Milligerplas Oost

Milligerplas Oost is a beginner-friendly freshwater dive site in the Overijssel province of the Netherlands, representing the eastern section of the Milligerplas lake system. This accessible site provides comfortable conditions for new divers and serves as a popular training location for the region's active dive club community. The eastern section of Milligerplas offers a gentle introduction to Dutch inland diving, with easy shore access, manageable depths, and the relatively sheltered conditions that make beginner-rated sites so valuable for building confidence and competence. The entry points are well established, and the underwater terrain gradually deepens from the shore, allowing new divers to progressively increase their depth exposure at their own pace. The lake's freshwater ecosystem supports a community of temperate aquatic species that provide genuine wildlife encounters for divers willing to observe carefully. Fish species including perch, pike-perch, and various cyprinid species inhabit the lake, with their behavior varying dramatically across seasons. During warmer months, fish activity is high and encounters are frequent, while winter diving brings a quieter underwater world where species are less active but visibility may be improved. Aquatic vegetation at Milligerplas Oost follows the strong seasonal patterns characteristic of Dutch freshwater environments. Spring brings new growth that transforms the underwater landscape from the barren winter appearance to a green, living environment within weeks. This seasonal transformation is one of the unique pleasures of temperate freshwater diving, as each visit to the same site can present a noticeably different underwater world. The site's role as a training location means it is well known to the local diving community, and weekend dives often bring together divers from across the region. The Dutch tradition of organized club diving creates a welcoming atmosphere at sites like this, where experienced divers readily share knowledge with newcomers and the social aspect of diving is valued alongside the underwater experience itself. Milligerplas Oost serves as an excellent starting point for divers exploring the freshwater diving opportunities of Overijssel, offering the accessible conditions and community atmosphere that characterize the best of Dutch inland diving.