Diving Neue Donau (New Danube)

Site Overview

Neue Donau (New Danube) is a training site dive site in Vienna & Lower Austria, Austria, set among the country’s varied freshwater landscapes. The Neue Donau is a large regulated branch of the Danube built as a flood relief channel, and it offers broader, deeper water than its older sibling for training and fun dives. Gentle but present current means divers practise buoyancy and drift control, which makes it a useful step up from completely still-water training. Visibility is generally lower than the Alte Donau and depends heavily on recent rain and river levels, so local advice on conditions is essential. A few small sunken objects and the occasional discarded structure give navigating divers something to explore on a relaxed dive. The shoreline is long and easily reached by public transport, so it is a practical choice for a quick after-work dive from the city. Fish life is similar to the rest of the Vienna Danube arms, with perch, roach and the occasional larger pike moving through the channel. Conditions are typical of Austrian inland water: visibility generally runs from 2 to 8 metres, the current is moderate and the water temperature ranges between 4 and 23 degrees Celsius depending on season and depth. The marine life is freshwater and centred on european perch, roach, northern pike, with the full community described below for those planning a dive. Because of its beginner rating and the need for Open Water certification, Neue Donau (New Danube) 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.