Attersee - Schwarze Brücke, Austria
Schwarze Brücke ("Black Bridge"), or Schwarze Wand ("Black Wall") is a well-known, famous (or notorious) dive site in Attersee in Austria.
Location: N 47°51‘13” E 13°33‘24”
Height: 469 meters
Max Depth of Attersee: 169 meters
Entry point at Kilometer 11.8 /there are two - one to the left of the concrete structure and one further up the road (a narrow steep path) - a 10 meter rope is recommended to aid in the descent down the steep slope if it has been raining.
The dive site's main feature is a steep wall beginning at around 10 meters to the right of the entry which quickly drops to depths past 90 meters. There are a number of factors contributing to this divesite's "danger". The visibility, although usually good in this area (in wintertime it can reach up to 25 meters!), is easily stirred up by bad finning technique/buoyancy control in the shallow entry area, as the fine silt is immediately disturbed and won't have settled by the time you return. The water gets very cold (4 to 6 degrees celsius) only a few meters down, and the light transmission at depths past 20 meters is very low, all contributing stress factors to (inexperienced*) divers.
Nonetheless, for those "who do not fear the dark" and enjoy diving in cold and dark waters, it offers a special experience of gliding along the steep, rough wall. Don't expect any signs of life or plants at these depths.
Keep in mind that this divesite is not suitable unless you feel very secure with your buoyancy and diving in cold, dark waters. Always keep an eye on the depthmeter, too many lives have been lost here in the past. Around 18 people in the last ten years have died at this site, as the cross by the entry point reminds every diver of. The most likely reason for people dying here is venturing too deep on normal breathing gas. Keep in mind most diving organizations these days recommend using a helium mix for everything past 40 meters, and only ever dive with experienced divers here.
But if you stick to a limit of for example no deeper than 30 meters and you feel good in these kind of waters, it offers a very special diving experience. The wall does look very much the same at 20 as at 40 meters, so there is no need to go over your personal or generally sensible limits. Alternatively, dive the nearby divesite named "Ofen", also featuring a nice wall but with less immediate depth.
Safe diving.
Update: A very brief video clip of Schwarze Brücke is on YouTube - don't expect too much, it's just to show my dive buddy who could not attend this dive what it looks like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKTIf_KSrG4
Attersee - Schwarze Brücke, Austria
