Zakrzówek - the pride of Krakow's divers

If you are looking for an interesting and original place for diving, want variety for lakes and the sea, or just want to try something new, we have something especially for you! A place with very good visibility and well adapted for divers – Zakrzówek in Krakow.

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In Cracow, 5 km in a straight line from the famous Wawel Castle, within the Ruczaj district, there is another very famous and popular diving site – Zakrzówek. It was created in 1990 as a result of flooding an old quarry where limestone was extracted. It consists of two reservoirs connected by an isthmus more than 20 m wide and is part of the “Skałki Twardowskiego” Landscape Park.

The maximum depth we will encounter here is about 31m, but it is not the greatest asset of this body of water. Below the water surface, we have really full of diving attractions, unique in the country, and maybe even in the world.

The diving site itself is located almost in the centre of the former capital of our country and is a very easily accessible destination if we are already in Krakow. There is only one access to the water, so it is impossible to confuse the way when we find ourselves near the basin.

Visibility depends, of course, as everywhere in Poland, on the season and the weather, but it is very good for native conditions. In winter it is about 10-15m, while in summer it fluctuates between 3-8m in the shallows and improves slightly deeper to 10-12m. The best conditions are found in early summer, June and early autumn, September.

Underwater you will find a number of attractions pleasing to the eye of the diver, including a granite plaque located at 6m, commemorating the fact that during World War II, the later Pope Karol Wojtyla worked here. At the same depth you will also find an exercise platform, and after reaching approx. 7.5m you will see a classic of Polish motoring – a Fiat kombi! At a similar level, there are also exercise mirrors. Being 9m below the water surface, we will reach a caisson, below which, at 17m, there is a sunken bus. A blue car and motorboats are at the bottom at 12m and 14m respectively. The whole is completed by a house located on a shelf at 15m. All this is concentrated in an area covering about 12 hectares.

While diving in this place you should pay special attention to such elements as trees, posts and fragments of the net which used to surround the area. In the vicinity of 25m you will also find hydrogen sulphide, which reduces visibility to almost zero, so it is better to stick to shallower places, where underwater attractions are located.

The reservoir is under the care of the Kraken Diving Centre, which has taken it on lease. The basic infrastructure is available on the shore, access to the reservoir is possible all year round, at various times, which are listed together with contact details for cylinder loading and equipment rental on the CN Kraken website.

The site is highly recommendable and worth a visit, due to its uniqueness and the effort put into adapting it for the diving fraternity.

Source: wikipedia.pl, Kraken.pl
Photo: cn-tryton.pl