Reacties en foto's

jim m

( organisator / routebegeleiding ) 23-10-2026

Leuke wandeling. De whale op het strand was zeker een heel mooi ding.

Uiteindelijk iedereen heeft redelijk snel gelopen. Goed op tijd terug bij overveen.

Geweldig🤩🙃🤣🤣🤩

jim m

( organisator / routebegeleiding ) 23-10-2026

Wow!
It was a whale

This is a beaked whale (likely a Sowerby's beaked whale or a similar species) that has stranded on the beach in Zandvoort.
​At first glance, it might look like a large dolphin due to its streamlined shape and beak-like snout, but beaked whales are actually a specialized family of deep-diving ocean cetaceans (Ziphiidae).
​They are rarely seen alive near the coast because they naturally inhabit deep offshore waters. When they end up in the shallow North Sea and wash ashore, it is usually because they have become disoriented, sick, or impacted by navigational disturbances. Marine mammal rescue teams and researchers (such as those from organizations like SOS Dolfijn or Naturalis) typically monitor and investigate these strandings to understand why they occurred.

How rare is this?

​Finding a Sowerby’s beaked whale washed ashore on the Dutch coast is exceptionally rare.
​Deep-Water Recluses: These animals inhabit cold, temperate, deep oceanic waters (typically 200 to 1,500 meters deep), such as the deep basins of the mid-Atlantic and around the British Isles or Norway.
​Unfamiliar with the North Sea: The North Sea is a very shallow shelf sea (averaging only about 30 to 90 meters deep). Because these whales rely on deep-water echolocation to navigate and hunt for squid, they are completely unequipped for the shallow North Sea.


​The Stranding Record: While occasional strandings do happen along North Sea coasts (such as in the UK, Ireland, or the Netherlands), they are considered unusual events that usually only happen when a whale becomes disoriented, sick, or driven off-course.

​Where did it come from?
​It originated from the deep Atlantic Ocean to the north or west of Europe.
​The Journey: It likely strayed from its normal habitat while traveling or feeding in the deeper waters near the northern UK or the North Sea trench.
​How it Got Trapped: Once it crossed the continental shelf into the shallow southern North Sea, it would have lost its ability to navigate properly using sound waves (which bounce poorly off shallow seabeds and sandy shores). This causes the animal to panic, exhaust itself, and eventually drift with the currents until it beaches on the Dutch coastline.