"Lake Mamry"

One of the most interesting places on the diving map of Poland is certainly the Masurian Mamry Lake. We will meet there a diverse fauna and flora, and we will have the opportunity to use the underwater installations of the Masurian Diving Centre, which has its summer base here.

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It is a postglacial lake of moraine type (specifically a ground moraine), located in the Masurian Lake District, fed by the rivers Radzieja and Węgorapa. The lake covers an area of 104km². The average depth is 11m, and the maximum depth recorded by our depth gauge is 44m. The bottom of the lake is very varied and the depth changes frequently. An interesting fact is that there are 33 islands in Mamry, some of which form an ornithological reserve. The waters of the lake are of I purity class. Transparency, as it usually happens in native reservoirs, depends on weather conditions and changes with the passing of months. Normally, it is best in winter during ice diving. Then it reaches even 10-12 metres.

The attractiveness of Poland’s second largest lake makes it very popular in the diving community. Its greatest attraction is the wreck of the Arabella yacht lying at a depth of 33m. The vessel rested on the bottom in spring 1993. It was planned to be deposited at a depth of 20m, but due to difficulties during the sinking, it was finally located deeper. On the wreck it is possible to partially penetrate its interior. The stern part and the bridge are available for the curious. As usual, the wreck has become a habitat for many species of fish. During the dive it is necessary to be careful, as it is very easy to reduce visibility by raising significant amounts of mud. The safe return to the surface will be possible thanks to the lowering device mounted to the wreck.

In the area, namely in the town of Trygort, there is a summer base of Andrzej “Balon” Tarasiewicz Mazurski Diving Centre. In their offer they have everything we may need (compressor, equipment rental and the possibility to buy accommodation). Apart from the land infrastructure, MCN also offers access to its underwater structures. These include a so-called obstacle course, a diving bell, tyre tunnels and a platform. For nature lovers, an encounter with the local fauna and flora will certainly be a pleasant experience. During our dives, we are sure to come across shoals of perch playing near the toys and the Arabella wreck. We will also encounter pikes and eels, the latter being particularly fond of the wreck of a sunken two-masted ship. I recommend to all who have not yet had a chance to dive in the Mazurian waters, to start their adventure from one of the most interesting and most popular among divers – Mamry Lake.

Source: Divers24, wikipedia
Photo: MCN