Diving the Oostvoornse Meer

The Oostvoornse Meer is one of the best known dive sites in the Netherlands, valued for its clear water, varied underwater landscape and the number of things worth finding. With almost no current and no tide, it suits beginners and experienced divers equally.

Visibility reaches up to ten metres and depths run from five to over forty, which leaves room for genuinely demanding dives. Several entry points sit along the shore, each with its own character and its own things to see below.

How the lake came to be

The Oostvoornse Meer formed in the 1960s as a consequence of building the Maasvlakte. What had been part of the North Sea became a closed lake, and it slowly turned into a place people dive and spend time. The salt water and the visibility that comes with it make it attractive for underwater photography and for training.

Practical detail

• Visibility: five to ten metres on average
• Depth: from five to over forty metres
• Water temperature: roughly 4 °C in winter to 20 °C in summer
• Facilities: parking, marked entry points, in places changing rooms and rinsing water

Wrecks

The lake holds a considerable number of wrecks. More than twelve vessels have been identified, ranging from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, with a marked concentration from the early seventeenth. That concentration is attributed to a dangerous sandbank in the area, marked on a 1645 chart as the Hondenplaat.

Depth chart by courtesy of the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed.