3D

When I was a beginner I wasn't able to see everything around me. I think it's usual to swim without realizing the third dimension: I just look to the left or right when I searched my buddy and forgot to look up or down. I think it's an important new skill when you start to move naturally in this real life 3D movie.

Sometimes it helps you to find the other divers faster or simply don't slip your notice a shark below or a manta above you. And sometimes it helps you to avoid dangerous situations. There is a really nice dive spot near Safaga in the Egyptian Red Sea, Tobya Arbaa. I like to dive here: the huge towers are covered with corals and many small fish lives around them. The night dive is spectacular as well. The only problem is the army of spiny lionfish. During daytime they don't move too fast but in the night these fierce predators join divers and follow their torches. Whenever they find a small prey in the ray of light they attack.

I knew it and kept a distance from the seabed because they usually swim under the divers. If you descend too much you find their spikes in dangerous vicinity of your body. This time a beginner diver joined the group who didn't know this. And he simply didn't look under himself. We saw about a dozen lionfish around him which calmly followed his torch. We swam about 2-3 meters higher and started a baffling action with our dive torches: with the rays tried to attract away from our beginner buddy. He didn't notice the danger until we told him what we saw on the surface. And this wasn't the only one occasion when I saw nasty situations which were easy to avoid or solve if the divers could have seen in 3D. A typical problem when the diver is descending or ascending heedlessly and kicks other divers' mask or lost his own. Whenever you go under water don't forget to check what's above or under you- it's very useful if you don't want to feel but to see lionfish' spikes.

No catfish, no cry

Sometimes you're simply unlucky or lamer. We planned a long weekend in Austria and our first destination was the Klopeinersee in Karnten. This small lake is very popular in the summer as it's warm but the visibility is only 3-5 meters usually.

We planned two dives here. We dived in two buddy teams. I saw some small fish but nothing special. On the surface my friends who dived the same route said they saw a few huge hiding catfish. My buddy and me were disappointed. Those fish had to be so close but we simply didn't find any. We went to the local dive shop and rented two torches. We swam slowly and looked into all the holes. Or at least we thought we did. My friends started to dive a few minutes earlier so we couldn't see them. And we couldn't see any catfish again. On the surface they just laughed on us as they found them again and to help us they made signs from scraps. We couldn't recognize them and we left the Klopeinersee without seeing any catfish.

I forgot these dives until I found a video taken in that lake and realized how large catfish live there. After watching it I felt the same disappointment but on the other hand I had to confess it can be quite frightening experience to meet a giant fish in this murky water. So maybe not those divers are unlucky who don't meet them but those who see any of these freshwater monsters.

Waves

I don't know who would buy a DVD with sounds of waves but it seems really relaxing...

Wreck treks: Salem Express

In the age of artificial reefs we sometimes think about all the wrecks as underwater playgrounds. We forget the tragedies and sorrows which hide beneath a sunken ship. Many of these are actually tombs where sailors, passengers, merchants died and there are those which were declared war graves and the diving is forbidden. Majority of the divers respect this and don't disturb the wrecks where dozens or hundreds of people died.

There is a wreck in Egypt which is controversial because its sinking was one of the worst tragedies in the maritime history. The Salem Express was a car and passenger ferry which collided to a reef not too far from the port of Safaga in 17th December of 1991. It sank in minutes. The official report said 470 people died there but many experts claim the passenger list wasn't credible, the loss of life was around 700- or more. It's still a mystery. It was simply too dangerous to recover all the bodies so the divers sealed some parts of the Salem Express with human remains. Many Egyptians think nobody should dive there. Whatever some people want the government didn't forbid visiting, as they let tourists visit tombs like the pyramids or the Valley of Kings.

Now the wreck of Salem Express is as recognized attraction as the pharaos' tombs. Those who stay in Safaga surely dive it and dive centers organize daytrips from Hurghada as well. Technically it's an easy dive. The 115 meters long wreck lies on her starboard side. The dive starts around 10 meters depth and the deepest point is only a bit more than 30. The visibility is usually good, most of the divers simply swim around, they see the bow, the bridge, the stern, the screw... It seems a perfect place for an easy and enjoyable wreck.

But somehow you feel the difference. It's an emotional experience. Even during the briefing when the guides ask everybody to respect the memory of the victims and don't take any items. I remember when one of the guides gave us some flowers to bring to this underwater cemetery. The glasses of the cabins are broken. There are the beds where families slept who didn't foresee the captain's tragic mistake. There are bags, suitcases, shoes. Only two decades passed since that night, the items look new. If you dive there you know and feel it's not a place to cheer up visitors like an artificial reef. Some leaders allow their guests to penetrate, some don't. There are spacious rooms and corridors with cars, a restaurant with tables still attached to the deck. And there are the bodies, somewhere deep inside the Salem Express behind steel plates.

However the Salem Express is popular amongst dive tourists. If you don't know its story everything seem peaceful and nice. But somebody, somewhere will tell you about this ship. You can dive here but you really have to respect this underwater graveyard. The sea what we love took the life of hundreds of children, women and men. See the wreck, the passengers' personal baggage, learn about their story and remember them.

More videos:
Divers scooter the Salem Express
Penetrating Salem Express

Habits

I browsed the ScubaBoard's forums when I saw somebody asked about wetsuit underwears. He wrote wearing speedos on the board is against the boat etiquettes. I still can't understand this but the American forum readers agreed.

I think I have to think about my boat deck clothing habits if someday I travel to  the Caribbean.

Guideology: Ellen

I had some of my most challenging shore dives in Gran Canaria. The Atlantic made our entries and exits like a wobbling and falling stunt from a silent era physical comedy. It was funny for those who watched the scene and humiliating for us. We learnt to adore the sea when we saw its wonders but after some fights against waves and currents we started to respect its strength too.

Some of the dive spots seemed rough for the first sight in Gran Canaria. And there were those which seemed safer and calmer. Our guides from the Dive Academy always took care of us because the situation could be changed faster than we expected. I remember a dive when the boss, the cheerful Ellen led us. The entry was a simple giant stride near Sardina del Norte but when we finished the dive we saw the low tide was coming and the lowest stair seemed a bit high for a comfortable getting out of the water. Ellen said 'Don't worry, I'll exit first' and she raised as easily as a ballet dancer. She stood near the water and with the tank on her back she pulled us one by one. She gave a hand whenever the divers crawled on the rocks while waves were assaulting them.

Sometimes when I see an awkward dive leader I think about our 'human elevator', Ellen. Anybody would be able to lead a dive in a tropical sea near a shallow coral garden where nothing occurs. But a real pro has to be able to solve all the problems. Sometimes they have to use their physical skills- if they have any. Ellen was simply fantastic. She helped us when we booked an accommodation. She found animals like angel shark for us under water. She pulled us from the sea. And anything she did we always saw the smile on her face... This must be a special skill too.

Sense of the moment

I'm biased towards Csaba and his works. I know him from the very beginning of his underwater photographer career and now, when he's a renowned artist with a lot of awards in his bookcase I'm proud to say he won some of them in our competitions. Since the first notable pictures what he took with a compact camera he always tried to find new ways in photography. I really like his above water works too but the dive photos are especially exciting for me. He has a sense to catch THAT moment to shoot a unique photo. I'm really lucky because we dived together for several times. I saw how did he make them and later I was the first who saw some of the remarkable photos. He is not only a praised photographer, but a buddy and friend of mine. As I said, I'm biased.... You'll understand if you browse his galleries. He's preparing for his next trip to Raja Ampat- hopefully he'll bring some great photos again.

Check out Csaba Tökölyi's works in the Flickr and 500px.

The reason unknown

Sometimes I really can't understand why we dive in certain lakes. The visibility is awful, there isn't too much life, and the lakeside is groaty.

For example there is a quarry a few kilometers to the south from Budapest near Csepel. You can reach it after driving few minutes on a dirt road. When I was a beginner I joined a group of divers and for my surprise I saw there aren't a toilet, a place to kit up, any necessary buildings. But there were trash: the people from the nearby houses brought the garbage to the shore or into the lake. I went under water and I couldn't understand why do I dive here, it's a waste of money and time. There were a friendly girl who finished her course and two ladies who made an intro dive. I still can't imagine if there was anything what they could call 'nice experience'. Above and under water this lake saddened me and I had no more illusions about diving in Hungary.

However I made one of my most memorable photos there. The lady who were getting dressed in the water which was covered with plastic bottles and bags became a symbol of the divers' holy foolishness for me.

A cave to remember

Somehow Greece isn't recognized as a real dive destination. Maybe some of the divers don't think it's possible to find good dive spots in the shores occupied by holidaymakers. Sometimes it's disappointing to join organized daytrips when you share the dive boat with dozens of intro divers. However some dive centers offer great service in my opinion. The most challenging thing is to choose the right one. Look for those dive centers which concentrate on real divers' needs. Read and ask about the dive spots in advance to find the most exciting ones.

I remember our trip to Corfu where we had some average or nice dives and a wonderful one. The reviews said the Paleokastritsa area is the best for diving so I booked an accommodation there. We made a good decision! We found a reliable dive center and had a nice time. The fantastic Himmesloch cavern (other dive centers call it as Hole of Ha) was one of the most spectacular caverns I ever dived in the Mediterranean. There is a huge hole at 10 meters depth where the divers swim into the cave and they soon reach the shimmering light curtain. The cave has a hole on the top and when the divers ascend they see the trees above. A really nice place suitable even for beginner divers. Another less known dive spot in Europe which absolutely worth visiting. (And we enjoyed the whole island of Corfu too, for me it was a trip of a lifetime to see the places which appear in Gerald Durrell's awesome books.)

When I thought about this place I browsed my old photos I took in Corfu in 2005. For my surprise there were some short videos too. The quality isn't that fantastic but I edited them into a short movie about this cavern and I'm sure every viewer will feel how nice is it.

Color me pink

I have many friends amongst divers. We often discuss diving related topics, like new equipments, exotic destinations, courses. A lady said recently after an intro to tech diving course her instructor declared: 'The divers' color is the black!' She told me whatever the big bold technical divers say she keeps her pink fins.

I approve of her decision. I feel I must support all those people who want to show their personality even on a dive boat. This lady has her own style, she prefers colors like pink. Why should she choose a black set of diving equipment just because somebody somewhere suggested this? I know many rules in diving which I found useful and important. The right color of your wetsuit or fins isn't one of these. I'm sure there are extra trained guys who would be able to tell a hundred reasons why to wear black all the time but I don't care about them.

Diving for me is the perfect recreational activity where everybody can find joy and excitement. And as everywhere, we feel much better if we are proud of our stuffs. Somehow the scuba equipment manufacturers seem to go back in time and black is the dominating color as it was 50 years ago. There was a short golden age of fancy colorful suits in the '80s. Some of them were funny, other ones are stylish- the divers had plenty of choice.

Now they can choose black-blue or greyish-black designs. Only the minority of the brands offer suits with small pink (shock! horror!), red, yellow or white color panels. I remember when we bought a wetsuit this spring to my girlfriend. We thought there is only one color design, the gray-black but I found the red-black ones in the manufacturer's website. In the shop they didn't have any of this style, they needed to order it from the factory! A tiny red panel on the upper body would make it impossible to sell for Hungarian diver ladies? I don't think so.

I'm the advocate of the diverse color pattern equipments. I don't think we should look like twins under water in our black suits and BC-s and yellow fins- I know what I'm talking about, whenever I browse my dive trip photos I find dozens of 'men in black'. Just have a glance at the picture below of a dive boat and count those wetsuits which primary color aren't black. I remember Henry Ford's words about the Model T: 'you can have it in any color as long as it is black'.

So I recommend at least special accessories. I even had a bright pink weight belt, a friend said Hello Kitty fans would fight for it. Some people thought I looked damned funny but when in a crowded dive boat they tried to find their weight belts amongst the similar ones I felt I didn't look laughable but they did. Hopefully my friend won't sell her pink fins and someday she can buy pink suit, hood or boots as well. We are not the same. We don't like the same colors. And the most important: we don't want to do the same dives. When I hear 'black is compulsory' from an instructor I worry about my beloved fun dives. Who knows if he tells next time I need to dive exactly the same way as he does? Color me pink but I vote for bright colors, exciting designs and everybody's unique approach, pace and style of diving.

Extreme Nature

I met the name of Bill Curtsinger a few years ago. I got a book with his photos and it soon became my favorite one. The Extreme Nature: Images from the World's Edge was a real surprise as it was full of photos taken under water in extraordinary places like Antarctica or Bikini Atoll. As you leaf through the book you'll see wrecks, special encounters with sharks, marine mammals, salmons and many much exciting moments shot by a great artist. Curtsinger is a photographer of the National Geographic and I'm very excited to see how dynamic and modern photos he took decades ago. His works are inspiring me to look for the new, unique angles and aspect whatever I do: taking photos, shooting movies, writing novels. Sadly I feel my works can't be compared to his but at least I know what is good and what isn't. Sometimes it helps more than anything else.

I recommend to check out Bill's website and the gallery of his above and under water images. And here is a link to the downloadable version of the embedded photo.

They came beneath the sea

During my many dive trips I learned a lot about different nations' diving habits. Maybe it sounds silly but in my opinion there are some differences based on cultural features. First of all I have to tell I met good and not that good divers from all of the nations. Doesn't matter where were you born you can be safe and skillful diver.

The 'Russian divers' phrase has an unpleasant taste on many boat. There are a lot of Russian tourists in Egypt and occasionally it's harder to treat them. Many of them don't care too much about protecting the coral reefs' animals. In my opinion the cause can be their background: they travel from their cold home country to exotic places like the Red Sea rarely. They want to do everything intensely. They enjoy all the parties in the night, they attend all the trips to Cairo or Luxor, they would buy anything from the souvenir shop and certainly they want to see everything under water. They want to go deeper and closer, they want to touch and feel everything. So I think the dive instructors should teach them the correct dive practices. The another problem is the language: most of them speak only Russian. When they don't join the conversations the reason is really simple: they can't understand a word. But they're basically friendly and nice people, I've already met many decent Russian guys on the boat- luckily I can speak a little of Russian which helps a lot. I hope in the future their attitude will change a bit because we surely will meet more and more Russian divers around the globe as they love being under water as we do.

The story behind a book cover

I met Winnie in Kalymnos. This Greek island is not that famous like Crete, Corfu or Santorini but it has the same azure sea on its shore. There aren't that much tourists but you won't miss any. As everywhere I go, I looked for diving possibilities and had the chance to join a nice lady from Hong Kong. She went to Kalymnos for climbing but as a certified diver wanted to see the underwater world of the Aegean sea too so she became my buddy. Because there aren't too much guests our dive group consisted of our guide from Finland, Winnie the diver from HK and me. I liked our small international group who dived together in Greece... I'm used to dive in much colder waters than the Aegean so I enjoyed my time here but she was freezing. I remember when she sat in the boat after the dive and tried to collect as much of the warming sunlight as she can.

Anyway we had some dives there. I brought my camera as usual and Winnie was my underwater model. She is one of those nice buddies who happily help when I take photos. The only payment I can give to them is the collection of the best pictures. Without them my work would be much harder and the result would be much less satisfying so I'm really grateful for every moment when somebody pose before the lens of my camera. After the trip I browse the photos to find the best ones. I post them to our website or to the Facebook, I share them with my buddies but I never know if I will use any someday. After our dives in Kalymnos I especially liked a photo where Winnie was in a cavern and only some light from above covered her figure and her bubbles. I knew I needed to modify the picture's contrast to make it more dramatic. However I sent the original one to her to show. I still like this photo although it's far from perfect.

A few years later I wrote my first novel. It was a special project for me, as I wasn't only the writer but the publisher and editor too. I organized the printing and I designed the book cover. It's a scuba diving crime story and when I thought about which picture to choose I realized the portrait of Winnie would be cool after extensive modifications. I made it and I asked her to kindly give me the permission to use it. She did it and after a few weeks I proudly held my first published book in my hands. My friends asked me who is the model in the cover and I surprised everyone when I said she is my buddy and my friend from Hong Kong. I think she was really proud to be on the cover. I'm still sad because she couldn't read the Hungarian language book. Maybe someday we will meet and dive together again and later I can tell the story of the novel. That's all in this photo: when I see it I call up its making. A dive in a charming island, a buddy and another story from my diving past to remember...

Vangelis

When I wrote about musics for diving I mostly meant those songs which we use to hear often in underwater documentaries. OK, there aren't the same ones in all of these but there are some typical popular styles. I think everything changed when many musicians started using synthesizers in the '70s. As in every kind of music there were some people who simply wrote better songs. The greek Vangelis is one of the most important artists of the pop music and I remember when I heard his masterpieces everywhere. There was the soundtrack of the Chariots of Fire and 1492 - Conquest of Paradise for example. I collected here some of his sea related songs I really like.

Guideology: Sambo

If somebody asks me about the dive leaders I tell easily who I like: the guides who let me enjoy the dive. I think there's everything in this simple description. She or he will lead me to the most interesting points of the site, show what he finds and cares about our safety. She or he know the dive group's limits, check the air, don't make us swimming against the current. And on the other hand I can look around on my own, I can stop to make photos and nobody pull my fin because the leader's goal is to swim as much as we can.

So maybe you think in the first entry of my guideology will be a detailed report about the work of the guide who I mentioned in the title. Well, not really. Sambo was one of the Egyptian dive guides who I met in the last ten years but I confess I don't remember too much. He did his job, I can't remember any special affairs but one: he showed my first shark in the Tiran straits. As every diver I remember my first shark although I saw it only for seconds. But it was definitely a shark. The predator who we were afraid in the past and who we started to love after we became divers. Sambo led us around the reef and suddenly he started to swim faster and we soon realized he wanted to show the exciting silhouette which disappeared when we swam closer. Later he found the shark again and that made us really happy.

There were dozens of dive pros who I remember much better. There were guides who did their best to make my holiday terrific. And there were people who led 'unforgettable' dives which were awful in many ways. But Sambo will be Mr Shark for me forever.

Send me an Angel

If I talk about sharks everybody imagine big, torpedo shaped fast predators with huge teeth. Some people maybe think about the large plankton feeding whale sharks or basking sharks. But only the minority knows about a quite flat shark which lay on the bottom covered in sand during daytime. The angel shark is a strange fish, and I'm one of the lucky divers who saw them in their natural habitat. If you find the hiding angel shark be careful and you can even touch it. These guys aren't too nervous, but as every predator, it can be dangerous if you attack or disturb it aggressively. Its swimming looks like wriggling.

The angel shark encounters were really special for me but most of the divers never meet any. Although it was common in Europe a few decades ago now it's officially critically endangered. I dived many places in the Mediterranean and haven't seen any but I know a European country where plenty of angel sharks live. This is a well kept secret of the Canary Islands which belong to Spain (and geographically to Africa): the eastern islands are famous about their angel sharks. For example in Lanzarote I dived in the night with a baby angel shark. But especially in Gran Canaria the northern dive spots like Sardina del Norte or Caleta Baja are recommended for those who want to see these unusual sharks. They live in the shallow, sandy bottom and it seems they only wait for the divers. First you see an angel shark shaped silhouette in the sand and when you swim closer you can see it's the shark itself. You can touch carefully its fins, see the eyes and try to make some photos. When it's covered the photos will be everything but spectacular. These animals looks much better on the moving pictures so I embed a film which I took a few years ago.

A hopeless lake

There is a lake very close to my home. I had my very first open dives here and it's just 10 minutes drive from me. It sounds I'm lucky, doesn't it? Well, if you remember my post about freshwater diving, I mentioned this place where the instructor needed to touch my face to check the mask removing.

The lake of Budakalasz (or Lupa Island lake) is a quarry. Although swimming is forbidden here many people use to spend summer days on its shore. There aren't toilets, showers, good roads, anything. Just water. By the way: plenty of water, this lake is deep, 6-7 meters, and as it's a normal quarry, there aren't shallow areas. Sometimes we hear sad news when not so good swimmers submerge in a second. No life guards, no ambulance, no visibility, no chance to survive...

When I arrived to this lake for the first time I prepared for my dive. I was excited on the surface and horrified under water. Is this the diving? Swimming in the water which similar to a thick soup, without seeing any fish? I know certification is not about fun diving but this place don't make you mad about the underwater wonders. The only wonder is when you surface and you aren't too far from the entry point.

I came back to this hopeless lake only once. A buddy and me joined an underwater cleanup here. I told her to hold strongly the big bag as this will be the 'lifeline'- we wouldn't see each other. We really didn't. I sometimes felt a pull on the bag, she found something and collected. Our dive was about 30 minutes long and although we barely used air from our tanks we didn't go back. There weren't animals under water but trash. The people from the nearby village brought many useless things to the lake. They knew nobody would see them here. To see the bags full of trash was really disappointing. To see the murky water was even worse. I don't feel I am lucky anymore because I live so close to that lake...

Wreck treks: HMS Maori

It happened seven decades ago. A Tribal-class destroyer was mooring in the Malta Grand Harbour when a German aircraft attacked and sank it. It's not too extraordinary to dive a boat's wreck which sank during the WW II but the HMS Maori was in the fleet which chased and sank the Bismarck in 1941. It was one of the boats which rescued the few survivors. The wreck was in the harbor of Valletta and blocked the traffic of the boats. They raised and scuttled it, later it was sank close to the shore.

The article continued here.

Paris under water

Paris Hilton is everywhere. Scuba divers thought being underwater isn't attract her as she doesn't able to share her wisdom with a regulator in her mouth. When I saw a series of photos in 2009 where she made an intro dive with his boyfriend (sorry, I can't remember his name and maybe even Paris wouldn't be able to call up) I confess it made cheer me up. Paris was the first person who felt important to wear stylish sunglasses when they were standing in the water before submerging. All of us know her typical smile and basically the scene seemed very typical too except she wore a scuba tank. There were some other photos when she tried to survive under water in 2-3 meters depth but I thought it's only a nice media event from the glamor girl. She's young, sexy, blond and rich, so she gave a try. She didn't have to take up scuba as a hobby and luckily scuba didn't need to take up Paris as a diving celebrity.

Later I saw some new photos from her newer scuba adventures. (I'm not sure if she appeared on them, the mask on the face of that lady covered too much.) When you browse the photos first you think about how did you find them? There are millions of websites which worth visiting, a diver visits pages about exotic destinations, resorts, dive centers and which do I remember? The one where I saw a photo of the celebrity member of our community, Miss Hilton.

I'm trying not to be too sarcastic. I remember what Tiger Woods said about scuba diving: 'The fish don't know who I am.' I imagine what Paris said: 'The people need to know I'm a diver.' Or something like that. Paris and her PR-team use our prejudice when they post those news and photos. What if she really likes diving? If she would be a nice travel companion on a liveaboard trip? Who knows? I think the Paris Hilton who we see in the magazines is not the same Paris when there aren't any cameras. She looks pretty while posing in her wetsuit. Her team knows most of the fans and readers don't know scuba diving isn't that extreme sport, even people in their sixties enjoy intro dives. So the fans feel Paris is special, extraordinary, wonderful and heroic and doesn't matter if all of the photos were taken during a single shallow dive.

We know some celebrities who really adore the ocean and its animals. And there is she who plays the role of the spoiled Hilton-girl. I'm not crazy, I don't say I feel sorrow for Paris who is quite successful in his special profession and doesn't lack my sympathy. (By the way I wish her many nice dives as everyone who share the same passion for underwater world.) I'm just thinking about my relationship with diving. I'm feeling lucky because I don't go under water to play a role for anybody else but to have a great time. Nothing more. And if I'm a celebrity or not I enjoy being under water because the fish don't know who I am neither. (The same apply for our Paris as well, so when she dives she is simply one of us- I love diving democracy.)

Are there any musics for diving?

I know there isn't any answer of my question. However there are musics which makes me remember of my dive adventures, because filmmakers use them in their documentaries, or their mood is inspiring me. I try to embed some of my favorites from time to time, but this first music is here only because of its title: Dive in Your Life. Hope you like it!

It's fresh

I think there are a lot of people in the world who hasn't ever dived in fresh water. There are a lot of people who live as close to the sea as I to the local quarries. Many divers think freshwater diving is the ugly, disappointed stepbrother of ocean diving. They say it's a cheap but much worse substitute of the real diving for those who live far away from the warm tropical seashores. (It's a typical situation, by the way.) And there is a handful divers who deeply adore lakes, freshwater caves and never travel to exotic destinations.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Yes, there are awful, murky lakes where you can be certified but it takes some time until you forgot the bad experience. I had my first open water dives in a nearby quarry, the visibility was 1-2 meters, and because we were absolute beginners it became worse in 2 minutes. My instructor couldn't see my face so he checked my mask removing by touching my face- if there wasn't a mask, I did it. Later I had dives in other lakes, some of them was better, some of them was boring and tiring. In a few dozen dives you learn the basics of the navigation and you'll be able to find the crabs and fish so normally every freshwater dive seems enjoyable.

But there are some differences. As I started exploring in the neighboring country I found the Austrian lakes much more exciting. The many fish of the Erlaufsee, the pikes of the Neufeldersee, the 40 meters visibility of the ice cold Grüner See was as stunning experience as a dive in the Hurghada area of Red Sea. I go to Austria because I love to dive there not because I don't have the chance to travel to Egypt. I'm proud to be the first amongst my friends who dived these waters on my own and shared my adventures. Since then many Hungarians visited those lakes which I reviewed in our website. There must be many more great freshwater dive spots in Europe (and even more in the World!) which worth visiting. I recommend to start exploring those lakes and rivers and find the hidden gems. I promise I'll write about my favorite ones in this blog too.