Idrijca at Slap ob Idrijci
At Slap ob Idrijci the Idrijca squeezes through a narrow gorge in hard rock, dammed long ago for a mill and now also for a small hydropower plant. Below the weir the gorge is more than 5 m deep and opens past the bridge into a wide pool, where a large shoal usually circles while big fish lurk singly in the gorge; there is also a small underwater cave under the weir. A second, separate dive is possible in the calm stretch above the weir, over 3.5 m deep for some 500 m. In summer the water reaches 22 °C, and the sheet rates it ideal for beginners, training and night dives.
Facts
- Region: Slovenia – Lakes, Rivers & Caves
- Area: Idrijca valley & Idrija
- Depth: 0–5 m
- Level: beginner
- Current: low
- Type: drift, channel, night, cave
- Coordinates: 46.11757, 13.80606
- Highlights: narrow gorge more than 5 m deep below the weir, small underwater cave below the weir, big solitary fish lurking in the gorge, large shoal in the pool below the bridge, old weir with mill and small hydropower plant, calm lake above the weir
- Tips: On the Idrija–Most na Soči road, about 7 km from Most na Soči; park on either side of the bridge. Enter the lower dive from the right bank past the picnic hut, the upper one from the beach on the left bank by the power-plant hut. Stay deep, ideally on the bottom, under the bridge – there is a jumping platform on it. The plant's tailrace has strong current and the cave under the weir is an overhead – enter only within your training. Best at low summer water (better visibility, weaker current); bring a torch and a snorkel for the shallows. The sheet dates from 2012 – river gravel moves. No diving rule was found for this site; check locally.