Kreidesee Hemmoor

Hemmoor's former chalk pit, between Stade and Cuxhaven, is the best-known inland dive site in northern Germany and draws tens of thousands of divers a year. The lake is about 60 m deep; the shallow, stepped rear section suits beginners, while the front section drops steeply. The base has sunk a long list of attractions: a free-floating Piper aircraft, a truck, cars, caravans, a sailboat and a large plastic shark, alongside the old conveyor belts and silos of the chalk works. Visibility is often 10–20 m but can fall sharply on busy weekends.

Facts

Region: Germany – Lakes & Quarries (North, West & East)
Area: Lower Saxony & North
Depth: 0–60 m
Level: intermediate
Current: low
Type: wall, wreck, bay
Coordinates: 53.70063, 9.12742
Highlights: Piper 28 aircraft (free-floating), sunken truck, cars and caravans, sunken sailboat, 7 m plastic shark, 'Underwater Sky Walk' (TV-tower tip), chalk-works relics: conveyor belts, silos, truck ramps, 'Rüttler' building (closed to divers), underwater forest at entry 1, underwater letterbox at 19 m, perch, zander, rainbow trout, rudd, European eel, visibility 10–20 m, up to 40 m (press figure)
Permit: Dive permit (day ticket) from Tauchbasis Kreidesee; certification must be shown, and on weekends and holidays a security service checks depth limits and equipment. Current fees: www.kreideseetaucher.de/preise (page could not be retrieved). Check current terms.
Issuer / contact: Tauchbasis Kreidesee (Kreideseetaucher)
- Website: https://www.kreideseetaucher.de/
Tips: Dive only after checking in at Tauchbasis Kreidesee in the holiday park (Cuxhavener Str. 1, Hemmoor); show your certification card, which together with logged dives sets your permitted depth. Two independent, separately closable regulators suitable for cold water (EN 250) are required. Entries 1 and 4 at the shallow rear are the beginner entries; the steep front section is for experienced divers. Diving is not allowed between 23:00 and 06:00. Opening hours: June–September 9:00–19:00, October–May 9:00–16:00.

Kreidesee Hemmoor

Facts

Sources