Lake Cospuden - Great View in the Leipzig Lake District

A diving trip to the lakes around Leipzig is always worthwhile. Between Leipzig and Dresden, for example, there's the Wildschütz quarry lake, Lake Kulkwitz, Lake Zwenkau, Sparmann, and many others. Most lakes were created by the renaturation of open-cast mining pits.

The underwater forest can be reached by boat trips organized by Lutz Kamski.

Brown coal open-cast mining was also carried out south of Leipzig near Markkleeberg; around the year 2000, efforts began to fill the depression with water and renature the lake. Remnants of the former mining structures can still be seen underwater today.

Open-cast mining remnants in "Cossi"

Today, about 25 years later, a 400-hectare body of water has formed, containing 109 million cubic meters of water and a diverse ecosystem above and below the surface. The lake is thus large and 54 meters deep.

Some interesting artifacts are submerged in the shallow area.

Accommodations are available directly at the lake, but they are quickly booked and quite expensive. However, plenty of accommodations, from holiday homes to hotels and campsites, are available within a 10-15 minute drive.

Parking at the lake is subject to a fee, gastronomy is available, and entry is right next to Café Pier 1.

The shallow area is marked with lines, and ropes delineate the diving area on the right and left. It's better not to surface outside the diving area, as there's a lot of boat traffic due to the adjacent harbor.

There's a lot to see in the shallow area.

Water temperatures in summer are about 18 degrees in shallow water; below about 20 meters there's a thermocline where the temperature drops to about 6 degrees. Especially there, a drysuit is the first choice.

Below the thermocline, in cold water, visibility is phenomenal.

Support, help with orientation, and filling services for air, nitrox, and oxygen are available at Lutz Kamski's diving school, and the friendly boss Lutz always has time for a nice chat.