Jaworzno-Szczakowa – Diving in the quarry

If you are a diver, you must be familiar with the quarry in Jaworzno-Szczakowa, one of the most interesting diving destinations in the south of Poland. I would go as far as to say that many divers regard this reservoir as a diving El Dorado.

An inhabitant of Warsaw, I have a shorter way to go from my home city to Mazury, which is why I rarely choose to travel to Jaworzno.

Most Polish divers resemble worms in their behavior. When it gets warm in spring, a worm crawls out on the meadow and a diver... well... recollects that (s)he is a diver and might as well go down and feel zero gravity again after months of winter slumber. To all those who don't have the courage to dive in winter I can only say: you don't know what you lose. Waiting for spring as the time when ice melts on the lakes, most divers forget that in our climate this is also the period when masses of water begin to stir. The colder water of 1-2°C just below the ice level begins to float down and push up masses of water that sat close to the bottom of the reservoir. The stirring begins and the water transparency is much reduced. For instance, whereas Narty Lake offers up to eight meters of transparency on some summer days or in the late fall, when I dived there on 15 April 2001, I could see through no further than two meters. I have also heard divers talk about the water visibility below one meter on 10 May.

The same process goes in the "quarry lake". Moreover, in warm weather dozens of people dive there to rummage through metal junk and swimming to and fro further stirs the water of the small resevoir.

I recommend diving in the quarry in the late fall or in winter, when the water is incredibly clear and the place isn't so overcrowded due to the temperature. This is the best time to go diving there. You will be astonished with how beautiful underwater landscapes can be in this lake.

Much has been written about diving in the Jaworzna quarry. If you have just browsed through the information available or have never been to the "quarry lake," read below.

I am sure you won't miss the gigantic excavators. Also, you can see a shot firer's bunker, pump strainers with a platform, a pumping station shed and a few more interesting pieces of equipment. All the underwater sighstseeing places are connected with a fixed rope. Thus, you can count on finding whatever you intend to see.

How to get there? When you reach Jaworzno-Szczakowa's marketplace, you have to turn right. Four kilometers later you choose the road to Olkusz and a kilometer later turn right and drive along a church wall on your left. Then you drive to the end of Sobieskiego Street, still straight. You pass a junction just beyond the church. When you see a belt conveyor going above the street, you turn right. This is the place. If you want to call before you go, dial: 0-602 233-831, 0-33 82-282-30.

The site is very nice - there is a small diving shop, piers, grill bars, toilets nearby, compressors to refill the cylinders and lodgings for the night as well.

A drive from Warsaw takes about three to four hours.

The reservoir has become slightly shallower since last year. Now it's seventeen meters deep - but as attractive as always. Anyway, the area is wonderful and you don't have to be a diver to appreciate the beauty of the place.

The "quarry lake" is a must be. Diving in Poland, you have to go there if you want to call yourself a diver.

Remember, however, that this is essentially about wreck diving. The experience is different than when diving at underwater meadows and so is your safety. I strongly recommend taking a wreck-diving course before or dive with a more experienced diver. You can also consult the reservoir's lease-holders or divers who know these waters on things and places to bear in mind when diving. My first dive in the "quarry lake" might have been a fatal one if it hadn't been for the fact that I dived in the night and nobody was around but me and my friend. This is what happened. Floating around an excavator, the one near the middle of the lake, my friend reached with his hand to lift the machine's bonnet. I swam a little aside to leave room for the metal door. The bonnet's hinges were so rusted through that it broke loose and plunged down just beside me. If anybody had been on its way... So much for scaring unthoughtful divers.

The history of this reservoir is quite recent and interesting. In 1997 the power plant cut off power supply to the quarry for several years of arrears. Soon underground water floated the excavation and created another reservoir for divers to practise their hobby.

Praise the unprofitable! Maybe managers of other pits will follow Jaworzno's example. Well, we're waiting...