Slijk-Ewijk

Slijk-Ewijk is an advanced freshwater dive site in the Gelderland province of the Netherlands, reaching an impressive 35 meters in depth. Located near the village of Slijk-Ewijk between the major rivers of the Dutch river delta region, this site offers some of the deepest inland diving available in the Netherlands, attracting experienced divers seeking depth challenges in a freshwater environment. The 35-meter maximum depth makes Slijk-Ewijk exceptional among Dutch inland sites. This depth was likely created by sand or gravel extraction, a common origin for the Netherlands' deeper freshwater dive sites. The extraction process created a steep-sided pit that now holds water of considerable depth, and the resulting underwater topography includes dramatic drop-offs and depth changes that create a more dynamic diving profile than the typically flat Dutch landscape would suggest. The advanced rating is primarily driven by the depth, which approaches the recreational diving limit and requires experienced gas management, awareness of nitrogen narcosis, and conservative dive planning. The deeper sections may also feature reduced visibility, cold thermocline layers, and the disorientation potential that deep, enclosed freshwater environments can create. Divers should be comfortable with deep diving practices and carry appropriate safety equipment. Freshwater life at Slijk-Ewijk benefits from the site's depth range, which creates multiple habitat zones from the warm, well-lit shallows to the cold, dark depths. The deeper sections may harbor larger pike and pike-perch that prefer the cooler conditions, while the shallower margins support the more typical Dutch freshwater community. The vertical stratification during summer creates distinct temperature and visibility layers that add interest to the depth progression. The site's location in the river delta region of Gelderland makes it accessible to divers from Nijmegen, Arnhem, and the broader eastern Netherlands diving community. For technical divers and those training for deeper recreational diving, Slijk-Ewijk provides depth exposure that is difficult to find elsewhere in the Dutch inland diving system. Slijk-Ewijk offers serious depth diving in a freshwater environment, challenging experienced divers with conditions that test deep diving skills while providing access to the stratified underwater world of one of the Netherlands' deepest inland sites.