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.

Facts

• Altitude diving – the key rule here: All lakes in this region lie at altitude: Achensee 929 m, Plansee and Heiterwanger See 976 m, Fernsteinsee and Samaranger See about 950 m, Blindsee 1,093 m. Dive computers have a separate altitude setting for 300–1,500 m (Suunto: 0–300 m standard, 300–1,500 m, 1,500–3,000 m), which shortens no-decompression limits considerably; with tables, use altitude-corrected tables. Suunto recommends acclimatising for at least 3 hours at the new altitude before the dive. (Check current terms of your own computer or agency.)
• Mountain passes after diving: Driving to altitude after diving carries a decompression-sickness risk similar to flying; PADI advises avoiding mountain climbing for 24 hours after diving and, if the way home goes up to altitude, allowing about 24 hours or choosing another route, and Suunto warns against travelling to a higher altitude right after a dive. The Fernpass road (1,212 m) climbs above the Fernpass lakes – plan the route home from the Fernsteinsee, Samaranger See and Blindsee with this in mind. (Check current terms.)
• Water temperature and thermocline: Even in summer the deep water stays cold. Divers at Achensee report about 18–19 °C at the surface, 10–11 °C at 12 m and 4–6 °C deeper; at Plansee about 7 °C at 18 m and 6 °C at 21 m, and about 4 °C below 25 m. The Fernpass lakes stay below 10 °C even in summer, and a drysuit (or at least full cold-water protection) and two separate first stages are recommended there. (Diver reports – check current conditions.)
• Achensee: owner, zone and permit: The Achensee has belonged to the City of Innsbruck since 1919. Diving terms are issued by the city's Achensee lake and fisheries administration (See- und Fischereiverwaltung Achensee). Recreational diving is allowed only inside the designated zone on the east shore (from Bergkristall/Hechenberg to the northern end of the B181 tunnel) with a permit for certified divers, sold online via achensee.com (from €12) and at local outlets; the permit must be visible in the car. Single permits are issued from 1 April to 30 November 2026; from 1 December to 31 March individual diving is prohibited. Training or commercial diving needs a special permit; fishing or spearfishing gear, recovering objects and touching the installations are prohibited. (Check current terms.)
• Private lakes at the Fernpass: The Fernsteinsee and Samaranger See are private and diving there has been tied to stays of at least two nights at the Hotel Schloss Fernsteinsee, with a logged-dive minimum (dive operators quote 80 dives for the Fernsteinsee and 100 for the Samaranger See; other sources say 50) and a ban on touching the bottom. The hotel's website currently announces a closure, reopening from May 2027. The Blindsee belongs to the Hotel MOHR life resort in Lermoos; diving needs its permission/licence, and the access road from Biberwier is a private toll road. (Check current terms.)
• Plansee and Heiterwanger See: permit and zones: Both lakes are used as storage reservoirs by the Reutte power utility, so the water level changes. Diving in the Heiterwanger See needs a day ticket. On the Plansee divers report a day/weekend/annual dive permit, diving only at designated entries (Planseecamp, Hotel Forelle, Kaiserbrunnen), a brevet check and no training in the lake; permits have been sold at the Hotel Forelle, the Planseecamp and the campsites. The Planseecamp's winter package includes the ice-diving permit. (Diver reports of different years – check current terms.)
• Ice diving: Ice diving is offered at the Plansee by the Planseecamp (winter package incl. ice-diving permit, €150 in its 2025 price list) and as organised events by Tauchen in Tirol. On the Achensee individual diving is prohibited from 1 December to 31 March. Ice diving needs special training, a surface team and line – join an organised event. (Check current terms.)
• Parking and access fees: At the Achensee TCI trail, parking is paid (meter at the start of the access road; no parking on the lake side), and on fine weekends space is short. At the Heiterwanger See there is a paid car park by the lake. The Blindsee is reached via a private toll road. Divers at the Plansee have reported additional lawn and parking fees. (Check current terms.)
• Lakes not listed as dive sites: For the Haldensee (Tannheimer Tal, 1,124 m) and the Hechtsee near Kufstein (57 m deep; the regional tourism page lists water sports as not offered) no published diving permission or dive site could be confirmed, so they are not listed. Ask the municipality or the lake operator before diving there. (Check current terms.)

Season

• Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
• Acceptable: May, Oct
• Poor: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
• Water temperature: 4–20 °C

Mountain lakes: summer surface water is 16–20 C, about 6 C in spring and 4–5 C in winter; visibility about 10 m. Achensee is open only in two designated zones with a permit (sources differ on single-dive permits). Strong thermoclines: about 7 C at 15 m in Plansee.

Dive sites (12)

Achensee

• Achensee – Bergkristall – intermediate
• Achensee – Hechenberg Nord – 0–12 m, beginner
• Achensee – Hechenberg Süd – advanced
• Achensee – Schwarzenau – 0–5 m, beginner
• Achensee – TCI Parcours (Tunnel Nord) – 3–30 m, beginner

Fernpass lakes

• Blindsee – 0–25 m, intermediate
• Fernsteinsee (zárva 2027 májusáig / closed until May 2027) – 0–17 m, advanced
• Samaranger See (zárva 2027 májusáig / closed until May 2027) – advanced

Ausserfern (Plansee & Heiterwanger See)

• Heiterwanger See – 0–61 m, intermediate
• Plansee – Hotel Forelle – intermediate
• Plansee – Kaiserbrunnen – intermediate
• Plansee – Planseecamp – beginner

Operators (6)

• Tauchen in Tirol – dive centre, Eduard-Bodem-Gasse 1, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
• 1. Tiroler Tauchsport-Club Innsbruck (TCI) – club, Pradler Platz 8 (clubhouse), 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
• Dive Center Spezial – dive centre, Blasius-Hueber-Straße 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
• Tauchschule Alpentaucher – dive centre, Krumerweg 9, 6065 Thaur, Austria
• Hotel Post am See – dive base – dive centre, Seepromenade 14, 6213 Pertisau am Achensee, Austria
• Taucherdorf Planseecamp – dive centre, Am Plansee 13, 6600 Breitenwang, Austria

Lake owners in Tyrol (hotels, the City of Innsbruck, municipalities) set their own diving terms, seasons and fees, and these change; several details here come from diver reports of different years. Check the current terms with the permit issuer or a local dive centre before you go. All lakes are at altitude and cold – set your computer or tables for altitude and plan thermal protection. Positions are for orientation only.