Terlinden, located in Zollikon right near the border of Küsnacht, is an excellent location to do some great wall diving. The most interesting parts of this dive are between 30 and 45 meters below the surface, making it a great site for those with the appropriate training and experience. Don't forget to take a dive lamp.

Getting there:

By car, from Zurich city: If you are driving from Zurich city drive down Seestrasse from the Bellevue side of the lake towards Rapperswil. You'll drive down alongside the lake for about five minutes, then the lake will become visible on your right, and you'll see Bahnhof Tiefenbrunnen on your left. Continue for about two minutes down Seestrasse and just before the border of Küsnacht you'll find a small parking area on your right next to a grass lawn - this is the dive site. If you have passed into Küsnacht and travelled past a small shopping centre on your left then you have gone too far.

By car, from Rapperswil: Drive up towards Zurich, passing through Küsnacht, then Zollikon. Just after the border of Zollikon you'll see a small parking area on your left next to a grass lawn - this is the dive site. 

By public transport: Take the train to Bahnhof Zollikon. Leave the station heading towards the lake, walk down to the Seestrasse and turn left. Walk approximately five to ten minutes along the lake and you'll find yourself by a grass lawn on your right with parking spaces - This is Terlinden.

Parking: There is limited parking at this site and during periods of good weather you may have trouble getting a space. Be careful, if you park illegally the fines will come quickly and are severe. Unfortunately a new shopping centre was constructed nearby, not surprisingly with an inadequate number of parking spaces; this can sometimes adversely affect the parking situation at the dive site.

Entry / Exit: If you go down to the waterfront you will see a set of steps leading out onto a small jetty. Simply do a giant stride entry into the water at this point and use the ladder provided to exit the water after your dive. Don't forget to put up a dive flag prior to entering the water - or risk being fined by the lake police. You'll find some holes in the jetty perfect for positioning your dive flag.

Dive Area (Surface): From the surface this site is fairly straight-forward. There is not an excessive amount of boat traffic in the area, so divers are free to use the area extending around the jetty on both sides. The interesting parts of the dive extend about 30 meters offshore, so there should be no need for divers on the surface to be further away from the shore than this.

Dive Area (Underwater): If you don't know this site the easiest way to start is to swim to the nearest buoy, then descend down the chain. You'll find yourself around 10 meters deep. After this simply follow the sloping bottom down. The bottom angles down at around 45 degrees and after a short time you'll find yourself at 30 meters of depth. At this point the sloping bottom stops and you'll find yourself at the top of a cliff-like wall. Depending on the time of year you will usually have sufficient sunlight at the top of the cliff, but as you continue down to the bottom of the wall at 40-45 meters you'll find yourself in complete darkness.

At this point in the dive you have two choices - left or right. If you travel with the cliff on your left shoulder you'll eventually come to a small cross erected as a memorial to a diver who died at this site in autumn 2003. Continue a little further and you'll find a nice overhang at around 35-40 meters. By now you probably have around 100 bar, and your computer is indicating that you are reaching your no-decompression limit, this is probably a good spot to ascend under the underhang, then start your ascent following the sloping bottom back up.

If you choose to travel with the cliff on your right shoulder you'll reach a small cave at 40 meters after around five minutes of swimming. This cave is packed full of garden gnomes, and an alien-like creature. Chances are you might be feeling some nitrogen narcosis at this point, but you can be sure that these objects actually exist. This is probably a good spot to start your ascent, following the gently sloping bottom back up.

When you reach a depth of around ten meters this is probably a good spot to stop your ascent and do your deep stop. Turn and travel at this depth opposite to your previously chosen direction. After a while you can slowly ascend to around five meters were you'll find a lot of plant life and some rock formations. If you continue to ascend to around two to three meters you will eventually come to a large pile of rocks - this marks the exit. Look up and you'll see the ladder.

What to look for: Aside from the attractions already mentioned look out for Hecht (pike) during the final shallow parts of your dive. There are a lot of moss and grass growths between five and ten meters and the Hecht often like to conceal themselves there. Approach slowly with no sudden movements and you might catch a glimpse of one before it swims off at high speed. Sometimes you may observe schools of Egli at this site above 15 meters, but it is more common to see a few large specimens aggressively occupying their perceived territories.

Facilities: Toilets are available at this site by leaving the car park and walking towards Küsnacht along the Seestrasse. About 20 meters away from the car park you'll see a small building on your right - these are the toilets. Please note that during the winter season the toilets are not in service. In the evenings from time to time a barbeque chicken van will be parked at the southern end of the car park serving freshly barbequed chicken and drinks - an excellent way to enjoy dinner by the lake after a dive. Apart from the cafeteria serving lunchtime "meals" (and that term is used loosely depending on your expectation of food quality) in the nearby shopping centre, food and drink options are quite sparse. Best to locate a restaurant in Küsnacht after your dive.