Riff Nienhagen (artificial reef)
About 1.5 km off the resort of Nienhagen and 8 km west of Warnemünde lies Germany's best-known artificial reef, built from 2002 as a fisheries research project in a fish-protection area at 11–12 m. Around 1,400 concrete elements – stacked rings, 2 t and 6 t tetrapods and groups of reef cones – plus 2,500 t of natural stone cover about 50,000 m², with a research platform in the middle. The structures add some 18,000 m² of surface for growth and shelter fish, and the research showed that the reef raised the fisheries value of the area. One diver report mentions moderate current and about 4 m visibility.
Facts
- Region: Germany – Baltic & North Sea Coast
- Area: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Baltic (Rostock, Rerik, Rügen)
- Depth: 10–12 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: moderate
- Type: reef, night
- Coordinates: 54.1726, 11.9556 (approximate)
- Highlights: artificial research reef of about 1,400 concrete elements and 2,500 t of natural stone over ~50,000 m², stacked concrete rings, 2 t and 6 t tetrapods and reef cones, research platform in the centre, cod (subject of reef research), red seaweed Delesseria sanguinea, visibility ~4 m in one diver report
- Tips: Boat dive only: baltic-diver-circle (Rostock-Hohe Düne, about 20 minutes by boat) and Tauchbasis Baltic in Kühlungsborn run trips. The reef lies in a fish-protection area – no fishing, no anchoring on the structures; descend on the line. Position is approximate.