Learn to Dive in Austria
Austria’s Highlights
Austria is a landlocked country so you wouldn’t immediately assume that it would be good for diving. For some truly unique scuba dives head to Austria, boasting a huge number of lakes known for excellent visibility. Dive into the Green Lake for an opportunity to swim through a real underwater park while admiring crayfish, crabs and snails. Diving in Austria is usually characterised as pristine, crystal-clear water, with calm conditions. Some lakes go much deeper than 100 meters, remember to dive within your limits. The bottom structure is usually rocky, sandy or silty.
When is the best time to go diving in Austria?
The best summer diving is done between April to November. The ice diving season starts in November. From August to April, dives in Green Lake are not possible due to low water levels.
Water Temperature: It really depends on where you dive. Zelenoe Lake ranges from 5°C -7°C all year-round, while there are other lakes that reach 26°C to 27°C in summer.
Currents: Usually none
Visibility: Visibility in lakes is usually between 5 to 30 meters but can reach 80 meters.
Austria’s best dive sites
Green Lake (Grüner See)
Grüner See (Green Lake) is a lake in Styria, Austria located in the village of Tragöß. Green Lake is surrounded by the Hochschwab Mountains and forests. Earning its name from its emerald-green water, the clean and clear water comes from melted snow from the Karst mountains. During winter, the lake is only 1 or 2 meters deep. As air temperature rises and snow begins to melt in spring, the whole basin below the mountains fills with water. During May to June, the lake is about 12 meters in depth. It is a truly sensational dive and a perfect spot for underwater photography with its unusual landscapes and great visibility. A variety of water creatures live in the lake including crabs, snails and trout.
Lake Attersee
Lake Attersee, or Kammersee, is Austria’s third largest lake. It is a beautiful lake in the Alps. There are over 24 sites to choose from suitable for every level from beginners to more advanced divers, those wanting shallow or prefer deep. There are some freshwater fish like perches, barracudas, eel and Arctic chars. The Attersee is one of the best places in Austria to learn how to scuba dive.
Interesting dive sites: Underwater Forest, Black Bridge and Ferrari Chapel.
Weissensee Kärnten (Weissensee Park)
Lake Weissensee is one of the most beautiful and highest alpine diving lakes. With visibility usually ranging between 10 to 20 meters and beautiful sunken forests lining the bottom. Scuba diving can be enjoyed all year-round and ice diving is possible between December and February. Divers have a range of spots to choose from suitable for different levels. Dive sites are located along the shore and are usually accessed by boat. There are pikes, carps, perches, chub, grass carps and more to find.
Interesting dive sites: Weissensee Ost Hausriff, Grillplatz Weissensee Ost and Mikado
About the country
Austria is a mountainous landlocked country located in Central Europe. Austria shares its borders with Germany and the Czech Republic in the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the East, Italy and Slovenia to the South and Liechtenstein and Switzerland to the west. It is one of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations with both summer and winter activities. A huge part of Austria is the Alps which consists of some of the best skiing and mountain regions in the world. Austria has beautiful mountains, picture-perfect views and pristine lakes.
Recreational Courses in Austria
Dive Centers in Austria
Getting to Austria
Australia can be accessed via planes, coaches, trains or by car. It has direct flights to most major European destinations. Direct flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and New York are also available. Once in Austria, domestic transport is easy and public transport is everywhere.
Other important information
- Capital: Vienna
- Official Language: German
- Other recognised languages: Hungarian, Slovene and Burgenland Croatian
- Demonym: Austrian
- Currency: Euro
- Calling code: +43
- Driving Side: Right
- Population: Close to 9 million
- Pressure: Bar
- First Stage: DIN
