Scuba Diving in Listvyanka, Irkutsk Region, Russian Federation
Water temperature: +1° - +5°C in January-April; +8° - +10°C in May-June (depth down to 15 meters; if you go deeper, it gets colder); +13° - +16° in July-September (depth down to 15 meters; if you go deeper, it gets colder); +8°C in October-November; +6°C in December.
Suit: from May till September - 7mm neoprene wet suit is quite comfortable, if you are not going deeper than 15 meters, in other months and at depths below 15 meters we recommend any type of dry suit with thinsulates.
Visibility: in January-April: 15-20 meters (49-65 feet) (sometimes visibility is well over 30 meters (98 feet)). In general, the deeper you go (usually we do not go deeper than 42 meters), the better visibility you get; in May-June: 10-18 meters (33-59 feet); in July-September: 5-10 meters (14-33 feet); in October-December: 10-18 meters (33-59 feet). Visibility rate in the Baikal is in dependence not only of the water temperature, but also of the stormy and rainy season in late autumn, when the lake is not calm.
Type of diving: the Baikal is the deepest freshwater lake in the world, it is a tectonic crack in the Earth crust, so sheer walls, overhangs, dramatic rock formations are typical of the Baikal. We also practice ice diving, night diving, wreck diving (in June 2008 our club members found a 100-year-old fishing shipwreck 16 meters long/5 meters wide). Diving in the area of a village (the area is called Taltsi) flooded during the Angara River Hydropower station construction (we usually find many interesting artifacts there: coins, household utensils of the beginning of the XXth century, etc.). Drifting: the Baikal earthquakes play their role in forming horizontal currents in the lake, which are fun to go with.
Marine life: you are not going to be smashed by the variety of species per square meter: by a lucky chance we observe a flock of local endemic fish called omul’ (Coregonus autimnalis); quite often we see endemic representatives of the Gobiidae family, these are funny fishes that are very good at mimicry; as for the flora’s secrets – enjoy the views of the Baikal sponges, that look like corals, but are not dangerous at all – imagine it takes 100 years for the sponge to grow 1 meter long. If you travel to the Ushkany Islands (the north of the Baikal) you will see the famous endemic Baikal fresh water seal called “nerpa” by locals.
When to go: actually, we dive all year round and I can tell you each season has its beauty. Summer time is good for shore diving in Listvyanka or daily diving from Zodiac (we can get to the famous CircumBaikal railway); September is the best time for safari – the air is still hot, but not unbearably hot, like in summer, the water is still warm, the nature is wonderful: we can go to the northern extremity of the Olkhon Island to see beautiful underwater canyons; also pay a visit to the white marble rock called Sagan-Zaba to see petroglyphs (carvings in the stone made by prehistoric people) and interesting underwater volcanic landscapes; to meet nerpa (the Baikal seal) we go to Ushkany Islands. In March-April we arrange ice safaris and ice diving. Usually, it is very stormy in November-December, so we do not travel by boat or ship on the lake, still we arrange shore diving in Listvyanka.
How to get there: from Moscow or Vladivostok or Ulan-Bator (Mongolia) by air or train to Irkutsk. Our dive-center Three Dimensions-Baikal is right on the Baikal shore in the settlement of Listvyanka, it is a 40-minutes’ drive from Irkutsk.
Listvyanka
Listvyanka is a village stretching 6,5 km along the Baikal shore. It is a popular place with domestic and foreign tourists, not only because of the lake proximity, but also thanks to the Limnological (Limnology is a science that studies lakes) Museum located here: you can learn a lot about Lake Baikal flora and fauna; observe the most popular endemics (“nerpa” – fresh water seal; omul’(Coregonus autimnalis); representatives of the Gobiidae family) in the aquarium. Besides, there is an attraction called Nerpinarium - a big aquarium where trained nerpas give shows – say, paint a picture that is then sold to the visitors during an auction. You can buy all sorts of local fish (smoked, dried) and the Baikal souvenirs at a local market.
Various types of accommodation are available: from a nice 3* conference-hotel Mayak and some smaller hotels on the shore to renting a room from local citizens. Of course, there are a lot of restaurants and cafes that serve Russian traditional and fish food.
Trip Breakdown
The trip breaks down into 5 days of Listvyanka-Port Baikal-Taltsi shore diving and diving from the rib (up to 2 dives a day), with sites determined by weather conditions and the ability of the group of divers. There is also an option of the Baikal safari, which is available upon request.
Additional Diving Information
The dive centre Three Dimensions-Baikal offers diving and snorkeling for groups of up to 15 people. Rib experience would be good as well as relevant training if diving in a dry suit (winter time mostly). There is an option of taking your dry suit course right on the spot, as it takes just 2 dives and 1 lecture (upon the course completion you will get a PDA Dry Suit Diver certificate).
Scuba Diving in Listvyanka, Irkutsk Region, Russian Federation
Dive site: Listvyanka coast line
Location: the village of Listvyanka
Description: wall diving, rock formations, drifting
Depth: depends on your qualifications (up to 42 meters/138 feet)
Visibility: 20-25 meters (65-82 feet)
Rating: ****
A copper coin of 1769 found near our dive center in Listvyanka
Wall diving in Listvyanka
Rock formations in Listvyanka
December storms in the Baikal, near our dive center
Ice diving in the Baikal
Ship anchor, Listvyanka area
Speaking about shore diving in Listvyanka, suffice it to say I have been diving there for 10 years already and I am never bored with what the lake has to offer. If you want the dive to be relaxing, stay closer to the shore and watch the funny fishes hiding in the sand and between the stones or marvel at the rich bushes of sponges. If you feel like having an underwater “hiking tour” – visit the rock formations; if you are eager to look into the abyss – try wall diving or even go away from the wall to experience sheer “flight” in the water with no walls and no floor: just you and the water space around. Quite often the lake allows you to make surprise findings, like old coins, anchors, or all possible and even impossible to imagine personal belongings lost by other divers or tourists some 2 hours or even 50 years ago: masks, knives, cups, necklaces, etc. If you are tired of making effort – go with the stream for some time (drifting in currents) and then get back to exploring the area.
Dive site: Port Baikal
Location: Port Baikal railway station of the Trans Siberian Railway
Description: artifacts diving
Depth: depends on your qualifications (up to 42 meters/138 feet)
Visibility: 20-25 meters (65-82 feet)
Rating: ****
Ship bell found in Port Baikal
Port Baikal sponges
The Baikal fish representative of the Gobiidae family
Port Baikal diving is sort of a harsh experience in terms of what you see underwater: sometimes people are really careless about the lake that literally feeds and satiates their thirst. Locals get fresh water to drink from the Baikal and fish to eat and sell, but they do not bother about keeping the area as clean as it should be: lost fishing nets, old household utensils, all sorts of railway and ship trash is covering the floor of the lake in this area. Still, it is awesome to see the Baikal is capable of dealing with this – where this is no metallic garbage is the kingdom of flora and fauna. This dramatic combination of human influence and natural survival force sends shivers and makes one realize what a powerful organism the lake is.
Dive site: CircumBaikal Railway area
Location: CircumBaikal Railway finishes at Port Baikal, we dive anywhere along the track to the north of Port Baikal and get there by Zodiac from Listvyanka
Description: wall diving, rock formations, possible railway artefacts
Depth: depends on your qualifications (up to 42 meters/138 feet)
Visibility: 20-25 meters (65-82 feet)
Rating: ***
CircumBaikal sponges
The Baikal fauna representatives
CircumBaikal area: Lake Baikal floor fragment
Steep relief and sheer walls mostly characterize CircumBaikal dive sites. It is especially interesting to dive close to bridges, as the majority of train crashes in the early XXth century took place there. We found a lot of train remnants (wheel pairs mostly) and some vivid marks on the floor suggestive of the train sliding into the Baikal abyss. We tried to follow the track, but having reached the depth of 42 meters we still did not manage to actually see anything, as the lake floor goes vertically down.
However, sometimes the floor relief is quite flat and gives much food to the eye: fishes and sponges of all possible configurations. So if you get tired of the train chase, engage into fish chase, which is also a lot of fun.
Dive site: Taltsi area (the Angara River – the only river that flows out of the Baikal)
Location: Taltsi Open Air Museum of Wooden Architecture (shore diving)
Description: artifacts diving
Depth: up to 30 meters (98 feet)
Visibility: 10-15 meters (33-49 feet)
Rating: ***
Glass bottles of the beginning of the XXth century found in Taltsi area
Glass bottle of the beginning of the XXth century found in Taltsi area
Before the Angara River Hydropower Station was constructed in Irkutsk in 1956, there used to be a 200-year old village called Taltsi up the river. After the area flooding some of the houses were moved higher away from the flooding area, but some are still there underwater. Because this dive site is located in the river, the visibility rate is not as good as it is in the Baikal, but still it is good enough to look for the houses remnants and some household utensils that had not been taken away by their owners: old samovars (traditional Russian water boilers for tea), cups, plates. It is of interest to rummage through the area of Taltsi glass plant – we usually find there a lot of bottles of all sizes, designs and colours produced about 100 years ago. When diving in the Angara you can feel there is current, but not too strong, so it does not really distract your attention from exploring the area.
Dive site: Unknown shipwreck
Location: 138th km of CircumBaikal Railway
Description: Supposedly a fishing boat
Depth: 25 meters (82 feet)
Visibility: 20-25 meters (65-82 feet)
Rating: ***
100-year-old shipwreck
The smaller bottle was found in the shipwreck: glass, beginning of the XXth century, Leopold Stolkind manufacture
In July 2008 Three Dimensions-Baikal dive club members launched an exploration expedition of the Baikal in the area of Sharizhalgai village (138th km of CircumBaikal railway) in search of the possible remnants of trains that got off the track and fell into the lake in this area.
The lake held in store something unexpected for us: a 100-year-old unknown ship 16 meters (53 feet) long and 5 meters (16 feet) wide. This is the only shipwreck in the Baikal that can be visited, as very many other ships reported sank in the lake are lying at unreachable with regular scuba depths.
The ship was probably a fishing boat that sank as a result of a hole in its bottom. Presumably, the boat crew did not take enough precautions and came too close to the tunnel construction site during explosion works (CircumBaikal railway is famous for its tunnels, which are multiple in number, as the railway is constructed in the whole rock).
On the boat we found a vinegar bottle made in Moscow (Leopold Stolkind (Леопольд Столкинд) Manufacture) in the beginning of the XX century. Some of the online news reports (RIA Novosti, for example) had it that we found human remnants aboard, which is nonsense. Firstly, because we never gave such comments; secondly, because even if some of the crew members found their deaths aboard the ship, 100 years is a huge time period for the lake to completely erase anything that can be associated with human body.
The lake floor relief in the area of shipwreck is rocky and quite steep (about 45°), the ship lies on its keel, you can easily see all parts of the boat.
We made just two dives on this wreck, so the area is not completely explored yet. We are planning more expeditions to see the ship neighborhood.
Dive site: Sagan-Zaba
Location: Sagan-Zaba white marble rock, northern coast of Lake Baikal, 5 hours by ship from Litsvyanka
Description: nature observation diving
Depth: depends on your qualifications (up to 42 meters/138 feet)
Visibility: 15-20 meters (33-65 feet)
Rating: *****
Sagan-Zaba area: the Baikal floor fragment
Sagan-Zaba area: the Baikal floor fragment
Sagan-Zaba area: the Baikal floor fragment
Sagan-Zaba area: the Baikal floor fragment
Sagan-Zaba petroglyphs (carvings in stone made by prehistoric people)
Lake Baikal safari
Sagan-Zaba is the area of prehistoric people settlement. You can see many stone carvings in the rock (petroglyphs), depicting human figures, as well as birds and animals. Besides, this is an exceptionally beautiful piece of nature: both on the surface (the white marble rock gets sort of pink in the sun rays at dawn) and under the water. Speaking about the lake floor relief, it offers much opportunities to those interested in cave diving, I personally prefer to take no risk, especially because there is so much to see and ponder over apart from the unknown cave surprises. For example, some stones look like gold, but they prove to be not of metallic nature when touched – this is pure trick of the light in the water; other stones look like solid magma that came up boiling from the Earth depths; there are also polished white marble areas that look like chunks of ice; some underwater rocks are of so unusually intrinsic forms, that it makes one wonder what sort of natural phenomenon influenced their formation.
This is one of our favourite dive sites, as you can spend there several days exploring the continental part of the lake coast line and its underwater space, making a number of personal discoveries and getting to know more about the lake by discussing your suppositions with your fellow-travelers. All in all, this dive site gives food both to mind and soul.
