Diving the Walchensee

Site Overview

Walchensee is a deep and wall dive site in Alpine & Pre-Alpine Lakes (Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg), Germany, reached from the base town of Walchensee. The Walchensee is Germany’s deepest alpine lake at 192 m, with crystal-clear, cold water and submerged cars and buses on its slopes. It is a legendary altitude and deep-diving site and a winter ice-diving favourite, demanding serious gas planning. The site reaches a maximum depth of 80 m with an average profile around 40 m and a shallow start near 3 m, which places it firmly in the advanced category and means divers should hold at least an Tech/Deep certification. Conditions are typical of the alpine lake environment: visibility generally runs from 15 to 40 metres, the current is weak, and the water temperature ranges between 4 and 18 degrees Celsius with low surge exposure. The marine community is centred on Brown Trout, Arctic Char, Common Whitefish, European Perch, Common Roach, Signal Crayfish, and the full species list is detailed below for divers planning a trip. The combination of wall, drop-off topography and rock and sand substrate gives Walchensee its distinctive character within the Alpine & Pre-Alpine Lakes (Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg) region. Walchensee is a strong representative of why German diving is so highly regarded, blending the geology, history and biodiversity that define the country's underwater exploration. It pairs naturally with the other sites of the Alpine & Pre-Alpine Lakes (Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg) region for a varied holiday, and with the right thermal protection and, where relevant, the correct specialist training, it offers a memorable dive for photographers, naturalists and wreck, reef or freshwater enthusiasts alike. As with every German dive, a drysuit and a careful respect for cold-water limits turn a good day into a great one.