TheOceanRoamer

1. Early years · 1988

   From the North Sea to Curaçao

   Henri grew up along Belgium’s North Sea coast, becoming a mariner in his early teens. At 18, he was working as a professional diver and boat captain for the Curaçao Seaquarium.

   His professional journey began in 1988 as a divemaster and captain—back in the days, as he jokingly puts it, “when diving was dangerous and sex was safe.” He trained with some of the most respected professionals in the industry, gaining experience from the cold waters of the North Sea to the shores of Curaçao, where he spent part of his youth.

2. 1992–1993

   The Red Sea becomes home

   In 1992, he fell in love with the Red Sea. It became his mistress, and his love for this tropical basin has never abated.

   By 1993, Henri was one of only three full-time dive guides operating liveaboards in Egypt’s then largely undeveloped Red Sea. After four years working full-time at sea, he moved into dive centre management, gradually taking on executive responsibilities.

3. 1997 · Extra Divers

   An expedition along Yemen’s coast

   Extra Divers was exploring development in Yemen when Henri travelled there at the invitation of the Minister of Tourism. The assignment was a feasibility study of the country’s Red Sea and Indian Ocean coastlines.

   He travelled by car with his own compressor and diving cylinders, exploring and diving remote stretches of the coast. Yemen’s instability ultimately led to the decision to develop in Oman instead.

4. 1997–1998 · Extra Divers

   Building the Makadi Bay operation

   Working with Extra Divers’ founder, Henri helped turn an unfinished building into a functioning dive centre. The work covered facilities, equipment, staffing, training and operational management, alongside European sales and marketing.

   Further assignments included additional centre openings and early research connected with Nabucco Island in Indonesia.

   Explore the Extra Divers assignment →

5. Late 1998 onward · SSI

   From operations to regional leadership

   At the end of 1998, Henri moved to Scuba Schools International (SSI). He became SSI’s youngest general manager at 28, responsible for a vast geographical area.

   His General Manager duties included serving as Training Director for the entire Red Sea. Regional development combined commercial management, teaching-department oversight, quality assurance and stronger support for affiliated dive centres.

   His relationship with SSI continued through subsequent consultancy, overlapping with his independent work through Ocean Roamers.

   Explore the SSI assignment →

6. 2003 · Ocean Roamers

   An independent course

   In 2003, Henri founded Ocean Roamers in the Netherlands, establishing his independent consultancy and project development work while continuing to consult for SSI.

   His assignments took him across international diving destinations as a consultant, course director, professional diver and project developer, combining business development, practical training and the creation of marine tourism operations.

7. Early Ocean Roamers years

   Opening a route to Marsa Alam

   Working with Sky Tours and Transavia, Henri was in charge of launching the first dedicated dive charter from the Netherlands to Marsa Alam for the Benelux market.

   The assignment connected the diving market with the developing southern Red Sea destination.

8. 2004–2007 · Sudan

   A resort built far from easy access

   Through Ocean Roamers, Henri worked with Brooks Diving Adventures and the owners to establish Sudan Divers and Sudan Red Sea Resort. The project combined containerised diving infrastructure with accommodation, hospitality and remote operational setup.

   Life and work there included nearly two years living in a tent.

   Explore the Sudan resort assignment →

9. 2005–2008 & 2020–2023 · Sudan

   Turning marine protection into fieldwork

   Working with African Parks Foundation and Sudan’s Red Sea marine parks, Henri recruited and trained rangers, developed patrol capacity and supported scientific expeditions. Some training began with swimming before progressing to diving and marine operations.

   He returned in 2020, again working with the marine parks and training rangers. Through OPREDSEA, his work combined the protection and sustainable development of Sudan’s Red Sea coastline with opportunities for its coastal communities.

   His experience in Sudan also included captaining vessels and working in remote coastal environments. This second period continued until the outbreak of war in 2023.

   Explore the marine-park work →

10. 2007 · Sudan Red Sea Cataloging Expedition

    Cataloguing Sudan’s Red Sea coast

    Henri co-sponsored the only modern comprehensive scientific cataloguing expedition along Sudan’s Red Sea coast. More than 25 researchers, scientists and Red Sea professionals set out from Port Sudan aboard MSY Elegante and MSY San Marco for three-and-a-half weeks of fieldwork.

    The expedition brought together African Parks Foundation, the Cousteau Society, Sudanese authorities and Ocean Roamers. Alongside co-sponsorship, Ocean Roamers provided logistical, managerial and operational support, with Henri responsible for diving operations and safety.

    Henri remains custodian of the expedition’s record. A documentary offers a window into the scientific fieldwork and the remote marine environment that had become his working world.

    Watch the Sudan Red Sea Cataloging Expedition documentary →

11. 2007 · Dive Professionals

    Building a collective voice

    In 2007, he launched the Dive Professionals network, laying the foundation for today’s International Association of Dive Professionals (IADP). Alongside his commercial work, he became increasingly involved in marine environmental projects in Egypt and Sudan, putting socially and environmentally responsible entrepreneurship into practice.

12. 15 April 2023 · Khartoum

    Three weeks in the war

    Henri was aboard an aircraft at Khartoum airport when the airport came under attack at the outbreak of the Sudan war. Three weeks in the conflict followed.

    The war cost him everything he had built in Sudan, including the project. Those three weeks, and what he experienced during the siege, will be the subject of a dedicated series on TheOceanRoamer.

13. After Sudan · Brussels

    Recovery, friendship and rebuilding

    Friends from Egypt to Europe helped Henri get back on his feet after Sudan. They helped repatriate him to Brussels, where he received accommodation and support while recovering psychologically and rebuilding his everyday life. Having lost all his personal documents, he also faced the practical task of replacing his papers and finding his way back into the system.

    His heartfelt thanks go to Nadine Chamaa in Dahab, Sinai, his many friends in Egypt, Riccardo Mosca and friends in Brussels, and Jörg Ermisch, whose friendship and support helped make that recovery possible.

14. June 2025

    Returning to professional work

    Returning to professional diving also meant rebuilding his physical fitness. Fitness training was part of getting back into professional diver mode and preparing to work at sea again.

    In June 2025, Henri returned to professional work, with assignments taking him through Plymouth in southwest England, Germany and the Maldives. These included reviewing Plymouth Marine Park and working with Germany’s Subaqua Dive Centers on their project in the Maldives.

15. Today · Caracas

    Taking on Op Caribe for IADP

    Henri decided to take on the Op Caribe project for IADP, bringing him to the Caribbean and establishing a base in Caracas, Venezuela.

    From there, he manages IADP and its projects alongside his consultancy and management work through Ocean Roamers. He helps marine tourism businesses and project owners develop concepts, establish operations, build teams and improve how their businesses run—combining strategic advice with practical management experience.

    Explore his consultancy and management services at Ocean Roamers →

    When he is not diving or working on projects, he sails, windsurfs and develops ideas for functional tools and garments for mariners under Boys and Babes from the Blue.

Tired of a shallow existence?
Time to put some depth in your life?
Let the sea set you free.

Building viable operations while taking responsibility for their effects on people, communities and the marine environment.

Your future is created by what you do today—not tomorrow.

“Professional since” records the start of affiliation with each organisation. Qualifications and former appointments reflect subsequent professional progression.

Professional recognition · 2010

Platinum Pro 5000 Diver

He received the Platinum Pro 5000 Diver award in 2010, joining the ranks of legendary divers and ocean explorers including Jacques Mayol, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Sylvia Earle.

Research contribution · Red Sea Spies

Henri is named in the acknowledgements of BBC journalist Raffi Berg’s Red Sea Spies: The True Story of Mossad’s Fake Diving Resort (2020), among the diving and oceaneering contributors thanked for specialist knowledge and help tracing people during the research.

The book explores the history of the Arous resort in Sudan. This acknowledgement reflects Henri’s contribution to the research and his connections within the Red Sea diving community.

Book details & purchase options →

University contribution · MAERC

As part of Operation Red Sea, Henri led a team of IADP volunteers working with the university for a year and a half to develop MAERC—the Marine Academy and Experimental Research Center.

Together, they revitalised the university’s diving operation, developed courses and began teaching volunteers and students. The work also included cleaning up the adjoining bay, connecting practical marine education with environmental action.

As project leader, Henri coordinated an effort built on the contributions of volunteers and university participants.

Explore Operation Red Sea on IADP →