Life in fresh water – The Switzerland divers bietenDas common prejudice: In Swiss lakes and rivers there are to see, especially rusty bicycles. Error, says the dive professional and raves of the local water world.Anita Suter (travel content)hits 0 comment underwater encounter of the impressive kind: human catfish in the lake of Neuchatel.Photo: Daniel Schmid

just Like a real predator, the pike Coolness to the day. He floats motionless in the water, gives the divers a critical eye and hisses, seemingly unimpressed by the view. A little longer the curious Egli lingers. He seems to know quite how to classify these two figures in neoprene.

to add in about 10 meters depth of the lake Thun, on the pike, flattens instructor Denise Keller your right Hand and touches the edge three times in the left Arm. It is the in diving circles, well-known characters for “Barracuda”. Although one can describe the pike as a Barracuda of fresh water, but at the latest at Egli it is difficult – in the absence of a concise salt-water-Equivalent–.

“to be Honest, our fish is no sign,” explained the Trainer after the Show. So since this is so, don’t know you. The author schwant whether your first dive outside the marine an evil suspicion: encounters with animals in the Swiss waters is limited. In Thun, it is not like on the reefs of South-East Asia or in the Caribbean, where you can switch partly hardly get enough to see if all the living beings, and often of a signalling system to the next. Thus, the dive buddy missed anything.

“the silence and weightlessness much better true.”

Daniel Schmid, diving school, TSK

“In our waters it to life. Just not necessarily on first glance,” notes Daniel Schmid, managing Director of established diving school TSK in Berne and a Partner of the branch office in Zurich to clear immediately. That it behaves, in our latitude, not as in the fish-rich tropical seas, do the experience, but not detract from, he explains. “That is precisely one of the great charms of the lake and river diving”, so the avid diver is for me. “The silence and weightlessness much better true, because one is not distracted by a constant”. It is, as his conclusion to dive in inland waters, about the overall experience.

“What are you looking at?” A catfish in the underwater thickets. Photo: Daniel Schmid

Just two of the “house lakes” in the Berners, the lakes of Thun and the lake of Neuchatel, by your underwater landscapes bribe. “The lake of Thun, it is below as above; it is spectacular has steep walls, stone crashes, and Canyons”. In the summer perch, whitefish and pike cavort here, but also non-endemic crayfish and lots of small creatures.

In the lake of Neuchatel, the dive professional met regularly throughout the schools of perch, but also the one or the other eel, small catfish, or hunting pike. “Just last week, we were surrounded by there swarms of giant fish,” says Schmid. And adds: “If we meet in the Aare river, a catfish that is longer than a man, makes me not unimpressed.”

Two-Meter-long catfish? “Don’t worry, they only eat Carrion,” says he, laughing. And pushes afterwards: “I think there were quite a few people who would not bathe so carefree in our waters, if you knew what’s swimming round and everything”.

Impressive: An Egli-swarm in the lake of Neuchatel.Photo: Daniel Schmid emerald green Diving Wonderland in Ticino

when Asked about his favorite Swiss diving spot and not have to think about Daniel Schmid in a long time. “The river diving in the Verzasca-valley is incredible,” gushes it out of him. “The clear emerald water, unique rock formations, trips for divers from all over the world here.” The Ticino, however, is only one of many regions that attract with exciting waters. “Very good conditions, often in the lake of Zurich and the lake Lucerne and offers beautiful diving with lots of life,” he says.

the basic Principle is applicable: Where there is water, you could dive. From time to time, only beta updates therefore occur, especially in mountain lakes. The Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland, located Oeschinensee, for example, is popular for winter ice diving.

Toasty hot in the right suit

ice diving? “With the right suit you in our waters often warmer than in the Caribbean sea in 30-degree water temperature,” bodigt Schmid immediately the Argument of the cold. The suits are here, even in summer, always to seven millimeters thick – in the tropics, you will be immersed rather with such of three to four millimeters. Surface temperatures of around 12 degrees are in Swiss waters is not uncommon – below there are a good 7 degrees. The pain limit is reached, the “Dry” to the game – a dry suit. What is in the mountains, is also under water in the case of Poor weather, there is not the clothes that makes the difference.

More than rusty bikes: Swiss lakes entice you with all sorts of Fauna and Flora.Photo: Daniel Schmid The Swiss – a nation of divers

Exact Figures Schmid does not know, but as the operator of the largest PADI diving school in Switzerland, he knows that the Swiss are above average, many of the divers. “The Swiss travel a lot”, you also have the wherewithal for the sport of diving. Not a Few on backpacking in one of the many world’s diving meccas omit from certification, other will complete their course under Swiss management in a local diving school. Schmid estimates that the TSK against 1500 diving forms student per year or more, age and professional Background colorful mix. “We always have more families that attend the course as a joint activity.”

It’s not always the big animals: under the water snail.Photo: Daniel Schmid

the TSK offered dive trips are well booked. This year, the majority of cases of Corona due to the water. “Actually, I was just with a group in Sulawesi,” says Schmid without the nostalgia to completely hide. The coming travel – often in distant climes – are likely to drop the travel restrictions to the victim. Instead, the dive school now focuses on diving opportunities in Switzerland. TSK offers under the Motto “fresh water instead of the South seas” diving trips in Switzerland.

Chasing pike in the evening

Who disappears in Switzerland, you need to take a vacation and jet off to the Maldives. Certified divers can for example meet in the evening with like-minded people and dive in a nearby body of water to the end-of-day. “Then is there anyway at exciting,” says Daniel Schmid. “Then you can watch namely the pike in the Hunt”. In the late summer and autumn, when the wildlife is most active, and fish, “but thousands, as in a cloud around streams”, are the conditions best, he says finally. And adds: “anyone Who witnessed the says never more would there be in Swiss lakes and rivers, nothing to see”.

The dive, in the lake of Thun was offered by TSK Bern.

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