Diving in The Netherlands

[Jacky Boy]

Ive been reading a few threads here and there seems to be alot of good diving in the Netherlands. I go there at least once a year, sometimes two or three times. I live just down the road (relatively) from the North Shields DFDS port. So if I did decide to go diving there, how would I go about it?

 

[Jacky Boy]

No ones got any advice on where to go for diving in the netherlands?

 

[krulle]

I dive the most in the Netherlands.

There are 2 main waters to go to: The Grevelingen (no currents) and the Oosterschelde (tides, so check the schedules)

Watertemperature (now it is around 20°C in undeep water). A 7 mm is good, but with 5mm it would also be doable

What can you see over there: millions of oysters, many crabs and lobsters, small fish, if you are lucky some sepias, snail, seastars...
It ain't like a tropical reef, but it is rather good for the North Sea

The visibility: 12 feet is good. When you go 60feet deep, you can expect some zones with a visiblity of 3 feet, so carry a light with you. Best thing is to go with a buddy and a buddy-line if you are not used to dive in such conditions.

There are plenty of places to dive in both waters (I guess around 150 in both). So there are many dive-shops in the region. In all those stores you can fill your bottles, and in the bigger stores, you can even rent equipement. (suits, regulators, bottles, jackets, (even dry suits if you woul like to)). I'm not sure, but I guess you will pay around €50 per day for a full equipment. Not cheap.

On the most popular diving sites, you will also find containers with a compressor included. Inserting some coins, and you can fill your tank (most of the time up to 200 bar)

In the shops itself, you will be able to fill 300 bar tanks. Both Yoke and DIN are much used in the Netherlands


If you have any other questions, just ask.

 

[El Orans]

No ones got any advice on where to go for diving in the netherlands?

Occasionally, we have to work. :dutchflag:

When's your next visit?

 

[Jacky Boy]

Occasionally, we have to work. :dutchflag:

When's your next visit?

Sorry, i'm used to thinking in american time for this forum (being a night shift worker helps). Well Ive been twice this year, maybe three, not sure, and Im going to portugal in a few weeks so I think thats all my get aways for this year. Probably early next year, maybe around easter time. But undoubtedly I'll be going again in the summer time. We may even bring a car if we decide to see some of Germany aswell.

Krulle:

Thankyou for your very comprehensive answer. Thats brilliant. Do you know if its easy to find a charter to these dive sites as none of the friends or family I travel with are divers?

 

[Maple Bubble]

What kind of Diving are you looking for? As stated above by Krulle there are some very nice sites in the Eastern coast ares (Zeeland). The open section to sea (Oosterschelde) has much more biodiversity, but the closed section (Grevelingen) also offers interesting diving available 24/7. Personally I live on the east border in Holland and dive frequently in artificial lakes made when sand was removed for paving roads etc. These lakes can be interesting, but vis is generally poor on busy days.

When and where will you be in Holland? Maybe then I can advise you a bit better.

 

[300bar]

Next Q.where do you stay.Ok it's a small country but driving from the north to the south would be a pain in the butt,just for a diving day.

 

[El Orans]

Well, here are a few useful websites:

Dive Sites:

• Duikkaart.nl - De site voor duikkaarten in Nederland
• www.duiklocaties.com

Boat charters:

• Bootduiken in Zeeland
• Bootduiken in Zeeland met duikschip Panda: Duikschip Panda
• AQUILA CHARTER

 

[300bar]

Let's not forget this one.
Duiken in het web

All about local marienlife.

 

[Jacky Boy]

Next Q.where do you stay.Ok it's a small country but driving from the north to the south would be a pain in the butt,just for a diving day.

Hi 300, thanks for the response. We usually stay in Amsterdam centre, occasionaly Haarlem, but I know that makes little difference. We were considering attending the Oerol festival on Terschelling Island in June so we may end up staying there or near by.

What kind of Diving are you looking for? As stated above by Krulle there are some very nice sites in the Eastern coast ares (Zeeland). The open section to sea (Oosterschelde) has much more biodiversity, but the closed section (Grevelingen) also offers interesting diving available 24/7. Personally I live on the east border in Holland and dive frequently in artificial lakes made when sand was removed for paving roads etc. These lakes can be interesting, but vis is generally poor on busy days.

When and where will you be in Holland? Maybe then I can advise you a bit better.

Hello maple bubble, thank you for the information. I'm a very inexperienced diver, however by the time I do dive in the Netherlands I should have completed a padi AOW course in local waters (North east and scotland, in autumn :cold. I know that wont make me an expert, Im just making my experience level clear. Also, I really dont know what my diving preferences are yet, so im open to all experiences.
Summer will most likely be when I'd be considering diving as during the colder months we tend only to visit for a weekend.

El Orans and 300bar. Thanks for the links. Im gong to have to brush up on my Dutch though... Du man een het vrouw lopen. Du jongen is op het paard. Du vogal is rood.