Austria – Tyrol: Fernpass, Plansee & Achensee

Western Tyrol's diving happens in a handful of clear, cold mountain lakes, all of them between about 930 and 1,100 m above sea level. Around the Fernpass, the Fernsteinsee and the small Samaranger See belong to the Hotel Schloss Fernsteinsee and are open only to its guests (the hotel is closed until May 2027); the Samaranger See is famous for tree trunks lying in very clear water. Nearby, the Blindsee is also private and needs a permit from its owner. In the Ausserfern, the Plansee and the connected Heiterwanger See are long, deep reservoir lakes with old carriages, sleds, boats and a car laid out along the slopes, and a dive camp at the shore. Further east, the Achensee – Tyrol's largest lake, owned by the City of Innsbruck – has a single designated diving zone on its east shore, a club-built underwater trail and a few wrecks of cars. Almost everywhere you need a permit or day ticket, diving at altitude needs adjusted computers or tables, and the water stays at about 4–7 °C below the thermocline even in summer.

Dive sites

• Achensee – Bergkristall
• Achensee – Hechenberg Nord
• Achensee – Hechenberg Süd
• Achensee – Schwarzenau
• Achensee – TCI Parcours (Tunnel Nord)
• Blindsee
• Fernsteinsee (zárva 2027 májusáig / closed until May 2027)
• Heiterwanger See
• Plansee – Hotel Forelle
• Plansee – Kaiserbrunnen
• Plansee – Planseecamp
• Samaranger See (zárva 2027 májusáig / closed until May 2027)