The Ouderkerkerplas in one of the deepest waters in North Holland. Once dug for the construction of the A9, it is almost forty meters deep. Everything lives in the water. While snorkeling along the edges you see the teeming with aquatic plants, small fish, large fish and to top it off the Monster van de Oudekerkerplas: a very, very, very big pike.
When we think of nature, we mainly think of special plants, birds, forest and perhaps the wolf. We forget that in our water-rich province a lot of nature is under water. It’s high time to take a look there. dhe Ouderkerkerplas is clear enough to go snorkelling with Esther Douma, who manages the lake for Groengebied Amstelland. “The water here is quite clear because the water is brackish, a bit salty. Many algae don’t like that and that’s why you have a visibility of three meters underwater.”
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Natural NH Ouderkerkerplas – NH News
What immediately strikes you when you put your head under water is how green it is there! “Water quality has improved in recent years,” says Esther. “Many aquatic plants that we have not seen in recent decades are returning. They are finally getting enough light underwater again.” This can be clearly seen in the long strings of the spirewort and pondweed.
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We snorkel a bit along the edge of the lake where it is about two meters deep. There are many small fish to be seen. “Rows, bass, young carp and bream find food and shelter among the plants at that depth. Moreover, it is slightly warmer there, which is of course nice for cold-blooded fish.”
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Some larger fish also appear. bream. Fortunately, the Monster of the Ouderkerkerplas does not show itself. This huge pike was once filmed by diver Martin de Vries. Whether the pike is one and a half meters long, as Martin claims, cannot be ascertained. The largest pike ever caught in the Netherlands was 1.38 meters. But it is certain that this is a whopper of a fish. brrrrr.