Kreidesee Hemmoor · Germany · Wall · Freshwater
Der Steilhang
A near-vertical quarry wall falling to 35 m, then sloping on to 55 m
Area photo: User:Raboe001 · CC BY-SA 2.5
Off Einstieg 5, the old excavation face runs close to vertical down to about 35 metres before it eases into a steep slope that continues on to around 55 metres. Divers compare the feel to a tropical drop-off despite the cold, freshwater setting: bare chalk and flint wall on one side, open water falling into gloom on the other.
Also known as The Drop-off, Steilhang II.
Where it is and how deep
53.7009° N, 9.1340° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wall begins as a sheer, almost vertical face left by the original bucket-wheel excavation, running down to about 35 metres before the angle relaxes into a steep bank that continues on to roughly 55 metres. Pale streaks mark places where groundwater has pushed chalk sediment through the rock after heavy rain, and old flint nodules and drainage channels are still visible cut into the face.
The recommended way to dive it is to hold no deeper than about 10 metres and stay 5 to 10 metres off the face, looking along the wall rather than following it to the bottom. From that position you see the excavation edge above, the mass of the bank below, and open water beyond, which is what gives the site its reputation as the lake's most dramatic dive.
In the shallows along the same face are several small holes, no more than a couple of square metres, left by trapped air pockets or dislodged flint in the original chalk; eels and freshwater mussels shelter in them, though putting a torch or an arm inside brings down loose chalk at once. Below about 25 metres the same slope carries the lake's drowned forest, so the two features are often planned as one dive.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Kreidesee Hemmoor: Diveable year-round in a drysuit; semidry season runs April to November. Deep water stays near 5°C year-round; clarity depends more on weather and diver traffic than on the calendar.
Know before you go
- A second first-stage regulator is compulsory across the whole lake, including this site.
- The wall runs to about 55 m; the dive base states beginners are not suited to this depth.
- Touching the chalk face or its small holes stirs fine white sediment that ruins visibility for divers behind you.
Sources
- Tauchplätze – Kreidesee Hemmoor — Tauchbasis Kreidesee
- Hemmoor — Taucher.Net
- OpenStreetMap node: Steilhang II — OpenStreetMap contributors
In The Logbook
- Buoyancy and weighting, worked outGear & kit · 8 min read
- Freshwater diving: lakes, springs and quarriesFreshwater · 15 min read
More dive sites in Kreidesee Hemmoor
Artificial reef
A neon-yellow Piper once owned by astronaut Alan Shepard, hovering at 10 m
Artificial reef
The ruined vibrating-screen plant of the old chalk works, at 20-35 m
Wall
Drowned trees on the slope, best seen flying over the canopy at 25 m
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