Dive sites in the region

The best-known dive lake in the region and a good spot for training and relaxed dives. Created in 1955 for gravel extraction, a recreation area since dredging stopped, around 20 hectares and about 24 metres at its deepest. The dedicated diver entry leads in over a gentle slope — pleasant for first open-water dives.

Underwater there are many trees with carp hiding among them, plus pike, perch and roach; with luck a sturgeon. There is a buoyancy course. The lake is zoned: the area left of the entry and the reeds in the north-east are nature reserve and must not be dived.

• Depthbis etwa 24 m, ausgewiesener Tauchereinstieg mit flacher Halde
• EntryDedicated diver entry, gentle slope, easy going
• ParkingLarge car park, paid during the bathing season (app); a trolley for kit pays off

A diving permit from the city of Bruchsal is required; check fees and rules on the city website beforehand, as figures online are often out of date. Visibility depends heavily on traffic: over five metres midweek, sometimes half a metre at weekends when many divers are in.

The classic among the Karlsruhe lakes, known locally simply as “BaLi”. Divers have their own zone in the southern part opposite the beach — a short walk from car to water, which makes it a popular spot for practice dives after work.

The fish population is remarkable for a quarry lake: pike, tench, perch and pumpkinseed, carp, plus water snails and mussels. With some luck you can watch the freshwater jellyfish that appears here regularly — something few sea divers ever see.

• DepthÜbungstiefen, eigene Tauchzone im Süden
• EntryShort walk from the car park to the entry inside the diving zone
• ParkingPaid car park, handled digitally

Diving and swimming are only permitted from 1 April to 30 September, and only with a valid diving pass. The lake is often crowded in summer. Check rules and season before setting off.

The most used dive site among the Karlsruhe clubs, and for good reason: varied vegetation, a decent fish population and an entry that puts nobody off. A good second or third open-water site once the basics are solid.

The real task is navigation: after the entry there is a flushing hole around eight metres deep that you have to find first. Set off without a compass and you will swim in circles. Which is exactly why the lake is so useful for navigation practice.

• DepthSpülloch auf etwa 8 m, danach tiefer
• EntryComfortable shore entry
• ParkingCar park at the lake

A diving permit is required on public holidays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; the card has to be applied for in advance. Midweek you can dive without one.

A quiet club lake north of Karlsruhe, low-key and usually far emptier than Untergrombach or the BaLi. A place for people who simply want to dive in peace without weaving between swimmers.

Getting there is the hardest part: in Eggenstein follow the signs to the recreation area, then do not turn into the first road to the sailing club but the second on the right, immediately after the shooting range. At the lake a sign on the left lists the diving rules — read it before you get in.

• DepthBaggersee, moderate Tiefen
• EntryFrom the car park at the barrier straight to the lake, follow the signs
• ParkingApproach via the recreation area/gravel works, second road on the right after the shooting range

The lake has its own rules: certified divers only, permits required Friday to Sunday, dive schools not admitted. That rules it out for training — but it is ideal for a dive together after the course.

The only bathing lake within Karlsruhe city limits and a place for people who want nature rather than a snack kiosk. Small, quiet, shaded by the adjoining woodland and with good water quality. Ideal for a short dive after work when you do not want to drive half an hour first.

Large parts of the lake are nature reserve and off limits; swimming and diving happen only at the designated spots on the eastern side of the northern shore. A path runs around the lake, with water birds such as great crested grebes nesting regularly.

• DepthBaggersee, überschaubare Tiefen
• EntryNarrow shore strip at the designated spot
• ParkingBruchwaldstraße, 76229 Karlsruhe

Diving is only permitted with an official diving card from the Grötzingen local authority. Barbecuing and smoking are prohibited for conservation reasons, and there is practically no infrastructure.

Known well beyond the region, with a large sandy beach, kiosk and good access — a safe bet as a bathing lake. As a dive site it is a lottery: in periods without dredging, visibility of around six metres has been reported; on other days it is twenty centimetres.

I list it because it appears on every Karlsruhe list and you would otherwise drive out without knowing. If you want to go, ask someone locally about current visibility first — otherwise the trip is not worth it.

• DepthBaggersee, Plattform im Uferbereich
• EntryShore entry, large sandy beach
• ParkingCar parks to the north, ticket required, actively enforced

Honestly: not suitable for training. Where gravel is being dredged, visibility is a matter of luck, and nobody learns buoyancy in murky water while losing orientation. Parking enforcement at the Epplesee is also strict.

Doppelgeräte am Einstieg, roter Sandgrund

The closest dive site to Herrenberg and my fallback when Lake Constance does not suit, or when training does not warrant a three-hour drive. The Nagold reservoir sits in a protected landscape area, is almost three kilometres long and split into a forebay and a main basin. Diving happens in the main basin.

For training the lake is almost ideal: a gently sloping, sandy shallow area and two fixed practice platforms at six and ten metres. There is more to see underwater than the word reservoir suggests — large boulders, tree stumps, the remains of an old wall, sunken relics and, with some searching, boat wrecks. Plus crayfish in numbers, perch, carp and the occasional pike. Motorboats are not permitted, so it stays quiet.

• Depthbis etwa 28 m, Übungsplattformen auf 6 und 10 m
• EntryShore entry across the lawns, gentle slope, sandy shallows
• ParkingCar parks right by the lake, tight on summer weekends

Visibility is the weak point: red silt that spreads quickly once the lake is busy. On warm weekends with many swimmers it drops below a metre near the shore and only becomes usable from around seven metres down. Come early, late or midweek. In winter the water is drawn down so far that diving is neither sensible nor fair on the fish.

Einstieg mit Blick über den See

My standard training site, and where most people make their first dive in Lake Constance. A long shallow entry, then an evenly sloping bank. Old rails from a former boatyard run into the water to the right of the car park; at their end, at three to five metres, sits a training platform where skills can be practised calmly without standing in silt.

There is more here than first impressions suggest: following the bank you reach a wall at around 27 to 30 metres, and a gully to the right of the entry holds a small wreck at roughly 40 metres. The bottom continues past 120 metres. In summer the shallows are full of weed beds and small fish; perch come out towards evening.

• Depth3–40 m (Halde bis über 120 m)
• EntryCar park right by the water, a few steps to the entry
• ParkingSmall car park on Strandweg, paid, checked regularly

Sits exactly between Tennisplätze and Post and is the logical next step once the slope gets dull. A pipeline runs at six to seven metres right off the entry and is easy to follow. A steep bank leads to the wall at around 28 metres, which drops almost vertically to roughly 45 metres.

To the west the wall is broken up, with plenty of niches holding burbot. To the east a large tree trunk lies against it. In winter, roughly November to January, char are often around at 40 metres. Below about 50 metres there is only silt — nothing worth going for.

• Depth6–45 m, darunter Schlammhalde
• EntryStone steps at the Liebesinsel, about 200 m walk
• ParkingCar park on Mühlenstraße before the level crossing

A site for experienced divers. The wall tempts you deeper than planned. Without solid buoyancy and gas planning, this site is not for you.

The best-known and the most dangerous site in Überlingen. A sand bank runs to about 20 metres, then the wall begins and drops to around 40 metres before turning into a steep slope again. An overhang starts at roughly 35 metres. Visibility is often poor down to the end of the sand; from the edge of the wall it clears with every metre, and on good days you see as far as your torch reaches.

Kit up compactly inside the parking box; there is a public toilet on the ground floor — please use it in dry clothing, not dripping. Diving is permitted to the left only.

• Depth20–40 m Steilwand mit Überhang, tiefer möglich
• EntryVia the lakeside promenade, kit up inside the multi-storey
• ParkingParkhaus Post, Mühlenstraße 4, clearance 2.10 m, use the lower deck

Serious and fatal diving accidents happen here regularly. Divers without Lake Constance experience underestimate the overhang, and on ascent there is suddenly rock above you. I only come here with people I know and whose buoyancy I have seen.

Steintreppe zum Wasser

Still known to many as “Baugraf”. From the entry you can already see the edge of the wall, which drops to 28 to 30 metres before silt takes over. To the west, at the foot of the wall at 28 metres, there is a small grotto with a mirror, and the remains of an old mine cart at about 13 metres. To the east a small rowing boat lies at around 27 metres.

The wall has cracks and overhangs along its whole length, regularly holding burbot. About 150 metres out from the marker sits an underwater mount rising from roughly 40 to 52 metres up to about 32 metres, with several canyons — a target for people who can navigate.

• DepthWand bis 28–30 m, Halde bis über 100 m
• EntryStone steps across the green, can be very slippery
• ParkingRoadside bays on the way towards Sipplingen

Access has been restricted at times due to construction and fencing. Check before driving out. The steps are treacherous when wet or covered in leaves.

Doppelgerät und Boje am Einstieg

For many the finest site on Lake Constance — and one that may only be dived in winter. The entry is by the Hotel Wilder Mann in the Meersburg old town, where the water is knee- to waist-deep. At the end of the small ferry bay the wall drops to around twelve metres and turns into a sand bank that steps down past forty metres and beyond.

Straight out from the steps, at about five metres, there is a recess with a face carved into the wall — the best ascent reference I know at any site on this lake. Take the right-hand chute down to forty metres and you reach the old Meersburg lake fountain, known locally as the well. Further east, between thirty and forty metres, lie old harbour timbers, and at around twenty metres the remains of several car wrecks. Because the site is only open in winter, visibility is usually excellent.

• DepthSteilwand ab etwa 12 m, Halde bis 40 m und tiefer
• EntryStone steps by the old town, entry knee- to waist-deep
• ParkingMain ferry car park on Unteruhldinger Straße; at least 250 m on foot, a trolley pays off

Winter-only site: diving is permitted outside the season only, so check the exact dates beforehand. A post at the entry reads “diving to the left only” — the 100-metre distance from the harbour is mandatory and the ferry runs to the right. You hear its engines throughout the dive; anyone who finds that unsettling should stay away. The stone steps are treacherous in frost and wet.

The friendliest site of the group and a good second training location. A gently sloping silt bank from about five to twenty metres, densely overgrown with water plants in summer. The crayfish that give the site its name sit among those plants — pay attention and you will see dozens on a single dive. Plus perch, pike and the usual lake fish. A platform sits at around five metres to the left of the entry.

In high summer the site is barely divable because of swimmers, and parking is a chore. Autumn through spring is ideal: hardly anyone around, clear water, and the crayfish are out regardless.

• Depth5–20 m, flach abfallende Halde
• EntryStone steps on the promenade, can be very slippery
• ParkingUferpromenade 45, paid parking, fills up early in summer

A dive flag is mandatory; the Meersburg–Konstanz ferries pass close by. The bottom is silty in places — one careless fin kick and visibility is gone for the rest of the dive.

The site for anyone who wants to see a real wreck without going deep. From the entry head south: the first minutes are shallow and nicely overgrown, with shoals of fish and old boat moorings along the way in summer. Then the gentle bank takes you to twenty metres. Turn west there and hold your depth: after about twenty minutes the Lädine appears.

The wreck of the clay freighter is roughly ten metres long and two metres wide. Until 2019 an information board from the “Museum under Water” project stood in front of it; it has since gone or silted over. Stay at the same depth and continue for about five minutes to reach old wooden piles, regularly home to a crayfish.

• DepthWrack auf etwa 20 m
• EntryShore entry, then head south
• ParkingParking along the shore, tight in summer

You will not find the wreck without a compass. Getting there is pure navigation over silt, and if you do not hold your depth you will swim straight past it.