The word scuba diving interests anyone. Especially those loving to see underwater things. But can one of think of scuba diving in a park? Yes, it is possible. Here, we will be talking about a park that turns into lake and allows scuba diving. Or, let’s say a lake that turns into park.
Grüner See translates to Green Lake. It is located in the Hochschwab mountains of Styria, Austria and lies near the village of Tragöess. It is a county park. Here, hikers tromp through the lush Hochschwab mountains and forests year-round. It’s quite the picturesque spot and attracts wide range of visitors.
Locals come for hiking and relaxing on benches until about mid-June. The park is a beauty spot surrounded by mountains. There’s a pond that is only three to seven feet deep during the winter. But, the temperate rises in the spring. Then, the snow starts melting from surrounding mountains. It completely fills the basin making water up to 30-40 feet. The entire park gets submerged into water. The trees, benches and a foot bridge all stays in water until July. This forms a surreal underwater park during that period. The water as melted from snow is chilling cold at 45-degree Fahrenheit.
The lake’s green color has given it name Green lake. The green color comes due to grass and foliage at basin. The bottom of the lake is rocky. There are variety of water creatures living in the lake. They include snails, water fleas, small crabs, fly larvae, and even some species of trout.
Efforts have been made to promote tourism as well maintaining the beauty of the place. The Alliance For Nature started an initiative to put Green Lake under official legal protection. This has aimed to preserve the entire region surrounding the lake. The tourism office has officially prohibited all water activity in the park since 2016. They are concerned about risk of stirred-up sediment. It could potentially pollute the lake’s vibrant colour. Since then, swimming, boating and diving is not allowed.
Still, the Green lake is stunning to watch from surface nearby. People enjoy visiting the park during the winters and watching it from nearby area during spring. There’s another lake nearby which is used for recreational purpose underwater. That is Lake Zenz. This effort by officials seems a good initiative as widespread human interest can hamper the beauty of park. This will allow locals and tourists to enjoy this natural beauty for many more years.
Tourist visiting Austria should never miss out this place. Even the national of Austria are regular visitors. As one will not be bored even if they visit this place hundreds of times. A lot of people visiting their posts about it through social media adding to the promotion of the place as a tourist destination. I think it is no less than magic of nature.
