Plenty of diving sites in Germany's quarries and artificial lakes

By Arnd Petry Aug 16, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Munich - The Great Barrier Reef, the Red Sea, Fiji and Curacao are just some of the names that immediately spring to mind when divers think of the best places to enjoy their pastime.

However, it isn't always necessary to travel halfway around the world to exotic locations to experience perfect diving conditions surrounded by large fish and with visibility of up to 20 metres.

For example, Germany has several diving sites along the Baltic Sea, inland lakes and around the foothills of the Alps. It is also possible to explore excellent man-made diving sites such as flooded quarries, mineshafts and artificial lakes where divers can explore the country's industrial past.

Here is just a selection of some of the more popular sites:

Echinger Weiher Lake in Bavaria:

Situated north of Munich, Echinger Weiher Lake is not only one of the most impressive diving sites in Germany, it is also one of the best organized.

The site is home to the first automated diving card dispenser in Germany where divers can purchase a day ticket for eight euros (11.50 dollars). A visit to the lake, which is beside the motorway exit near Freising, is well worth the effort.

Fresh groundwater constantly flows into this deep artificial lake, meaning divers enjoy visibility of up to 20m.

When the sun shines the lake feels almost tropical with numerous pike seen chasing smaller prey. However, the water is much colder, with temperatures never rising about 11 degrees Celsius, although the lake has the added advantage of not freezing over in winter.

The three quarry lakes of Loebejuen:

The three crystal-clear quarry lakes of Loebejuen constitute the top diving site in the eastern German state of Sachsen-Anhalt.

Basin 3 is a virtual diving museum with all the quarrying machinery simply left on the quarry floor once the water pump was switched off and the waters began to rise.

Divers can still pull smooth levers, push mine cars along their tracks and swim through the pump house. The lake is also home to catfish and carp. Large fish can also be seen in basin 1, where a one-metre-long sturgeon was once caught. (www.taucherkessel.com)

Wide choice of sites in North Rhine-Westphalia:

Home to Germany's steel industry and approximately 18 million people, North Rhine-Westphalia offers an extraordinarily wide choice of artificial lakes and quarries for divers.

The selection ranges from artificial lakes along the Rhine to the large reservoirs in the Mittelgebirge Mountains and the flooded quarries and mine shafts of long-closed coal mines.

There are also indoor and outdoor diving centres in Rheinbach, Ibbenbueren, Siegburg and Duisburg, which have been built to cope with the ever-growing demand for diving facilities.

The eight-metre-deep Heider Mountain Lake west of Cologne offers relaxed diving in an underwater garden, which is home to pike, perch and carp as well as being the only known location in North Rhine-Westphalia of the water milfoil plant.

A maximum of 10 divers are allowed in the water at any one time due to environmental concerns. (www.heiderbergsee.de)

Saxony's mining history presents numerous diving opportunities:

Saxony is home to countless flooded quarries thanks to the centuries-long tradition of mining in the region. There are also immense artificial lakes created by coal excavation, with the most interesting diving sites situated on the Kulkwitzer Lake near Leipzig, a former quarry that was flooded in the 1960s.

Today the 30m-deep lake is home to 17 varieties of fish, with a shoal of silver carp the biggest attraction. Conveniently, the shoal regularly congregates beneath a diving platform on the lake, while the wreck of an aircraft can be explored on the lake floor. (www.tauchshop-florian.de)

Kreide Lake Hemmoor in Germany's north:

This 60m-deep lake in Lower Saxony was once a chalk pit and has developed into a popular location for divers in Germany thanks to its professional infrastructure. A diving centre, campsite and holiday homes are all situated along the shoreline, while a 12m-high concrete building submerged under 38m of water is the main diving attraction.

The main reason why the lake is so popular, however, is the clearness of the water, meaning divers don't have to swim deep for an enjoyable experience.

In spring, it is sometimes possible to swim between submerged trees while the lake is also teeming with trout and char. The lake bottom is home to countless sunken cars, lorries, camping vans and even a yacht. (www.kreideseetaucher.de)