While Ibiza is famed worldwide for its beaches, clubs, and nightlife, there is another magical world that you can access only via scuba diving. It’s a realm with endless fields of Posidonia (Neptune grass), beautifully carved dunes and mountains, and otherworldly creatures rising from the sand and hovering in the darkness.
In other words, a mysterious place filled with crystal-clear water and teeming with life that surpasses the imagination!
Underwater photographer, octopus fanatic, and citizen scientist Hidde Juijnis a marine Renaissance man with a mission: to protect and save the octopus.
The upcoming odyssey for the Dutch ‘octoparrazo’ is to take part in the Fit for the Ocean Challenge, organised by the NGO Sea Shepherd (see end of article)
By donating, you are directly supporting Sea Shepherd’s vital campaign.
https://donor.seashepherdglobal.org/page/fit-for-the-ocean-25?fundraiser=NAPZCGSX&member=SNTDJTQX
The Common Octopus
Of Dutch origin, Hidde Juijn first came to Ibiza in the 1970s, where he began to develop his passion for snorkelling, scuba diving, and all things subaquatic. Before settling in Ibiza with his family in 2009, he studied and worked as a photographer, videographer, and graphic artist in Europe, the USA, and the Middle East. This broad experience has served him well in his quest to explore the waters around the island and the wonders they contain.
From 2004 onwards, he began taking underwater photos of the local octopuses and cuttlefish when on holiday here. Since moving to Ibiza, he has gradually devoted more and more time to his underwater hobby, to the extent that he now goes out two or three times a week year round.
The White-Spotted Octopus
Hidde refers to the waters around the White Island as “The Kingdom of Yabisa”, a term that harks back to the pristine aquatic conditions that prevailed for centuries. As for his chosen cove for communing with cephalopods, he calls it “Mollusk Bay”.
“Entering the sea at sunset and scuba diving by moonlight is a unique and relaxing way to observe all these extraordinary residents. Every night is different. I stay in the water for around two to three hours. After a while, you get to know the local octopuses. Some will accept you into their world and show you their daily routines and survival skills. A few even become ‘supermodels’ who know how to work the camera well.”
The Cuttlefish
“Five different cephalopods can be found in Ibiza’s waters,” he goes on to explain. “The common octopus, white-spotted octopus, common cuttlefish, calamary, and the most petite—and maybe most beautiful—of all: the dwarf bobtail squid. Each is a master of disguise and sometimes very hard to see, even when it’s right in front of you.”
After all these years, he is still amazed at the sheer uniqueness of these marvels of the Mediterranean. “With their personality and character, I am still mesmerised by these ever-changing, extraordinary submarine residents. After every night dive, I leave the sea with a massive smile on my face, full of energy for my next adventure in this almost unknown nightlife of Ibiza.”
The Dwarf Bobtail Squid
Along the way, he founded the exclusive and somewhat elusive ‘Cephalopod Club’. Its manifesto: to respect and protect octopuses and their habitat and to bear witness to their exceptional powers of camouflage, deceptive beauty, and contortionism. Lastly, it aims to remind these silent shape-shifters to always be wary of humans, in the hope that they will outlast us and, ultimately, rejoin their counterparts in outer space.
The European Squid
As a citizen scientist, Hidde has collaborated with his images for research and awareness for the following organisations:
CBL Cephalopod Behaviour Lab / CSIC Spanish National Research Council / IMM Institute of Marine Research / National Geographic / Sea Shepherd International
Salvador
In that capacity, he has also been documenting, over a period of five months, the story of a very special octopus that he has nicknamed Salvador. Possessing no fewer than nine fully functional tentacles (a world first!), Salvador is a superstar among the global scientific community.
Hidde’s final message could not be simpler: Cephalopods rock!
The upcoming odyssey for the Dutch ‘octoparrazo’ is to take part in the Fit for the Ocean Challenge, organised by the NGO Sea Shepherd (an international, non-profit marine conservation organisation devoted to defending wildlife and protecting the world's oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction)*. His contribution: to scuba dive at night for 5km and kayak for 15km along the coast of Ibiza.
*The Mediterranean is not just the most overfished sea in the world but one of the most threatened: every day, 730 tonnes of plastic enter its waters - clogging up the delicate food chain - and illegal fishing is rampant.
Join Ibiza Spotlight by making your donation here:
https://donor.seashepherdglobal.org/page/fit-for-the-ocean-25?fundraiser=NAPZCGSX&member=SNTDJTQX
Follow Hidde's submarine adventures on Instagram.
