Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Austria's Attersee: 24/7 freshwater diving

Attersee (Global Adventures): Close to the idyllic city of Salzburg, the Attersee is one of Austria's largest inland lakes and stretches over 14 miles (22 kilometers) with a maximum width of 2.5 miles (4 kilometers). The lake is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, and small settlements dot the shores. The Seeache is the main water source for the Attersee and the river is well known for its rapids and used for rafting. The lake is an important recreational site for metropolitan areas such as Vienna, Linz, and even Munich.

Due to its excellent water quality, the 574 feet (175 meter) deep Attersee is a favorite among scuba divers. Dozens of sites welcome divers year-round. The "Underwater Forest" forms a perfect habitat for pike, brown trout, European eel, carp, and perch. Divers can explore the remains of the forest at depths from 43 to 131 feet (13 to over 40 meters), and enjoy visibilities of up to 82 feet (25 meters).

A former sailboat is an easy to reach attraction for beginners. At depths from 46 to 66 feet (14 to 20 meters), the wreck is often used for training purposes since a shallow diving platform is close by. An old bathtub in 33 feet (10 meters) of water is a perfect site to brush up navigational skills.

A site called "Kohlbauernaufsatz" (don't even try to translate this into English) offers wall-diving. The muddy ground slopes to a depth of 56 feet (17 meters) were the wall drops off and disappears in the dark. A canoe named Titanic does not offer any penetration dives, but big dreams under water. A small boat features a "toilet in a box" and a heart carved into the entry door.

Another wall, called black wall or black bridge, sometimes offers visibilities of 98 feet (30 meters) during the winter months. Recreational divers need good buoyancy skills since the wall reaches depths of 197 feet (60 meters) in some areas and the dive becomes clearly technical in nature.

A small U-Boot that rests on the lake floor in 180 feet (55 meter) provides another opportunity for technical divers. A discussion board on a German scuba site says that the former owner immigrated to South America and left the boot attached to a buoy. People used the opportunity to break into the boot and left a hatch open. Water slowly penetrated and sank the boot in 1996 or 1997. A YouTube video showing divers exploring the submarine is available here.

An underwater mountain in the middle of the lake is reached at a depth of 30 feet (9 meters). Divers can circle the obelisk-like structure that reaches the lake floor in 460 feet (140 meters) of water. A boat is needed to get to the site and a local guide comes in handy to locate the structure and avoid long search patterns.

While ice diving is popular in many lakes across Europe, the Attersee usually does not freeze during the winter months due to its size and depth. Several dive stores are conveniently located around the lake. They offer gas fills and equipment rental from recreational gear to rebreathers (CCR's). Divers can also use automated filling stations close to shore. They provide the ability to top off tanks with air 27/7, provided that enough change is handy.

Most entry points are clearly marked and a written briefing and map of the dive site is provided. GPS coordinates are posted for most locations. The best time to dive the lake is during the winter and spring seasons, since visibility usually decreases due to algae blooms in the warmer months.

Hotels range from simple but cozy Bed & Breakfasts to 4-star quality and offer rooms in every price category. Some patrons offer specialized dive vacations that include the room, gear storage facilities, meals, and more. The food is usually delicious and some dive stores offer clients and other guest the opportunity to warm up or simply chat in small beer gardens attached to their facility.

With a surface area of 17.72 square miles (45.9 square kilometers), the Attersee is not only a favorite destination for Austrian divers. Other lakes in the area include the Wolfgangsee, the Mondsee, the Traunsee, and the Gosausee, among others. Surely enough to keep visitors busy for weeks.

Divers have to be aware that some areas of the lake are designated as no-dive zones. Furthermore, a "Dive Card" is needed to descend. The Euro 15 card is available at most dive stores and valid for one year. It allows access to several dive sites located on private property across Austria and includes a dive accident insurance. Technical divers are well cared for, and all gases including Trimix are available.

Another YouTube video showing divers exploring some deeper areas of the Attersee is available here.

Illustration: Austria Tourism

Attersee

Map powered by MapPress