Diving Belgium or Netherlands Area.

[Ivon]

Has anyone dived in/around Belgium. I'm across there in a couple of weeks time and want to get some diving in.

Will probably be taking the ferry across so can take my own kit.

I've seen this place advertised;

nemo 33 : PHOTOS GALLERY ... INDOOR POOL

So will be taking a trip there, but if there's anything else worth diving I'll take the unit.

If there's anyone who lives over there who's available for a dive drop me a PM as I'll be traveling alone. I'm working at the Belgium Nuclear Research Centre which I believe is just outside Antwerp.

[spongebobb]

belgium nuclear research centre !!! MY ARSE...
admit it you are on a budget mid week dutch dash with no mates !!!

[Ivon]

Originally Posted by spongebobb

belgium nuclear research centre !!! MY ARSE...
admit it you are on a budget mid week dutch dash with no mates !!!

Yep, trip to the dam sorted, you want your usual "stash" bringing back??
Do you want the other "stuff" wrapping up in brown paper again or has Ann accepted your fetishes yet??

[Cussy]

I wont ask what you are doing at Mol - an interesting place.

There are a couple of dutch divers on Digigreen (www.digigreen.net), try asking there.
Rob

[spongebobb]

she just emracess the love !!!! and if you can get more than two in the bag i,ll have the usual !!!!

[stevenl]

Best diving you will find in Zeeland in the Southwest of Holland, so close to Antwerpen. Nice diving areas: Oosterschelde and Grevelingen.

Since I live in Thailand I don't dive there anymore, but if you go to this Dutch/Belgium diving website there are plenty of people there who are diving there very frequently. The website is Dutch language, but asking a question in English will be no problem.

[RonProwse]

Yes Nemo is a great place to get wet when the eather is crap! We NewhavenDivers.co.uk are heading back there for three dives on the 5th Apr.

One tip i will give you is take your own fins!

Ron

[manis]

Hi Ivon,

I don't know if you are already in Belgium or not....

There are a lot of diving possibilities around Antwerp. Most closest is the oosterschelde (30 minute drive) - other possibilities are some good quarries in the south (1,5 hour to 2 hour drive) and 3rd possibility are seveal northsea charters.

some of the Northeseacharters are:
North Sea Charters
Jonathan.be
Dive Star
EPHYRA » HOME
The charter boats might be able to take you in the weekends , depending on free spaces and your own experience. Yo can alway contact them.
Most of the charters go to WW1 wrecks, in front of the belgian and french coast. the moment circumstances in the Nortsh sea are not at their best, due to algae bloom.

For the Oosterschelde, a problem you might get is that belgian divers are very clubminded and local diving is mostly organised from clubs - there are no divecentres where you can walk in (I guess a bit the same as England). Most of the dives at the oosterschelde are shoredives. The oosterschelde itself is tideal, if you are going a bit furthere to the Grevelingen, there are no tides.
A good website with all the divesites is around the oosterschelde is:
Duikplaatsen in Zeeland
The Oosterschelde is a river estuarium of the North Sea and has a very rich fauna and flora - the diving is tidal, some places you can only dive at hig tides, some only at low, some both - best is to dive together with someone who is very aquainted with the area. As visibility is sometimes low, (much worse than England), you absolutely need a good torch. Most of us dive with 35 watt halogen at least.


By the way, forget about nemo 33 - it is nothing more than a very deep swimming pool.


If you want some more info you always can post your question on:
duiken.be zoekertjes forum voor tweedehands duikmateriaal, a belgian forum - you can post you question in english - under "forum discussie algemeen" (= forum discussion general) or forum buddy gezocht" (= forum buddy wanted) - it is a very busy forum and a lot of people or clubs will be glad to take you along in the weekends.


best regards,


reine

[chrisch]

Originally Posted by manis

....other possibilities are some good quarries in the south (1,5 hour to 2 hour drive) ...

Carrière de ROCHEFONTAINE

This one is OK(ish) and they have their own branded beer!! Vis was utterly shit last time we were there. There is a tugboat at 36m or so. Water usually chilly

More of a social event and a good laugh with our old club than good diving.

There's a better one at Gombé but you need to have an instructor as part of the group in order to book it.

Hardly earth shattering stuff. There's always the lake in Luxembourg, which is also shit but at least its free

Chris

[manis]

La rochefontaine is one of het colder quarries - there are 3 other quarries very close to La rochefontaine:
- vodelée (usually best vis)
- La croisette (small but a lot of fisch)
- Traigneaux in Villers-Deux-Eglises
Next to that is a dam Lake La Plate taille.
These 4 spots are close to Charleroi

Closer to Liege is indeed la Gombe en Sprimont. La gombe is one of the better quariies in belgium. Vis in Sprimont can be very bad.

There are about 15 diveable quarries in the south of Belgium -Some of then you must have a cmas-membership - some of them you have to be accompanied by an instructor.

In Luxemburg there is a long strectched lake with several diving spots: Lac de la Haute Sûre.

Al these spots however are typical quarry diving spots: on the darker and colder side...

Most of the divers that live in the north of Belgium (so also Antwerp) dive in the Oosterschelde or North Sea. Quarries are mostly a once-in-a-year thing.