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szerdz12:05 UTC16 Oct 2013

I was just wondering if anyone knows whether it is possible to dive at Lake Titicaca? Are there dive operators working out of there? Or is this not a diving friendly lake? I have searched everywhere and cant seem to find a definitive answer anywhere..

fieldgate12:10 UTC16 Oct 2013

I assume high altitude makes it challenging but I don't know exactly how that combination works in water environment.

vistet13:41 UTC16 Oct 2013

I vaguely remember a story on military divers doing this for the first time a few years ago. Low athmospheric pressure makes nitrogen release easier , longer decompression with or without a pressure chamber should be involved.

alanymarce15:01 UTC16 Oct 2013

There are no PADI shops listed anywhere in Bolivia, and only one (that I can find) in Peru. There are a few dive sites shown in Peru, but none in Bolivia.

You would have to mount an independent expedition. My primary concern with this would be access to a Hyperbaric (Recompression) Chamber.. The Naval Joint Exercise in Titicaca in 1997 took its own HC. Obviously you could use hospital facilities however I would guess that not many facilities in the area would be familiar with the response required.

Obviously you would be planning for altitude diving, recognising that Titicaca is at 3812m RMSL...

tunabagel02:57 UTC17 Oct 2013

There was a dutch couple a few years back that where looking at starting diving trips to Titicaca - i cant remember their names though I am pretty sure it did not get going as a commercial enterprises like they planned or I would know about it.So right now it would be a specially arranged thing rather than a "tourist dive" type thing.
As #3 says - it certainly require altitude diving experience as all your calculations change dramatically for such high altitudes,

aguascalientes00106:57 UTC17 Oct 2013

This post has been removed because it may not have met our community guidelines.

peter_197221:22 UTC17 Oct 2013

#5:
Ha!

...But agreed with the above posters - high altitude and very low water temperature would make this something very different from your average Caribbean everyone-can-do-it warm-water fun dive. Not something you'd be able to do with just your PADI 2 certification...

threeshire16:55 UTC23 Oct 2013

A Bolivian naval diver is reported missing today on a dive in Lake Titicaca.

Scuba diving at Lake Titicaca? Country forums / South America / Bolivia
szerdz12:05 UTC16 Oct 2013	I was just wondering if anyone knows whether it is possible to dive at Lake Titicaca? Are there dive operators working out of there? Or is this not a diving friendly lake? I have searched everywhere and cant seem to find a definitive answer anywhere..
fieldgate12:10 UTC16 Oct 2013	I assume high altitude makes it challenging but I don't know exactly how that combination works in water environment.	1
vistet13:41 UTC16 Oct 2013	I vaguely remember a story on military divers doing this for the first time a few years ago. Low athmospheric pressure makes nitrogen release easier , longer decompression with or without a pressure chamber should be involved.	2
alanymarce15:01 UTC16 Oct 2013	There are no PADI shops listed anywhere in Bolivia, and only one (that I can find) in Peru. There are a few dive sites shown in Peru, but none in Bolivia. You would have to mount an independent expedition. My primary concern with this would be access to a Hyperbaric (Recompression) Chamber.. The Naval Joint Exercise in Titicaca in 1997 took its own HC. Obviously you could use hospital facilities however I would guess that not many facilities in the area would be familiar with the response required. Obviously you would be planning for altitude diving, recognising that Titicaca is at 3812m RMSL...	3
tunabagel02:57 UTC17 Oct 2013	There was a dutch couple a few years back that where looking at starting diving trips to Titicaca - i cant remember their names though I am pretty sure it did not get going as a commercial enterprises like they planned or I would know about it.So right now it would be a specially arranged thing rather than a "tourist dive" type thing. As #3 says - it certainly require altitude diving experience as all your calculations change dramatically for such high altitudes,	4
aguascalientes00106:57 UTC17 Oct 2013	This post has been removed because it may not have met our community guidelines.	5
peter_197221:22 UTC17 Oct 2013	#5: Ha! ...But agreed with the above posters - high altitude and very low water temperature would make this something very different from your average Caribbean everyone-can-do-it warm-water fun dive. Not something you'd be able to do with just your PADI 2 certification...	6
threeshire16:55 UTC23 Oct 2013	A Bolivian naval diver is reported missing today on a dive in Lake Titicaca.	7

Scuba diving at Lake Titicaca?