Soča between Doblar and Podselo
Since the Doblar hydropower plant was built in 1936, most of the Soča's water has been piped through a 4 km tunnel from the Podselo dam to the power station, so at medium-low water this stretch of river bed almost dries out and leaves a chain of standing pools. The pools are warmer than the main river and popular with bathers in summer. From a roadside parking spot about a kilometre from the Doblar plant you can do two dives: a deeper pool downstream that ends at a natural rock sill with rapids, or an upstream pool that leads into a boulder section with deeper hollows. Life is sparse because of the constantly changing water level – mostly shy fish and fry – and visibility is poor. This is a different place from the Ušnik dam pool at Podsela, about 2.5 km upstream.
Facts
- Region: Slovenia – Lakes, Rivers & Caves
- Area: Soča Valley (Bovec – Kobarid – Solkan)
- Depth: 0–4 m
- Level: beginner
- Current: low
- Type: drift, channel
- Coordinates: 46.11897, 13.69812
- Highlights: long river pools, natural rock barrier with rapids, hollows between boulders, juvenile fish in the shallows, rare, very shy fish, fungal threads under rocks, river bed reshaped by the Doblar hydropower scheme
- Tips: Follow the regional road Nova Gorica – Most na Soči along the right bank; there are many small lay-bys with short paths down to the river, e.g. by the small house on the long straight about 1 km from the Doblar plant, where a wide cart track leads to the water. Dive only at low water. Main hazard: if the Doblar plant shuts down or changes its operating mode, water level and flow can rise very quickly – keep an exit in reach and watch the water. The downstream dive takes about 30 min there and back, the upstream one about an hour including walking over shallows between boulders. Bring a compass and a small torch for crevices under rocks. Expect about 20 °C in summer and 5 °C in winter. The local club is DPD Tolmin. The SPZ sheet dates from 2012; gravel and pool depths may have changed. No specific diving ban was found for this stretch, but check locally.