Plužna reservoir and Virje waterfall (Bovec)
Plužna's small reservoir, built between 1927 and 1931 for a hydropower plant, is fed by the Glijun karst spring under Kanin, whose water stays around 5.5 °C all year. It is a steep-sided concrete basin about 150 × 100 m, mostly 2.5 m deep with a 4.5 m trench along the west side, and a full lap takes about 45 minutes. Fishing is banned in the reservoir and the Glijun, so a big shoal of fish lives among stone piles placed on the bottom. The sheet also describes the covered inflow channel as a confined-space dive with stronger current, and two 3.5 m pools under the Virje waterfall nearby.
Facts
- Region: Slovenia – Lakes, Rivers & Caves
- Area: Soča Valley (Bovec – Kobarid – Solkan)
- Depth: 0–4.5 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: low
- Type: bay, night
- Coordinates: 46.33429, 13.51286
- Highlights: crystal-clear karst spring water (Glijun), concrete hydropower reservoir from 1927–1931, stacked stone piles on the bottom, large shoal of fish (fishing banned), covered inflow channel (overhead, cave-diving kit only), two pools under Virje waterfall
- Unverified: Unverified: the reservoir belongs to the Plužna hydropower plant and we found no published rules on entering it (the operator's consent may be needed). The official Soča Valley tourism page states that bathing in the pool below Virje waterfall is not allowed, but names no legal basis; we treat the Virje pools as off-limits. The site lies outside Triglav National Park (park boundary near Bovec per ZTNP-1).
- Tips: From Bovec follow the signs to Plužna and park at the end of the narrow road just past the Glijun bridge, by the north side of the reservoir (a paid car park serves Virje). The walls are vertical: you can only get out by one of three iron ladders (two at the north dam, one at the south outflow) – find all three before you dive. The water level can drop by more than half a metre during daily drawdown for the power plant. Expect about 7 °C even in summer: thick gloves and a drysuit or extra layer, and higher air use. The covered inflow channel is an overhead environment with current – only with cave training and kit. The official Soča Valley tourism page says bathing in the Virje pool is not allowed, so do not dive the Virje pools. The sheet dates from 2013.