Wednesday October 1, 2014: A relaxing day, a dive at the Blindsee and have dinner chez Linda and Herbert
Today there is only one thing on the agenda or no two. I’m going to have a dive at the Blindsee and in the evening we’re invited at Herbert and Linda. Breakfast is quiet and easy. We have a couple of semmel with some ham, salami, cheese and other things and enjoy the coffee. Then it’s shower time, Arne bed time and also daddy sleeping time. That’s something different. Before noon I think that I already need to prepare everything so I can go diving this afternoon. In order to be able to dive you need a permit that you can receive at a small espresso-bar right across the street of the mega hotel ‘Drei Mohren’: Café Il Ducatisti. I assume that I did not really understand the explanation earlier of Linda and Dieter, because I first went into the hotel asking for a Genehmigung, but they referred me to the other side of the road. There I receive a paper that states I can go diving today, after paying 12.50 Euro. Dieter is Dieter Kuchling, the person who arranged everything (through Linda first) and
who will guide me today during the dive. He has a diving school in Innsbruck Tauchen in Tirol and he explained how everything is to be arranged here. We had a couple of calls and yesterday we made the last arrangements.
At lunchtime Arne gets his meal, Evy is disrupted a couple of times for work, but not that much so she’s not stressed. Evy has a small snack and I’m only having a small bite, because I’m diving in a couple of hours. I’m very curious what is visible under the surface of these magnificent lakes. We meet at two at the side of the Blindsee. So I leave at half past one, although it’s only a ten-minute drive, but I certainly don’t want to be too late. And it’s necessary too. I exit Lermoos to Biberwier and then towards the Fernpass. Here I lost my way, so I return to Biberwier and then call Evy whether she has any idea what direction I should take. She guides me directly to the correct road which I need to turn into for the Blindsee. There is a small road to the parking lot at the left right at the edge of the lake. I’m on time and a few minutes later also Dieter arrives here with another diver. Torsten if I’m not mistaking. We receive a short briefing and some background information about the lake. We’ll enter the water here, dive along the edge, will then see a sort of Mikado of trees. Then continue to the mountain edge and take the same way back. The Blindsee is located at an altitude of 1100 metres and he mentions that during the eighties a large piece of the rocks is broken down and that has all ended up in the water. At twenty past two we start preparing our gear and then panic strikes me: there’s only seventy bar in the tank. Dieter checks this out with his gage and yes indeed only seventy bar, so bye bye dive. All preparation and arrangements and stuff for nothing. All equipment in the car for nothing, well shit happens.
Or not, because Dieter offers to dive with his air for a part of the dive. He only needs fifty bar for this dive, so I can use his octopus for a while, between the trees use my own tank and then use his air again. I’ll have limited freedom of movement, but I can still dive. Thanks a lot Dieter. We walk to the side of the lake and put our fins on, our masks and then we can start. The water temperature is still sixteen degrees at the surface, so I can use my normal gloves. I’m still a bit stressed and I’m not feeling happy w
ith the tank-issue, so I’m having some trouble going down. Eventually it works out fine and then Dieter signals that I need to take his octopus. Again a little stress, but I’m fine and so we can start our dive towards the mikado-trees. Quickly I see pieces of trees on the sand, between these small fish are swimming, but I currently have no idea what they are. It’s raining all the time, so we can’t enjoy the sun beams in the water with the special effects it could give under the water and on the trunks. Some stick out of the sand as if they would still grow here with their roots. We’re diving for about fifteen minutes when Dieter signals I need to return to my own tank again. We enter the labyrinth of the tree trunks and that is a magical experience. During the dive you always have the impression you’re diving in a forest that is already here for ages and where ghosts could wonder. A lonely fish passes us by, but then disappears into the light blue water. Yes, the water is here light blue, really a great view. A few minutes later we leave the forest and we dive towards the rocks here. Rocks and stones have fallen from the mountain slopes and have left their marks here in the lake.
It’s a special view with all the trees, the rocks and the small fish between the trunks and the water plants. Diete
r points us to a trout that is hanging quietly between some tree trunks, really a beautiful scene to take a picture. Another one has found a spot on a fallen tree and is resting. Behind every tree something special appears and I enjoy this a lot. The tank has left me, because otherwise it would be even more pleasant. The other diver asks me to take a couple of pictures, no problem, I’ll send them. A large tree with many side branches lies here to serve as a hiding place for the fish and it provides a creepy atmosphere. Water plants are growing on some place and they provide shelter for the small fish. The roots of one tree give the impression that it’s a large trunk with a goat’s head. Actually can you make the best comparison with a battering ram. I spot some great views of trees and sometimes even branches with the needles still on there. They will not be here for a long period of time yet. Our way back has already started and I’m still loving it. Time passes way too quickly and also does the air. I currently only have thirty bar left. We don’t see anything special anymore apart from what I already mentioned, but I continue to enjoy the special contours of the trees, the branches and the trunks. It’s a great place for a dive. I’ve never been under water in a mountain lake and I’m sure I’d be happy to do this again.
We 
start to dive in shallower water and Dieter goes up very cautious. He makes a movement as if we’re on a road with hairpin turns. At this altitude of 1100 metres you need to ensure you don’t surface too fast. But everything is OK and we put our heads above the water, quickly talk about the dive – in one word marvellous – and return to the car. On the bank of the lake I see Linda, Evy and Arne and wave them hello. They will come to the car. I put everything back into the back of the car, talk with Dieter about diving and Tirol in general, we fill out my logbook, I pay and then we return to Lermoos. It has stopped raining in the meantime, but it doesn’t last long. We’ve been outside for a while now, because otherwise we would have had to stay inside the whole day. Back at the apartment I put everything to dry. Linda even provided a rack where I could hang my dry suit to dry, thanks a lot. It was a great afternoon-dive on a magical location. If you ever are here, you certainly need to dive at the Blindsee or another lake in the neighbourhood.
Back home we feed Arne and then he goes to rest for a few moments. It’s almost six o’clock when he wakes up and we need to leave to Linda and Herbert for dinner. For our last evening they’ve invited us at their place. They server fish (salmon) with a sauce of eggplant, a combination I would not choose myself, but it’s very nice. That is of course after the aperitif and the snacks. We talk about our vacation here, what we think of Lermoos, about diving and other destinations. It’s a really cosy evening. Thanks a thousand time Linda and Herbert for our great stay. Linda has backed a cake as dessert and then to end the evening we get a schnapps, which is very good to digest the food. We start to watch soccer, it’s champions league, but then we start to get tired, especially Arne and Cartouche. At about nine thirty we return home, put Arne to bed and an hour later we also go to sleep. Arne and Cartouche were very nice and it has been a mega cosy evening amongst friends. Yes friends, because it seems like we’ve know each other for ages, even though I’ve met them the first time a couple of months ago. Evy knew Linda already longer when she was young, but I did not and I immediately felt at home and very welcome in Lermoos. Thanks a lot for this great vacation.
