Has anyone ever heard of a sandbank that appeared out of nowhere? That’s Kormoraninsel for you! This tiny sliver of land, barely visible on the horizon, wasn’t even on maps until the year 2000. Imagine that! One day, nothing but waves, the next, a brand new island. Kormoraninsel is a young sandbank, a pile of sand in the Wadden Sea, about 3.5 kilometers from Sylt, Föhr, and Amrum.
The Kormoraninsel, as it’s called in German, wasn’t always a permanent fixture. It emerged thanks to shifting sands, likely from the sandbanks near Sylt and the areas west of the island. But this little island is a whimsical creature. It grows and shrinks with the whims of the sea. In fact, just a couple of years ago, it lost almost half its size due to powerful winter storms.
Don’t let its size fool you, though. Kormoraninsel is a haven for wildlife. Seals bask in the sun on its shores, and countless seabirds use it as a resting point during their long journeys. You might even spot some Kormorans drying their wings here, which is likely how the island got its name.
Kormoraninsel’s future is as uncertain as its past. Will it continue to exist or will it vanish as quickly as it appeared? Only time will tell what fate has in store for this ephemeral sandbank.