Diving Mondsee

Site Overview

Mondsee is a alpine lake dive site in Upper Austria – Salzkammergut, Austria, set among the country’s varied freshwater landscapes. Mondsee is a clear, friendly alpine lake with the massive Drachenwand rock face on one side and shallow, plant-rich bays on the other. The shallow bays are ideal for training and relaxed fun dives, while the Drachenwand gives a more dramatic wall for confident divers. Aquatic plants and weed beds hold pike, zander and perch, making the lake good for both skills and fish-watching. It is warmer and more forgiving than the deepest Salzkammergut lakes, so it suits a wide range of divers. A drysuit is still recommended below the thermocline, but the easy entries make it accessible. It is a balanced lake: serious wall diving and gentle beginner water in one clear basin. Conditions are typical of Austrian inland water: visibility generally runs from 8 to 20 metres, the current is low and the water temperature ranges between 4 and 21 degrees Celsius depending on season and depth. The marine life is freshwater and centred on northern pike, zander, european perch, with the full community described below for those planning a dive. Because of its beginner rating and the need for Open Water certification, Mondsee is best approached with the right thermal protection and, where relevant, altitude or overhead training. It is a representative example of why Austrian lake diving, with its cold clarity, submerged forests and wrecks, attracts divers who want something different from tropical reefs.