Breathing underwater, gliding weightlessly, being ecstatically happy – diving is one of the most beautiful adventures for your senses. It can be carried out anywhere from the coast to Lake Constance, even in disused industrial buildings and of course in the pool, where the fascinating journey to new worlds often begins for many divers. We’ll show you the craziest diving destinations, the most popular hotspots and how easy the introduction into this wonderful hobby is.
Introduction
A taster session in the pool – Of course if you want to dive as a hobby, you need a diving license, but you can always have a taster session and this is well worth it. All diving clubs offer taster sessions. There are approximately 100 diving schools and 900 diving clubs in Germany alone. After a little theory, you can take to the pool and see how it feels to breathe through the mouthpiece and float in the water. If you live on the coast, you will most likely go straight to a shallow bay for this. It’s also possible to do your diving license overseas or on holiday. However, you will learn more at a German diving school, both in theory and in practice. This is important because at the end of the day it is your safety that is at stake. The average cost of a diving license in Germany, amounting to 350 €, is therefore a solid investment. Some clubs even pay for the license or take it out of the membership fees.
Equipment
Equipment, technology, safety – Now you’ve tried diving and have a taste for it. You want more and are wondering how much good diving equipment will cost you alongside the diving license. There are two answers: 1) Around 2,500 €, give or take. 2) It depends on where you want to dive and how much comfort you require. Some things can be hired. Second hand quality will suffice for flippers and a wetsuit. On the other hand, technical components such as a jacket and diving computer should be of high quality because, especially as a beginner, your safety is paramount and every euro is a sensible investment. Apart from anything else, good equipment has the best value for money as it will last decades.
Training
Practice makes perfect – You have completed your diving license and are well equipped. Nevertheless, the most important aspect when diving will always be your diving partner, otherwise known as your “buddy”. Diving without a buddy is an absolute no go. He or she will take on as important a role as your life partner, if this isn’t the same person. Together you have to practice, practice, practice. The more often you dive, the better and safer you will be and the greater the adventures you will be able to embark upon. Take part in demanding training sessions, for example obstacle courses with compass and distance measuring devices or night diving or even underwater rugby with your diving club. Underwater ice hockey is also a possibility but we’ll come to that later.
Wreck diving
Cargo ships, airplanes, chambers of horror – Wreck diving is the most appealing adventure for most divers. This requires good buoyancy control, high concentration and double safety. The reward is spectacular finds, often in a spooky atmosphere. There are more than 50,000 silent witnesses of dramatic events lying on the ground off the German and Danish coasts alone – overgrown monsters from the Second World War such as the steamboats from Sylt or the “Flying Fortress” by Rügen, windjammers such as the threemaster by Warnemünde or the wooden gaff schooner “Harald” which sank over 100 years ago and is riddled with barnacles. Many wrecks can be reached in depths of 15 to 30 metres and offer fascinating sights – strange contrasts from tragic scenes and a variety of living species.
Cave diving
Expect the unexpected – It can be very cold in these underwater regions, however the water is always crystal clear. Many caves can be explored from the coast and so there is always daylight towards the exit. Cave diving can become dangerous if for example fine silt clouds obscure your sight and obstruct the orientation. Thus safety lines leading to the exit are obligatory. The Gasometer diving area in the Duisburg Nord nature park is more unusual, but more accessible and doesn’t require extra equipment. Europe’s largest indoor diving pool (21 million litres) also houses artificial reefs, ships and airplane wrecks. Here they also offer taster courses, guided diving tours and diving licenses and it almost feels like a real cave.
Ice diving
We’ve seen it all – Ice diving doesn’t always have to take place in the South Seas, as most people who cut a hole in the ice and go on a cool excursion think. Generally, only old hands with ice water breathing regulators do that. However there is still a great danger, as hypothermia can fast become a threat and spontaneous emersion is not always possible. What is even crazier is the idea of playing ice hockey on the underside of the ice – and actually doing it, without oxygen! This happened in the Weißensee in Austria in 2007. It’s somewhat cosier for the divers in the southern hemisphere, in the tropical regions at least. Although from a depth of 200 m below water level there are also ice cold temperatures of only 4 degrees.
The blue hole
Legendary natural wonder in the Caribbean – The wonderful Belize on the Caribbean coast of Central America is one of the most exciting diving areas in the world, not least because of the Great Blue Hole – a 300 m wide and 130 m deep crater in the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. It is teemed with sea turtles, hammerhead sharks and uncountable other reef species in dazzling colours. However the whole Great Barrier Reef by Belize is worth seeing. The attractions range from flat reef gardens with colourful sponges and sea fan corals to horizontal walls and underground caves. An all year diving destination, Belize is interesting for beginners and experienced divers alike. The water has a constant temperature of 26 to 29 °C and depths of 5 to 40 metres. At best there is a very light current and there are diving safaris to the most beautiful areas starting each day. From March to June numerous whale sharks, the largest fishes in the world, hunt by Belize.