poleinahole
Registered
Verzasca (September 15-17, 2007)
Who would have thought that a landlocked, mountainous country would boast the highest concentration of divers per head of population? Or that Switzerland can lay claim to some truly unique and exquisite dive sites? From ice diving at altitude in the alps, to discovering archaeological ruins of houses built on stilts over Alpine lakes, to diving purposely sunk trains and helicopter wrecks in Lake Magggiore. But even by these standards, diving the Verzasca River is special.
Rated one of Europes top dives, the Verzasca river is in the Ticino, in the Italian part of Switzerland, close to the Italian border. The Versaca valley offers a rugged boulder strewn landscape with the Alps on one side and a river on the other. The river is emerald green, and visibility can be exceptional (ie. if there have been no storms prior to your dives). Dive shops and clubs from all over Switzerland, Germany and Italy flock to Verzaca, so dont be surprised to find exhausted divers who have just clambered over steep rocks with all their equipment walking along the roads with tanks on their backs popping up along the road as they walk back to their cars.
One of the main dive sites is at the double arched stone bridge called the Ponte dei Salti in Lavertezzo. The scuba shop, Sub Verzasca, is based there: FSSS - CLUBS TICINO - Gruppo Sub Verzasca. If you walk past the church into Lavertezzo to the car park (near a modern bridge) at the entry of the town as you come from up from Posse, on sunny weekends you can divers engaged in what seem to be navy seal exercises as they pick their way across boulders and fast flowing water and jumping with all their gear into cascades.
Also in Lavertezzo, a 5 minute drive down the road from the Ponte dei Salti, on the way down to Vogorno, the Posse Restaurant and Pizzeria operates an air filling station and overlooks another excellent dive site (this site is a bit more difficult to access but the underwater architecture makes the effort worthwhile.) There are 10 en suite double rooms (100 Swiss francs per room with breakfast included). They have a large terrace which is a popular place for tourists and divers to hang out, and the food is copious and reasonably priced. There is plenty of parking space. Tel. +41-91-746-17-96.
Nearby Lake Maggia also has some good dive sites.
So whats the diving like? First, you have to be reasonably fit to carry your gear 10-15 minutes over boulders and up and down steep paths. Some sites will require you to slide down into the water on your butt and you will need help getting out of the water. I was diving with a dry suit and needed a lot of weight (15 kilos). I found it impossible to carry all my gear to the sites in one go but had to do this in two stages at each site (Im a 43 year old female). Some men also had to carry their equipment in two stages. But the effort is worth it. Its a real privilege to dive amidst such spectacular scenery and the clear water and sunlight playing on interesting rock formations underwater also assures you of a great dive and good photos. Divers make interesting statues by balancing smaller stones one on top of the other and there are river fish. I dove there in September and the temperature was 16C. Most divers dive in a 7MM, but if the day is overcast or its the end of the afternoon you get chilly fast. Each dive site is normally small and dives usually last about 30-40 minutes. Dives are shallow at 5-7 meters.
I dove with Deep Turtle, a dive center based close to the French speaking town of Lausanne. Twice a year they offer a very reasonably priced long weekend trip to Verzasca as well as their distinctive PADI specialty, Verzasca Diver which will teach you about river diving, how to secure a site, etc. (325 Swiss Francs for most meals, shared motel accommodation, and all dives. Transport (gas money for shared rides) and dive equipment is extra.) Deep Turtle is a very friendly and professional dive operator that I whole heartedly recommend. They also seem to attract a friendly and interesting crowd. See Deep Turtle, Centre de plongée PADIàLausanne/Préverenges et Ecublens,près de Genève en Suisse for more information.
Its a four hour drive from Lausanne to Versasca over the Nufenenpass (great scenery!) or you can go via Italy where you have to put your car on a train at Brig to go through the Simplon tunnel (20 minutes). At the Verzasca Valley, we stayed at the Motel Riazzino, Bamboohouse, 6595 Riazzino. Mobile: +41-91-859-14-22. They offer simple but comfortable rooms and meals and this place is therefore popular with divers. Its about a 20-30 minutes from this Motel to most of the Valleys dive sites. We also went into Ascona one night for dinner at a Grottotypical restaurant and then relaxed at a cozy bar on Lake Maggiore. A fun weekend out!
You can also try the following dive shop located in the Ticino: Swiss Diving School.
There are signs all over Versaca valley warning of the rivers dangers. Every year swimmers, boaters, fishermen and divers are caught by the rivers strong current and drown as they are washed downstream to the dam, the site of one of the worlds highest bungee jumps and the jump featured in the James Bond movie, Golden Eye. You should therefore dive here with a reputable dive operator who knows the sites and who secures the dive site with safety ropes. Be sure you dive with two regulators for safety. Remember that you are also at altitude, so make sure your surface intervals are long enough before driving over the alps.
Further information about the Versasca Valley, how to get there and where to stay go to: Verzasca Valley travel guide - Wikitravel.
Who would have thought that a landlocked, mountainous country would boast the highest concentration of divers per head of population? Or that Switzerland can lay claim to some truly unique and exquisite dive sites? From ice diving at altitude in the alps, to discovering archaeological ruins of houses built on stilts over Alpine lakes, to diving purposely sunk trains and helicopter wrecks in Lake Magggiore. But even by these standards, diving the Verzasca River is special.
Rated one of Europes top dives, the Verzasca river is in the Ticino, in the Italian part of Switzerland, close to the Italian border. The Versaca valley offers a rugged boulder strewn landscape with the Alps on one side and a river on the other. The river is emerald green, and visibility can be exceptional (ie. if there have been no storms prior to your dives). Dive shops and clubs from all over Switzerland, Germany and Italy flock to Verzaca, so dont be surprised to find exhausted divers who have just clambered over steep rocks with all their equipment walking along the roads with tanks on their backs popping up along the road as they walk back to their cars.
One of the main dive sites is at the double arched stone bridge called the Ponte dei Salti in Lavertezzo. The scuba shop, Sub Verzasca, is based there: FSSS - CLUBS TICINO - Gruppo Sub Verzasca. If you walk past the church into Lavertezzo to the car park (near a modern bridge) at the entry of the town as you come from up from Posse, on sunny weekends you can divers engaged in what seem to be navy seal exercises as they pick their way across boulders and fast flowing water and jumping with all their gear into cascades.
Also in Lavertezzo, a 5 minute drive down the road from the Ponte dei Salti, on the way down to Vogorno, the Posse Restaurant and Pizzeria operates an air filling station and overlooks another excellent dive site (this site is a bit more difficult to access but the underwater architecture makes the effort worthwhile.) There are 10 en suite double rooms (100 Swiss francs per room with breakfast included). They have a large terrace which is a popular place for tourists and divers to hang out, and the food is copious and reasonably priced. There is plenty of parking space. Tel. +41-91-746-17-96.
Nearby Lake Maggia also has some good dive sites.
So whats the diving like? First, you have to be reasonably fit to carry your gear 10-15 minutes over boulders and up and down steep paths. Some sites will require you to slide down into the water on your butt and you will need help getting out of the water. I was diving with a dry suit and needed a lot of weight (15 kilos). I found it impossible to carry all my gear to the sites in one go but had to do this in two stages at each site (Im a 43 year old female). Some men also had to carry their equipment in two stages. But the effort is worth it. Its a real privilege to dive amidst such spectacular scenery and the clear water and sunlight playing on interesting rock formations underwater also assures you of a great dive and good photos. Divers make interesting statues by balancing smaller stones one on top of the other and there are river fish. I dove there in September and the temperature was 16C. Most divers dive in a 7MM, but if the day is overcast or its the end of the afternoon you get chilly fast. Each dive site is normally small and dives usually last about 30-40 minutes. Dives are shallow at 5-7 meters.
I dove with Deep Turtle, a dive center based close to the French speaking town of Lausanne. Twice a year they offer a very reasonably priced long weekend trip to Verzasca as well as their distinctive PADI specialty, Verzasca Diver which will teach you about river diving, how to secure a site, etc. (325 Swiss Francs for most meals, shared motel accommodation, and all dives. Transport (gas money for shared rides) and dive equipment is extra.) Deep Turtle is a very friendly and professional dive operator that I whole heartedly recommend. They also seem to attract a friendly and interesting crowd. See Deep Turtle, Centre de plongée PADIàLausanne/Préverenges et Ecublens,près de Genève en Suisse for more information.
Its a four hour drive from Lausanne to Versasca over the Nufenenpass (great scenery!) or you can go via Italy where you have to put your car on a train at Brig to go through the Simplon tunnel (20 minutes). At the Verzasca Valley, we stayed at the Motel Riazzino, Bamboohouse, 6595 Riazzino. Mobile: +41-91-859-14-22. They offer simple but comfortable rooms and meals and this place is therefore popular with divers. Its about a 20-30 minutes from this Motel to most of the Valleys dive sites. We also went into Ascona one night for dinner at a Grottotypical restaurant and then relaxed at a cozy bar on Lake Maggiore. A fun weekend out!
You can also try the following dive shop located in the Ticino: Swiss Diving School.
There are signs all over Versaca valley warning of the rivers dangers. Every year swimmers, boaters, fishermen and divers are caught by the rivers strong current and drown as they are washed downstream to the dam, the site of one of the worlds highest bungee jumps and the jump featured in the James Bond movie, Golden Eye. You should therefore dive here with a reputable dive operator who knows the sites and who secures the dive site with safety ropes. Be sure you dive with two regulators for safety. Remember that you are also at altitude, so make sure your surface intervals are long enough before driving over the alps.
Further information about the Versasca Valley, how to get there and where to stay go to: Verzasca Valley travel guide - Wikitravel.
