PICTURES Like a fairy tale! The beautiful underwater world of hikers' paths and bridges
WHEN most people think about scuba diving they imagine far-away exotic places with seas and coral reefs.
But there is a spot in central Europe where for one month of the year scuba enthusiasts can explore a “fairy tale” underwater world created purely by the melting snow of the mountains.
At the Green Lake in Tragoess, Austria, divers can swim in a park that for six months of the year is green and white and above ground.
For half of the year hikers ramble and the lagoon is normally only one metre (3.3 feet) deep.
But at the start of the spring a natural phenomenon happens when the melting snow from the Karst mountains begins to flood the park.
When I was underwater, it felt like I was swimming in a magical world it was so beautiful
It causes the lagoon to quantity to double in quantity from 2,000 square metres to 4,000 square feet.
At their peak depth in July, the water levels are 12 metres meaning scuba divers can float above the usually well-trodden paths and swim between trees and over bridges.
Green Lake is fast becoming a popular destination with scuba aficionados.
Marc Henauer from Perly, Switzerland, visited the park with his wife and was mesmerised by what he saw.
He said: “When I was underwater, it felt like I was swimming in a magical world it was so beautiful. Swimming over the green grass, flowers, paths, rocks and trees it was like being in a fairytale.
“All the pictures were taken with natural light without a flash I am very delighted with the result.
“The visibility is just incredible. Usually you only see water like this in tropical seas.”