Czech Republic

[Michele]

Has anyone done any diving here?

[CzechDiver]

Well, I am from the Czech Republic but I’ve never dived there.  As far as I know there are quarries, lakes, dams, rivers, and some caves.  Here is a list of about 150 locations to dive at (sorry all in Czech)…


So you can probably find a dive site wherever you are.  Btw. Czech Rep. is 30,449 square miles and that’s a little bit less than half of Wisconsin.  So there are a lot of places to dive! (Wow… I just realized how small that country is :o).

Most people in the Czech Republic take trips elsewhere… Croatia and Egypt seem to be quite popular.  Croatia has some real cool shipwrecks from the wars.  I only had about 20 dives under my belt when I went diving there and it was totally awesome!  Egypt and the Red Sea of course is a great destination.

Here are some links to Dive Shops in Prague:



Sorry these don’t seem to have English translation…




Let me know if you need to know anything else…

Jitka

[Michele]

Jitka,
Thank you for the info on the sites.  I'm not sure I will be able to dive there. I hear Egypt and the Red Sea are great to see. I'll only be in Prague for a week in March. Do you have any place that a native would recommend seeing? Any info would be great 
Welcome to the site.

[Freedive WI]

Jitka,

You forgot one site.



The most famous Czech diver of them all. ;D

Michele, besides divesites I know that Jitka will be able to direct you to all of the best bars over there as well. She might even be able to direct you to some world class carp spearing too.


Jon

[Michele]

Any info would be great to have...bars, dive spots, things off the beaten path.

Jitka, How is it you are from CZ but haven't dived there?

[CzechDiver]

This is the closest to diving I could find.  This bar is a "well-stocked bar and a cocktail list that's longer than an Indian Ocean island".


Don't look for the Ocean Bar that was there for the Mission Impossible filming... I think Tom shot it down! LOL  ;D

Yeah, one week is not a very long time.  If you haven't been to Prague it maybe worth to see the main tourist attractions first.  The history of Prague is quite amazing... Prague Castle, Charles’s Bridge built in the 13th century and still standing there, the Old Town Square with at least four different architecture styles, etc.  You can find more here:

Jitka

[CzechDiver]

Oh, and I haven't dived in Czech Republic because I live in Milwaukee. 

[Kirk]

I've never dived there, and I hear most of it is pretty bad.  Cold and murky, just like home. 

Czech is, however, really nice.  I spent a few weeks there a couple years ago.  My favorite places include the ossuary in Sedlec, just outside Kutna Hora (kind of creepy, but pretty cool), the Jewish Cemetary, clock tower, and Charles Bridge in Prague, and the little town of Ceske Krumlov in the south of Bohemia (nice big castle on the edge of town, kind of like Disney).  Those are all pretty touristy places, but if you just want to hang out, any neighborhood bar would work, many have been bars for centuries.  There is a reason bars close so early in Czech, people start drinking beer at breakfast, by night time, they're tired.  Gotta love those 12 cent beers. 

- Kirk

[Michele]

Jitka,
If you can't dive in CZ I might as well drink...like a fish? 
Thanks. I will be seeing Prague castle, the Charles bridge and Old Town Square. Have you been to Pravcicka Brana?Or I should ask...is it worth seeing?


Kirk,
Sedlec is one of the must see places on my list. Was this also very touristy? I think I see a pattern here...if you cannot dive, drink.    So where all have you been?
One of the sites I checked out started with "come dive the brown waters of the Czech Republic"

[CzechDiver]

Huummm... maybe the brown waters means diving in a beer or something.  It's cheaper than water I guess.   

I haven't been to the Pravcicka Brana but I don't think there is all that much to see plus March is not the best time to visit places like that.  In my opinion Canyonlands in Utah is probably much more spectacular and if you haven't been there yet I would totally recommend it.

Like Kirk said Cesky Krumlov is a great place to see outside of Prague.  It's like a town not even out of this world surrounded by mountains with a river making just about an entire circle around it and a castle that would remind you of the Lord of the Rings movie.  Another town that’s worth seeing is Karlovy Vary, a town known for its hot springs.  You can go for a swim there in the thermal pools.

Well, have a good trip to Prague!  I am off to TN for my trimix class tomorrow and diving in a cold quarry.  No beer in that one! 

Jitka