Wadden Sea depth map – Texel to Terschelling

by Sidney van den Boogaard

Twice a day the North Sea pours in between Texel, Vlieland and Terschelling, then drains away again. That tide has carved channels across the western Wadden Sea that you never see from the ferry. Here they lie open, branching like trees from the Marsdiep, the Eierlandse Gat and the Vlie. Off Den Helder the Marsdiep drops to 47.9 metres, the deepest point on the map. The sand tones are the flats that surface at low tide, and the darker the blue, the deeper the water. Anyone who has sailed here will find themselves tracing old routes with a finger. It sits well in a hallway or above a desk, and with Ameland beside it you have a pair.

From the Depth series: coastal waters and lakes in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland, in the same quiet colours. Each depth is its own layer, like stacked sheets of paper with a soft shadow beneath, from sandy flats to deep ink blue. Two or three side by side make a natural set, especially when they are places you know.

© Sidney van den Boogaard · Data: Rijkswaterstaat, EMODnet, © OpenStreetMap