Hi everyone!
My name is Isaac Vermeulen and I come from Lokeren, a city in the Flemish part of Belgium. From a very young age I was intrigued by David Attenborough’s documentaries about the oceans.
I did not grow up on the coast but a river runs behind our garden, so I practice many aquatic sports. I’m certified in windsurfing, sailing and scuba diving, and I often go for a paddle on my kayak. I’m Currently a rower in the Netherlands and compete in races all over the country.
After my Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental and Sustainability Management in Ghent, I went on studying for a Master’s Degree in Environmental Sciences at the University of Antwerp. I graduated in corona times, when I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do with my life…
Deep inside, I felt some regret that I never went on to study marine life, which has always been a great passion…Thinking: “Now or never” I applied for the Master’s in Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management at Wageningen University. I was euphoric when I heard that I had been admitted! I’m now halfway through my second Master’s and in October I will go to Bonaire to study the impact of water quality on coral reef resilience, subject of my thesis.
The first time I saw a cetacean, it was a humpback whale in Equador. I’m so excited to gain some experience with Delfini del Ponente: it’s a childhood dream coming true! During my second day at sea, we spotted four different groups of bottlenose dolphins for a total of 40 animals! This has never happened before in the history of Delfini del Ponente!!!!
We will celebrate the event with a good Italian pizza on the weekend😊
I look forward to see what’s next!
Ciao,
Isaac Vermeulen