Slovakia – Gravel-Pit Lakes of the West

Western Slovakia has no sea and few natural lakes, so local diving happens in the gravel pits the Danube plain is full of. Around Senec, 20 km from Bratislava, Guláška is the clearest of the lakes, with a dive resort and sunken cars and boats; the Slnečné jazerá next to it are shallow and weedy, with plenty of pike. South-east of the capital the 59-hectare Veľké Košariská pit at Rovinka reaches 40 m and has line-marked attractions and a base with fills up to pure oxygen. On Žitný ostrov (the Rye Island between the Danube and the Little Danube) the Aquarea complex at Čierna Voda runs a dive centre on a 38 m pit, and older pits such as Šulianske jazero, Bendő or Oľdza are dived by locals. Most entries come from the Czech-Slovak diver database stranypotapecske.cz, whose GPS points are divers' own entry positions; several lakes are bathing or fishing waters, some are active extraction sites, and a few are fenced off or closed to divers – these are marked.

Facts

• Getting there: Senec and Rovinka are 20–30 km from Bratislava; Veľké Košariská is about 150 km from Brno and 350 km from Prague by road (diver's estimate).
• Fees: Bases charge a day fee: about 5 EUR entry and 5 EUR per cylinder fill at Point40 (Rovinka); DiveINN at Guláška charges per diver and per car. Check current prices.
• Water temperature: Gravel pits stratify in summer: warm on top, cold below the thermocline at roughly 10–12 m; deep water stays a few degrees above freezing in winter.

Season

• Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct
• Acceptable: Apr, Jul, Aug, Nov
• Poor: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
• Water temperature: 3–24 °C

In summer the surface is warm but bathers stir up the water (Guláška, Bendő, Bánov): divers recommend early mornings or weekdays, and visibility is better outside the bathing season. At Veľké Košariská winter visibility can exceed 20 m. In October young eels gather along Guláška's shores at about 3 m. Exact temperatures vary by lake.

Dive sites (16)

Žitný ostrov (Rye Island)

• Bendő (Pataš) – 0–12 m, beginner
• Karábi (Dolný Štál) – TILOS / no entry – 0–13 m, beginner
• Oľdza (Sása) – 0–19 m, beginner
• Veľký Meder – štrkovisko (TILOS / no diving) – 0–26 m, beginner
• Vojčianske jazero (zárva / closed to divers) – 0–10 m, beginner
• Čierna Voda – AQUAREA dive centre – 0–38 m, intermediate
• Šulianske jazero (Bodíky) – 0–17 m, beginner

Váh valley & Nové Zámky

• Bánovské štrkovisko (Nové Zámky) – 0–9 m, beginner
• Zelená voda (Nové Mesto nad Váhom) – 0–6 m, beginner

Senec lakes

• Guláška (Senec) – DiveINN – 0–17 m, beginner
• Senec – štrkovisko (Reca road) – 0–10 m, beginner
• Slnečné jazerá (Senec) – 0–8 m, beginner

Bratislava & Rovinka

• Malé Košariská (Dunajská Lužná) – 0–16 m, beginner
• Veľké Košariská (Rovinka) – Point40 – 0–40 m, intermediate
• Veľký Draždiak (Bratislava-Petržalka) – 0–16 m, beginner
• Štrkovecké jazero (Bratislava-Ružinov) – 0–8 m, beginner

Operators (4)

• DiveINN Resort Senec (kurzypotapania.sk) – dive centre, Guláška lake, Senec (north shore)
• Academia Aquatica – dive centre, Mierová 111, 821 05 Bratislava
• Point40 (Veľké Košariská, Rovinka) – dive centre, Veľké Košariská lake, Rovinka / Dunajská Lužná
• AQUAREA Dive Center (Čierna Voda) – dive centre, AQUAREA resort, Čierna Voda (Galanta district)

Positions are divers' entry points from stranypotapecske.cz; many entries are 10+ years old. Gravel pits change owners, fences and rules often, and several are bathing or fishing waters where divers must keep clear of anglers' lines. Sites marked TILOS / no diving or closed are listed for information only.