door On 9 June 2025, PostNL will issue Experience Nature – underwater life Sint Eustatius, a sheet featuring 10 stamps in 10 different designs. The stamps have a denomination of 1 for mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands. The price for a sheet of 10 stamps is €12.10. This stamp sheet about the butterflies of Sint Eustatius is part of the multi-year series Experience Nature dedicated to the Caribbean Netherlands from 2024-2026. Each year, the series features four stamp sheets, each with 10 different stamps.
The stamps depict plants and animals found in this part of the Netherlands. The islands in this region boast an extraordinary biodiversity by Dutch standards, with thousands of plant and animal species. In 2025, attention will be given to the birds, butterflies, underwater world, and flora of the island of Sint Eustatius. On 2 January and 10 March, PostNL released the first two stamp sheets in the series, featuring the birds and butterflies of the island. The third stamp sheet, Experience Nature – underwater life of Sint Eustatius, highlights the following animals this year: Spotted Trunkfish, Spinner Dolphin, Trumpetfish, Blue Marlin, Great Star Coral, Banded Butterflyfish, Humpback Whale, Striped Seahorse, Goldentail Moray, and Tiger Shark.
SINT EUSTATIUS
The island of Sint Eustatius, like Bonaire and Saba, has a special status within the Netherlands. The collective name for the three islands is the Caribbean Netherlands. Together with the countries Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, they form the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Sint Eustatius, known locally as Statia, is part of the Leeward Islands. This designation refers to the position of the islands relative to the prevailing northeast trade winds. Sint Eustatius lies between Saba and Saint Kitts, separated from these islands by a shallow sea. The only city and capital of Sint Eustatius is Oranjestad. Since 2010, Sint Eustatius has been a special municipality, with the island council as the highest governing body responsible for local legislation. The executive power lies with the island commissioners appointed by the island council, chaired by the governor. About 3,000 people live on Sint Eustatius, and the island’s official language is English. Sint Eustatius is dominated by the dormant volcano The Quill (601 meters) in the southeast and a 200,000-year-old extinct volcanic area in the north around the hill Bergje (223 meters). There are three national parks on the island: Quill/Boven National Park, Statia National Marine Park, and Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden.
UNDERWATER LIFE OF SINT EUSTATIUS
The waters around Sint Eustatius, up to a depth of 30 meters, are part of the Statia National Marine Park. Established in 1996, this park covers nearly 28 square kilometres. In large parts of the park, fishing and anchoring are prohibited to protect the nearly 300 different fish species around the island. Sint Eustatius is also visited by various species of sea turtles, including the Hawksbill Sea Turtle and the Green Sea Turtle, which lay their eggs on the beach each year. The coral reefs and seagrass beds of Sint Eustatius are home not only to many fish species and other underwater animals but also to more than 150 different sponges. The coral reef, along with the many shipwrecks, is popular with diving tourists. Most of the 36 official dive sites are located in the two reserves in the northern and southwestern parts of the park. To counteract the decline of the coral reef, a multi-year plan is underway to restore the marine ecosystem.
Source: Anemoon Foundation, duikvaker.nl, Nature Today, Stenapa, Wikipedia
DESIGN
The stamp sheet Experience Nature – underwater life of Sint Eustatius is designed by graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda. The sheet features all underwater animals portrayed in their natural environment, each on its own stamp. The following 10 animals are included: Spotted Trunkfish, Spinner Dolphin, Trumpetfish, Blue Marlin, Great Star Coral, Banded Butterflyfish, Humpback Whale, Striped Seahorse, Goldentail Moray, and Tiger Shark. All photos are incorporated into a graphic layer with circular shapes that are also visible on the sheet border. The image sometimes extends onto the adjacent stamp and the sheet border. In various places on the stamp sheet, the designer has added graphic elements derived from symbols on old topographic maps. These symbols indicate landscape forms, contour lines, vegetation, soil structures, and waterways. The design is also characterized by an extra transparent layer with monochrome images (both white and coloured) of characteristic flora and fauna from this area. The monochrome images are almost abstract, run across the perforations, and connect the stamps with each other and with the sheet border. The following animals are depicted: Banded Butterflyfish (top right), Striped Seahorse (middle), Spotted Trunkfish and Great Star Coral (bottom right), Long-spined sea urchin (bottom left), Queen Conch (middle left) and the tale of a Humpback Whale (top left).
TYPOGRAPHY
For the typography, the DIN 2014 font was used, designed by Vasily Biryukov from Bulgaria and released by Paratype in 2015. In the captions on the stamp sheet, designer Frank Janse creatively and humorously expresses his associations with the names, characteristics, and appearances of the depicted underwater animals.
DESIGNER
In 2024, 2025, and 2026, the stamp series Experience Nature focuses on the plants and animals of the Caribbean Netherlands. In 2024, the Leeward island of Bonaire kicked off the series, and this year, attention is on the nature of the Windward island of Sint Eustatius, located over 800 kilometers northeast of Bonaire.
Abundant marine Life
Bonaire and Sint Eustatius are both tropical islands, but they differ in many ways, according to graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda. Janse, the regular designer of the stamp series Experience Nature, also designed the stamp sheet Experience Nature – underwater life Sint Eustatius. “Bonaire is much further south than Sint Eustatius, and therefore the nature there is really different,” he says. “Saba and Sint Eustatius are close to each other and do not differ much in terms of underwater life. Sint Eustatius is known for its abundant marine life, with coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other habitats serving as shelter and food sources for various species of animals and plants. Tourism on the island heavily depends on the beauty of the underwater world with its rich flora and fauna. It is no coincidence that the sea around Sint Eustatius was declared a protected area about 30 years ago by establishing a national park.”
Large and small animals
For the Experience Nature series about the Caribbean Netherlands, a selection of all animals and plants for the islands to be featured was made in 2023, starting with Bonaire, followed by Sint Eustatius and Saba. Janse: “When choosing the species to be depicted, I always try to create interesting combinations with as much variety as possible. All the animals on the stamps feel at home in the warm waters around Sint Eustatius. But you can find them not only there. Most of the animals also occur in other places in the broad strip of water on both sides of the equator between America and Africa. The stamps featuring Sint Eustatius include some large animals, such as the Tiger Shark, Humpback Whale, Spinner Dolphin, and Blue Marlin. These animals generally need more space because their habitat is much larger. Therefore, you predominantly see the blue of the water in the background of the photos they are featured in. The smaller species on the stamps usually stay near the coral reef or in other habitats where they seek protection from predators. The coral itself is also depicted as a main character on a stamp, in this case, the Great Star Coral. This time, the stamps feature only animals, no plants. People often think coral is a plant, but they are tiny animals no more than a few millimetres in size that are capable of building enormous structures from calcium, known as coral reefs.”
Photographic material
Especially for the larger species, Janse could choose from a wide range of photographic material. For the smaller species, this was less easy. “In general, the more photogenic, the more photos,” says Janse. “Moreover, larger animals are much easier to spot and therefore to photograph. On the stamps at the top of the stamp sheet, the main characters – Spotted Trunkfish, Spinner Dolphin, Blue Marlin, and Trumpetfish – are depicted in their entirety. In the background of the Trumpetfish, the coral in which it often hides is visible. The arrangement of the stamps on the sheet is partly determined by the backgrounds. The images with only water and the images with coral run across the sheet like garlands with an opposite twist. There are other factors I have considered when determining the order, such as the direction in which the animals swim, the alternation of zoom-in and zoom-out effects, and the different shades of blue, with slightly lighter at the top left and slightly darker at the bottom right. The stamps with the most activity are placed in the middle of the sheet. The calmer images are at the top and bottom.”
Filtered Light
In the world of nature photographers, underwater photography is a distinct discipline, says Janse. “It requires special skills and cameras with lenses that are more sensitive to light. Lighting is generally challenging because you are always dealing with filtered light. Among the coral, it can be very dark. Some photos needed more retouching than others to remove murky areas and specks. Characteristic of underwater photos just below the water surface is the way the light penetrates through it. This often produces beautiful effects.”
Use of colour
An important role in the design concept for the Caribbean Netherlands stamp series is the use of transparent images of flora and fauna. Janse has broken the dominant blue colour of the stamp sheet by working with striking accent colours in these transparent images. “These accents are often derived from details in the photos. For example, the colour of the Queen Conch in the middle left has been changed to yellow, just like the coral at the bottom right. The transparent Banded Butterflyfish at the top right received purple accents, which reappear on the stamp with the Goldentail Moray. The Spotted Trunkfish with its orange glow is much more colourful than the Striped Seahorse on the same stamp. When placing the photos on the stamp sheet, I was sometimes guided by the curves in the animals’ bodies. These fit nicely with the circles that are part of the design concept for this stamp series. Where possible, I let these shapes communicate with each other. For example, at the bottom left, the round sea urchin with the curved back of the Humpback Whale, the head of the seahorse in the middle with the belly of the Blue Marlin, and at the top left, the tail of the Humpback Whale with the contours of the Spotted Trunkfish.”
Fireworks
Coral is always difficult to photograph, but Janse finds the photo of the Great Star Coral very successful. “The ‘stars’ of this coral resemble fireworks. It is also a strong graphic image. This also applies to the image of the transparent seahorse, whose body is spread over no less than five stamps. While the other transparent animals have striking colours, the seahorse has been made white to achieve a similar sparkle as the coral next to it. Initially, the transparent images are always as large as possible in the design. Most of them I reduce during the process because the main characters and typography on the stamps need more space. But for this issue, I was able to keep the seahorse large, just like the sea urchin on the left.”
Above water
All animals are depicted underwater, except for the Humpback Whale that jumps high above the water surface. “There were many images of the Humpback Whale,” says Janse. “But the underwater photos turned out less well. They are fascinating creatures, capable of covering enormous distances from ocean to ocean. And they communicate with each other through songs, whose structure has surprising similarities to human language. In the image of the Humpback Whale, the droplets and splashes blur the picture, but at the same time illustrate the power and speed with which this animal jumps out of the water. Dolphins also jump above the water, but I didn’t want to use a similar photo for two animals. Moreover, there were beautiful images of the Spinner Dolphin, such as this one where it swims just below the water surface. You can see this from the bubbles behind its dorsal fin. If you look closely, you can see that there are actually two dolphins depicted. The other one swims behind it. The Tiger Shark is depicted in a familiar position – seemingly on the hunt. It is one of the few shark species that are dangerous to humans. This also applies, to a lesser extent, to the Goldentail Moray on the stamp next to it. Morays have a bad reputation because they are always lurking to catch prey. In Disney films, they also appear as unpleasant characters, for example in The Little Mermaid.”
Map symbols
In addition to the continuous colours, circles, and transparent images, Janse uses graphic elements in his design, derived from the symbols that mapmakers use to clarify what an area looks like. “I always associate islands like Sint Eustatius with old topographic maps. On this stamp sheet, I have limited myself to the symbols that represent the character of the underwater world: the wavy lines for the sea. You also see contour lines in the graphic circles on the left and right. These are the actual contour lines of Sint Eustatius, an island with hills in the north and a dormant volcano in the south. And of course, the surrounding sea. I always find the underwater world fascinating. Above the water, you see nothing, and the secrets reveal themselves only when you break through the water surface. I have never dived myself. But as a child, I loved reading books about the underwater world. I also watched the underwater nature series of Commander Jacques Cousteau on his boat Calypso, a minesweeper converted into a floating sea laboratory. We even played at home with a toy Calypso, including the windows below the waterline to see the sea life well.”
About the Designer
Frank Janse (Vlissingen, 1967) graduated as a graphic designer from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam in 2001. Janse specializes in corporate identities, branding, infographics, and communication campaigns. Until 2019, he worked for various advertising and design agencies, including Room for ID’s, and independently as Frank Graphic Design in Gouda. In 2019, he co-founded Leene Visual Communication with Leene Communicatie, focusing on designing communication tools with an emphasis on content and information design. Leene Visual Communication works for clients such as housing corporation Rochdale, PostNL, Randstad Group Netherlands, the Dutch government, Vattenfall, and the organization for health research and care innovation ZonMw. Since late 2022, Frank has been the design director and co-owner of VormVijf in The Hague. VormVijf works for governments, businesses, and organizations, with the (often organized) citizen as the main and largest target group. The agency connects strategy, design, and content with the ambition to innovate, surprise, and create impact. On behalf of PostNL, Janse previously designed various luxury storage systems and personalized stamps, including several themed collections. He also created designs for the Experience Nature series from 2018-2025. In 2024, Janse designed the stamp sheet and stamps with 24-carat gold Regalia of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and in 2023 the stamps Holland America Line 150 years, Girl with a Pearl Earring, and Inauguration Juliana 1948 with 24-carat gold.
SALES/VALIDITY
The stamps are available while supplies last at all PostNL sales points, the post office in Bruna stores, and via www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. The stamps can also be ordered by phone through the Collect Club customer service at 088 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.
VALUE
The Experience Nature – underwater life Sint Eustatius stamps have a denomination of 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands. The price per sheet of 10 stamps is €12.10.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Stamp Size: 40 x 30 mm
Sheet Size: 122 x 170 mm
Paper: Normal with phosphor coating
Gumming: Self-adhesive
Printing Technique: Offset
Print Colours: Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
Edition: 275,000 sheets
Format: Sheet of 10 stamps in 10 different designs
Denomination: 1 for mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands
Design: Frank Janse, Gouda
Photography: Alamy, Dreamstime, Shutterstock, and Wikimedia Commons (Francisco Farriols Sarabia and Charles J. Sharp)
Printer: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item Number: 450661
DEPICTED UNDERWATER LIFE
Spotted Trunkfish
The Spotted Trunkfish (Lactophrys bicaudalis) lives in the reefs of the Caribbean and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. This boxfish gets its name from the black spots on its whitish or yellow-golden body. On the islands, it is also commonly known as boxfish, cowfish, or shellfish. This fish is notable for its hard outer layer, consisting of hexagonal plate-like scales fused into a sturdy shell. It prefers clear water and is usually associated with coral reefs with crevices, holes, and overhangs, at depths of up to about 30 metres. It feeds on or near the seabed. Its diet includes crabs, shrimp, molluscs, sea urchins, starfish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, tunicates, and seagrass. Name in Papiamento: Chapin, Caja di Morto.
Spinner Dolphin
The Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris) is found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. It gets its name from the spins it performs while leaping out of the water. This behaviour is regularly observed only in this dolphin species. This slender and muscular dolphin has a narrow, medium to long snout. The dorsal fin is large, triangular or sickle-shaped, and located in the middle of the back. Most spinners have a dark grey, brown, or black back that transitions to a lighter grey or yellowish flank and a usually white or light grey belly. The Spinner Dolphin can be found both near the coast and in the open sea, in large groups ranging from hundreds to more than 10,000 animals.
Trumpetfish
The Trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus) is a ray-finned fish found in the western, eastern, and southwestern Atlantic Ocean. It can reach a maximum length of 100 centimetres. The fish has an elongated body. The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 21-25 soft rays, and the anal fin has 21-25 soft rays. This saltwater fish is mainly found in subtropical seas and is primarily located in waters around coral reefs. The depth at which the species occurs is 2 to 25 metres below the water surface. The fish’s diet mainly consists of animal food, especially small fish. Name in Papiamento: Trompet, Tròmpèt.
Blue Marlin
The Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans) has a streamlined body that is dark blue on the upper side, including the dorsal fin, and silver-white on the underside, including the pelvic fins. The silver-white flanks have transverse bands composed of blue spots. The fish can grow up to 4.3 metres long and weigh more than 900 kilograms. Larger marlins have been seen and photographed, but these animals have never been landed. The powerful swimmer’s diet mainly consists of fish, squid, crustaceans, and especially young tuna. The marlin has few natural enemies, except for orcas that occasionally hunt it. The Blue Marlin is the fastest marine animal in the world, reaching speeds of 90 km/h. Name in Papiamento: Balau Blanku.
Great Star Coral
The Great Star Coral (Montastraea cavernosa) is a reef-building coral species from the Caribbean that develops into massive boulders and sometimes even plates. The polyps are as large as a human thumb and fully extend at night. It is found in most reef environments and is the dominant coral at depths of 12 to 30 metres. This coral occasionally exhibits a fluorescent red or orange colour during the day. The species is gonochoric, meaning colonies can be either male or female. Spawning occurs a week after the full moon in late August. Skeletons show sex-related differences, with females having a less dense skeleton compared to males, presumably due to the redistribution of energy towards egg production.
Banded Butterflyfish
The Banded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus) can grow up to about 16 centimetres long. Its colour is silvery with a slender black bar running through the eye, two broad black bars in the middle of the body, and a third broad bar starting at the back of the dorsal fin and extending to the tail base. The pelvic fins and tail fin are black. The Banded Butterflyfish is usually seen alone or in pairs but can occur in small schools of about 20 individuals. Its diet mainly consists of small invertebrates, crustaceans, coral polyps, polychaete worms, tube worms, and sea anemones. Sometimes, this fish acts as a cleaner fish by removing external parasites from surgeonfish, grunts, and parrotfish. Name in Papiamento: Tjamba Geel, Makamba Marinero, Makamba Marinier, Makamba Kulu Berdè.
Humpback Whale
The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), also known as the humpback whale, is a marine mammal from the order of baleen whales. This relatively large rorqual is distinguished by long pectoral fins, a stocky body, and bumps on the head and lower jaw. Adult humpbacks range in body length from 12 to 16 metres and weigh about 25,000 to 30,000 kilograms. The humpback is known for the songs that males produce during the mating season, which can last for days. They slap their large pectoral fins on the water and make leaps, sometimes completely breaching the water’s surface. Each year, humpback populations travel thousands of kilometres when they migrate from cold polar regions to warmer waters to mate and give birth.
Striped Seahorse
The Striped Seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) comes in many colours, including white, black, grey, brown, green, yellow, orange, and various shades of red. Adult seahorses, depending on the species, range from 2.5 to 30 centimetres in length and have an average lifespan of 1 to 5 years. Hippocampus erectus is a medium-sized seahorse with an average length of 17.5 centimetres. Its colour is variable, and seahorses even have almost chameleon-like properties. Bright colours indicate that they feel comfortable and confident in their environment. The animals’ eyes move independently of each other, just like those of chameleons. Name in Papiamento: Kabaai di Awa or Kabai ‘i Awa.
Goldentail Moray
The Goldentail Moray (Gymnothorax miliaris) is a medium-sized fish with an average length of 40 centimetres. The skin is light or dark brown, with small yellow spots. The nose and tail are yellowish. This fish is commonly found in the western Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The habitat of the Goldentail Moray is preferably rock or coral at depths of up to 35 and sometimes even 60 metres. The Goldentail Moray becomes active at night, hunting for prey along the reef. It mainly feeds on small invertebrates such as crustaceans and molluscs, rarely on small fish. Name in Papiamento: Kolebra Rabu di Oro, Kolebra.
Tiger Shark
The Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large shark species named for its striped back and flanks. This carnivore is one of the few sharks dangerous to humans. The tiger-like striping on the back and flanks is especially visible in young specimens and fades as the shark ages. The maximum length is about 5.5 metres. Outliers can grow even larger but are rare. The distribution area of the Tiger Shark includes tropical and subtropical, warmer, and temperate seas. The Tiger Shark usually hunts at night and eats almost any animal that comes near. It has an enormous bite force, capable of cracking the shells of turtles. Name in Papiamento: Tintorero, Tribon Tiger.
Source: Aquainfo, Naturalis Dutch Caribbean Species Register, Wikipedia
SUMMARY
Issue: Experience nature – underwater life Sint Eustatius
Issue date: 9 June 2025
Appearance: Sheet of 10 stamps in 10 different designs, each with denomination 1 for mail weighing up to 20 grams sent within the Netherlands
Item number: 450661
Design: Frank Janse, Gouda
Photography: Alamy, Dreamstime en Shutterstock
COPYRIGHT © 2025 Koninklijke PostNL BV
