Off to the Netherlands: Center Parcs De Kempervennen Has a Whole Dive Lake

We’re off to the Netherlands at the end of September, to Center Parcs De Kempervennen. I wasn’t expecting diving to be part of the trip, but it turns out the park has an actual dive lake — so obviously I’m hoping to get in the water while we’re there.

Not just a lake — a proper training site

Kempervennen’s dive lake has a training platform over 200 square metres, described as the largest diving platform in the Netherlands, big enough for around thirty divers at once. The lake itself goes down to about 15 metres, with visibility that’s usually somewhere between 2 and 10 metres depending on conditions — not tropical-clear, but a genuine place to actually practise and dive, not just paddle about.

Big Mamma

The detail I like best: the lake is home to a resident population of catfish, including one nicknamed “Big Mamma” — reportedly the largest catfish in the Netherlands, at 2.4 metres long. She shares the lake with around a dozen other catfish, plus carp, pike, perch, sturgeon and eels. I am fully aware a 2.4-metre catfish is objectively a lot of catfish, and I am still hoping to see her.

What I’d actually be doing there

Center Parcs runs supervised diving sessions in the lake, including introductory dives with an instructor, for anyone who’s already done an intro dive or holds a certification, meets a swimming standard, and is at least 1.4 metres tall. I’ve already got my PADI Junior Open Water certification, so if everything lines up, this could be an actual open-water dive somewhere completely different from Belgium.

I don’t know yet whether it’ll actually happen — that depends on availability, the weather, and probably a few other things out of my control. But I wanted to write this before we go, rather than only after, so there’s a record of what I was hoping for. I’ll post again once we’re back to say whether Big Mamma made an appearance.

Questions & Answers

Where is Kempervennen’s dive lake?

Inside Center Parcs De Kempervennen in the Netherlands, with a dedicated training platform over 200 square metres — reportedly the largest in the country.

How deep is it, and how clear is the water?

Around 15 metres at its deepest, with visibility typically between 2 and 10 metres.

Who is Big Mamma?

A resident catfish in the lake, reportedly the largest in the Netherlands at 2.4 metres long, sharing the water with around a dozen other catfish and various other fish.

Are you definitely going diving there?

Not confirmed yet — it depends on availability and conditions when we arrive. I’m writing this before the trip and will post a follow-up afterwards either way.