Grüner See (Steiermark, Austria) with Divesport München
Grüner See (="Green Lake") only exists for about three to four months per year, when the snow melts and filters through the sediments to create a crystal clear lake with a depth of about 5 to 11 meters max, depending on the amount of snow in the previous winter season.
The colours are more of an iridescent blue, rather than the more standard greenish tone of most alp lakes, making this a very unique dive site.
It is surprisingly large - you can not see the ends due to bends and trees from the entry point, and several divers, us included :-) ended up in a different "leg", quite a bit away from the entry point, when we surfaced - no problem, as a maximum depth of about 7 meters makes it very safe and easy to just submerge again and continue the dive. Even though around a hundred divers might be present on a weekend, the visibility remains superb (provided most have their buoyancy and finning technique under control).
This was our second dive trip (and third dive course - we did the CMAS Nitrox course on this one) with Divesport München and met one of the students from the previous icediving course in January again. I also did a few dives (incl. one night dive at a different lake) with two fairly fresh OWD students who had just completed their OWD training with Divesport Munich in Croatia and must say they were excellent dive buddies already. More than happy to go diving with them again in the near future.
Sorry no surface pictures due to the dire weather this weekend, but the underwater pictures give you an idea if what it is to dive here (plus we're not a hiking site ;-) ). The water temperature was a refreshing 6 degrees Celsius.
BTW - we tested the Force Fin SD1 Military fins again and found them to perform exceptionally well. Sculling and frog kicks work a treat, whilst the effect felt on your legs (and calf muscles) is significantly lower than with the much heavier Jetfins we normally use. If only the Force Fins came with sturdy spring straps for super-fast on & off, we would have the *perfect* fin!
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