alex that have always stuck with me. I think Alex's strength is that he can explain it in a very simple way.

He definitely taught me to think a lot more carefully about some things.

Do you have a 'golden tip' for beginning underwater photographers? What is the most difficult part of underwater photography in your opinion?

Enjoy! The rest will follow. If you are satisfied with your photos, you are already there. Exposure is also something that many people find difficult, but if you understand a few simple things, it is not rocket science. So look a lot at the work of others and dare to ask!

You are not afraid of cold water, you have dived in Greenland and Antarctica. What is the attraction of these underwater biotopes for you?

Diving at an iceberg is magical, not only the colours you see, but also the crackling of the melting fresh water of the iceberg in the salt water of the ocean will always stay with you. Antarctica also has many animals that are very large, the so-called phenomenon of gigantism. It all does not grow much per year, but it does continue.

It's a bit of a mixed feeling, but diving in a whale graveyard is very impressive. In the past, they caught so many whales that they didn't even bother to drag them onto land. All the bones, carcasses etc. just sank to the bottom. Fortunately, times have changed a bit.

If money were no object, where should every underwater photographer dive at least once in their life?

I get that question a lot and I actually find it one of the hardest questions. It just depends on what you hope to see. No destination has everything. If you go for the beautiful corals, I would say Raja Ampat. If you want to see sharks, there are definitely better destinations. If you go all out on macro, Lembeh is a good option.

You have a famous colleague, astronaut André Kuipers, what is it like to work with him? You share the same passion: diving.

André is very relaxed. When we see each other work-related, there is fortunately often time to chat about diving or just about some small talk. Most people think that astronauts get too big for their boots, but the percentage that does is the same as with divers. 

You are one of the guest speakers at Duikvaker in the weekend of February 1 and 2. What is your topic? What can I expect from your presentation as a visitor?

Wisdom comes with age! In the past I often went on hardcore diving holidays alone and didn't have time to visit the country. When I had one of the most fantastic snorkeling holidays in Sri Lanka a guide said to me: "you don't have to dive to experience all this and you'll miss all the beauty on land if you go home now”That has always stuck with me. If you snorkel and also spend some time on land, the holiday becomes a lot less “selfish”. Hopefully I can show in my presentation that you also come home with very nice pictures if you only snorkel. There are enough examples to be found; orcas in Norway, whales in Sri Lanka, gannets in the Shetlands and so on.