This is Green Lake in Tragoess, Styria, which sits at the foot of snow-capped Hochschwab mountains.
The emerald green waters of this mountain lake offer some of the most unique scuba diving in the world.
On the bed of the lake, underwater explorers will discover fish swimming through the branches of trees, a floor covered in grass, benches, bridges and a landscape that looks like it belongs in a fairy tale.
And that’s because in Spring & early Summer it is underwater.
Throughout the frozen winter months the area is almost completely dry and is used as a county park. It is a particular favorite site for hikers.
But as soon as the temperatures begin to rise in spring, the ice and snow on the mountaintops begins to melt and runs down into the basin of land below.
The park fills up with ice-cold crystal clear water, which gets its distinctive green coloring from the grass and foliage beneath.
Snow melt in the Spring transforms Green Lake’s surrounding walkways, footbridges and park benches into a fleeting underwater fairy tale that calls out to divers around the world.
The waters are at their highest in June when it becomes a wonderland for divers to explore the rare phenomenon, before it recedes at the end of July.
It’s hard to believe that an alpine meadow can survive underwater. And yet, every Spring in Austria one can experience this surreal waterscape first-hand during May, June and July. Once summer comes to the mountains, the water begins evaporating, returning the park to the hikers once again.
Learn more: Green Lake