A long, long time ago, when there was no Zakrzówek yet, we did not know what a DIVING SITE was. Then that is, in 1992, the Solvay Factory turned off the pumps and there was WATER. At first timidly and then more and more actively we went there to dive. “Unfortunately,” around 1994, the water spilled over a sizable patch of sand now lying at a depth of 10-15 meters, and for two years Zakrzówek was taken over by a bathing resort during the season. Fortunately for us, the water rose further, the WOPR withdrew and divers remained on the battlefield. The water level settled in 1997 and has remained fairly stable since then. The depth of the reservoir is 31 meters, although the last flood managed to set a “record” of 32.5 meters, unbreakable before the next big water.
Zakrzówek – lake, quarry or lagoon?
Zakrzówek’s uniqueness lies in its visibility and varied bottom, and the fact that for divers it is “Zakrzówek Quarry”, for tourists it is “Lake Zakrzówek” and for Wikipedia it is “Zakrzówek Lagoon”. Of course, local diving malcontents often complain about visibility, which provokes funny situations. Two groups come out of the water – from one you can hear voices “but poor, Zakrzówek no longer what it used to be” from the other “great, it was amazing”. Immediately you know, locals complain as there is anything less than 10 meters of visibility. Divers from a little further away are delighted because there is more than 5 meters of visibility and above 10 they freeze with delight. Fortunately, in autumn when you can see the bus from the surface that is, there is 15 meters of vertical visibility we all freeze with delight.
Attractions of zakrzówek
The bottom and walls of Zakrzówek, combined with good visibility, create many possible diving routes. From the typical – to the plane and boats, back through the woods or to Stefan, to a little deeper – on the way through the plane to the bus, to a little more complicated through the fairy tale forest to the bus and trabant and the mystery route to the fiat and then to the pipes. Have you not seen the pipes? Then what do you know about Zakrzówek? The pipes are a 15-meter-long string of 1-meter-diameter pipes sunk over 26 meters. Ideal for practicing advanced wrecking techniques such as. practicing a modified backward frog as someone larger comes from the opposite direction.
The history of Zakrzowek is also the history of the “bolt.” When Zakrzowek began to fill with water after a few years, the bottom was flooded with strange, opaque water smelling of hydrogen sulfide. As the water level rose, so did this zone of lack of visibility. The zone known as the “behemoth” reached as much as 17 meters deep, meaning that at 31 meters deep Zakrzówek was 14 meters deep. At that time, all the walls of Zakrzówek went vertically into the “bolt” and diving to 30 meters meant 14 meters of descent at 30 cm visibility. Of course, divers told legends about the visibility under the bolt, but this legendary visibility was, say, at the peak of 50 cm with a good flashlight. That is, in autumn, for example, up to 17 meters there was a visibility of 15 meters and below that, under an even layer, the visibility was 30 cm. Fortunately, the gibberish began to fall, and year by year, after the winter it was less until it disappeared completely. More sections of the bottom have been exposed, and it is now possible to swim over mysterious boulders at 25-30 meters.
Underwater objects include a bus and other scrap metal. The bus was sunk in cooperation with firefighters. Taking advantage of the fact that an asphalt (slightly potholed) road leads to the bottom of Zakrzowek, the bus, braked by a 300-meter rope, descended to its location, providing an unusual ride for a group of divers. The ride may have been slow, but due to the 50 tons of water “riding” inside the bus, it ended with a rather long braking distance combined with a spectacular change of drivers like in a 24-hour rally. Other objects are the bodies of “Nysa”, “Trabant” “Fiat” cars moved by us or firefighters to different locations, which makes the Diving Life of Zakrzówek regulars more colorful.
Zakrzówek’s latest acquisition is Gruby , which is the wreck of a 20-meter-long cutter restored by a team of boat builders led by Maciek, nicknamed “Gruby.” Fatty’s wreck, like any human creation, was tainted with mistakes and was actually one big mistake. The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable, so unfortunately it sank. Fatty was about to drown so he stayed afloat for 10 months until we forcefully pulled him to the bottom.
Zakrzówek is also fish. Shoals of perch, roach and, less frequently, single specimens of catfish, pike or sturgeon. The sight of a 1.5-meter sturgeon grazing next to the bus is an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, sometimes someone poaches, which is evident from the injured fish so please report any divers with crossbows. I declare the crossbow hunting season open.
Zakrzówek is also a training infrastructure. A couple of platforms including the “Mother of all platforms” platform measuring 5×6 meters (designed and built by Maciek P). Many other exercise objects like a fire house, pack house, cage, Olympic rings, and mirrors.
Zakrzówek is also a “Papal” board, a point of interest for television and bus tours for which there is another – surface “papal” board. But we know that the underwater one is “ours” meaning all divers although the originator “Kijar” deserves applause and Jack who repairs, cleans and nurtures it thanks.
Zakrzówek lagoon and diving
Zakrzówek can be admired from the surface, but I personally suggest getting to know Zakrzówek by exploring several diving routes. The “OWD Training” route through the platforms, and that of the “AOWD” through the “Moon Traverse.” The one for the “Papal Plaque” not to be confused with the one for the “Hand ofthe Pope” discovered by such one cool guy, whom we managed to train as a diver and who both then and now takes beautiful photos. There’s also the one from “Moon Traverse” to “Green Man.” There is also a diving route through the “Fairy Tale Forest.” There is a route through “Two Planes.” The one “Ours” and the one we got as a gift from Mirk the first manager of the Diggers. There is the one “Through the Pipe” for the distant Fiat against the opposite wall.
These routes are many but let’s try to describe one of them in more detail.
We dive at the main entrance and, keeping an eye on the asphalt, swim deeper and deeper. At the beginning the route is easy because it is shallow and the asphalt is laboriously swept by crowds of divers learning buoyancy. However, the deeper we get, the fewer divers and, in addition, those who have already learned flotation, so the road is increasingly covered. Floating along the road we pass platforms and Olympic wheels and slowly make our way to a strip of asphalt covered with sand for the time being. At 12 meters we pass the plane(I) and at this point the road turns left. At the bend of the curve, the road becomes heavily silted and keeping an eye on our trail requires developing an eye to look out for a descending even ribbon of bottom. You can also do a little digging to see if there is rock or asphalt under the increasingly thick layer of silt. At 18 meters we pass a bus and at 22 a Trabant. At about 25 meters, the road running through the surrounding rocks and plane (II) turns around and approaches the opposite wall of Zakrzówek. Then it runs north along the flat bottom passing massive boulders. Tracing the route requires distinguishing the artificial plain from the slightly undulating bottom. We finish the route by trying to swim to the tubes and then to the wall where the most pleasant deco can be made, even flowing to the Papal Table.
Finally, I would like to add that for the time being Zakrzówek is a construction site for a swimming pool and divers’ hearts are crying. But we will still dive there again someday.
