Diving Tyrol | Achensee, Plansee & Alpine Lakes

About Tyrol

Tyrol is the alpine diving heartland of Austria, where mountain lakes sit in dramatic cirques and the country’s largest lake, the Achensee, drops to 133 m in crystal water at 929 m altitude. The region’s connected Plansee and Heiterwanger See deliver some of the clearest water and biggest rock walls in the Alps, while Blindsee and Fernsteinsee hide submerged forests and, at Fernstein, a medieval bridge in water of astonishing clarity. Warmer, shallower Walchsee, Piburger See and Schwarzsee near Kitzbühel are perfect training and night-dive lakes, and the Innsbruck quarries at Roßau and Arzl give urban divers platforms, vehicles and macro life. Tyrol demands respect for altitude, cold and depth, but rewards it with vertical scenery and visibility that rival any tropical wall - just in 5 °C water. It is a technical and advanced diver’s playground as much as a beginner’s training ground.

Highlights

• ✓Achensee: Tyrol’s largest lake at 929 m with a steamer wreck and submerged forest
• ✓Plansee & Heiterwanger See: connected lakes with massive walls and exceptional clarity
• ✓Blindsee and Fernsteinsee: high-altitude lakes with submerged forests and a medieval bridge
• ✓Walchsee, Piburger See and Schwarzsee: warm, easy training and night-dive lakes
• ✓Innsbruck quarries: urban training sites with platforms, vehicles and macro life

Getting There

Fly into Innsbruck Airport (INN), which serves the whole region, or Munich (MUC) to the north. A rental car is essential for the high lakes and the Plansee; the Achensee and Innsbruck quarries are reachable by train and bus.