Gregor Bockmuller runs a diving centre on Lake Attersee in Austria’s Salzkammergut, whose clear waters are famous throughout Europe.
Also known as Kammersee or Lake Atter, this is the largest lake of the Salzkammergut region in Upper Austria.
And it’s the starting point for a tour in the nearby mountains, which won Bockmuller a recent regional Tourism Innovation Award for his “hiking with diving goggles” excursion.
So we set out on this glorious sunny morning in the Salzkammergut.
“For hiking with diving goggles, we need five days without rain beforehand so that the stream is calm enough,” says Bockmuller.
This is what the area’s locals always do – head to the peaceful Gimbach cascades – not forgetting their diving goggles for swimming. Diving is a popular sport here.
“We go diving after work, just like people elsewhere play football,” says diving instructor Benedikt Pedevilla.
He is leading the water hiking tour. “I’m afraid of heights myself,” he says. “But the jumps are only 4m deep at most, so even I can do it.”
Pedevilla hands out neoprene suits, shoes and gloves, along with diving goggles and snorkels. After a short minibus ride, the group climbs up a steep path through the mountain forest.
We catch a glimpse of the stairs of yellow-green natural pools through the trees, with their photogenic colouring thanks to algae.
Behind a bridge, the path descends the embankment. Down in the stream bed, we all hurriedly pull on our wetsuit tops including hoods and slides into the water. It’s freezing cold even with the wetsuits on.
“Now everyone is awake,” says Pedevilla.
He is right.
We carefully paddle downstream over the slippery stones and hop into the first pools. It is a charming setting with grass and flowers growing on moss-covered rocks, and stalactites hanging from a stone bridge.
Pedevilla warns that the very light and very dark stones are particularly slippery, but adds, “Moss is your friend.”
Just slide
We hikers happily slide over rounded stone steps and float backwards into pools. Until we come to the first slide, foaming rock channel which looks a little scary.
“Arms across your chest, legs together and stay straight,” calls Pedevilla. He goes first.
It takes a little effort to trust the smooth channel, which was formed solely by the forces of nature. But then we slide down surprisingly smoothly.
“That was the relaxed walk,” says Pedevilla at the bottom. “Now it’s time for adventure.”
The slopes, covered with ferns and forest, become steeper and converge to form a gorge.
Under an overhanging rock face, we hop down from pool to pool. By now, our feet are numb, but the beauty of the gorge and the fun of jumping and sliding make us forget the cold.
Pedevilla waits under a waterfall to show us all the deep pool. You can see the yellowish wall disappearing into the depths, while air bubbles swirl around as though we are in a giant sparkling water machine.
But the stream is too cold for us to do any really extensive snorkelling. And to be honest, apart from gravel and rocks behind a yellow filter, there is little else to see.
For the last half hour, the gorge widens and everyone is now free to romp around the pools. Head down the steps and use up any remaining energy, says Pedevilla.
Some of us are just glad to be finally taking off our cold wet shoes. – FLORIAN SANKTJOHANSER/dpa
