Vengo Adventure Community

I remember my first thought when I arrived at the Swiss freshwater lake that my friends had only just discovered: “Wow, this place is beautiful. The water is so blue and clear!” We jumped in the water immediately, only to realise that my initial reaction was completely wrong. The water was foggy because of the high July temperatures. I decided to dive down, to a depth of around 10-15m. After the thermocline, the visibility became clearer and what unfolded in front of me, left me speechless. After our first freedive session, we explored the lake’s shores. We were surprised to find so many different fishes and species hidden in the reeds, forming schools of different sizes. I was captivated by the lively scenes. My friend suddenly called me: “Follow me! I’m going to show you a wels catfish!” If you say to someone that you dive with a catfish, most people will grimace in disgust. If you search for catfish in newspaper archives, some articles even mention dogs being attacked in lakes by these giant fish. The wels catfish (Silurus glanis) for sure has a bad reputation, but it is a fascinating fish nevertheless as I quickly learned.