Diving "Lac de Tignes" /France - Lake from Luc Bessons "the big blue" film

Has anyone here dived in the Lac de Tignes (lake Tignes) in the ski
resort Tignes in Savoy (south-east part of France)?
This lake is known from Luc Besson´s famous film "The Big Blue". The
Lac de Tignes there in the film is the "Andes Lake" where the first
under-ice experiments with Jaque Mayol take place.

We have planned to go skiing there and I am considering taking my dive
gear with me for one(more?) dives...
Is there a free access to the lake?
If not, are there access reglementations/fees and who I have to ask
for diving rights?
How deep is the lake and what visibility can be expected?

There is a diving school:
http://tignesplongee.free.fr/presentation.htm
offering some sort of touristy "under-ice events" for nondivers
according to the infos given in the webpage.

Their offers are not that cheap and icediving (also solo conducted as
a cave dive) I am already doing for decades and I do not necessarily
need external dive support.
Are the www.tignesplongee.free.fr people ok and are they offring an
added value also to experienced divers?

MS

>I've never been there, but I do know (since my father was involved in
>hydro-electric work) that there is a fucking great dam holding back
>that lake. So there might be restrictions on access due terrorist
>concerns etc., you'll have to be bloody careful not to get sucked into
>an intake to a hydro-electric tunnel(!), and it will get bloody deep,
>bloody fast - I'd guesstimate 200M/600ft, with typical alpine steep
>sides.
>
>See this pic of the dam with the water let out:
>
>http://www.ifrance.com/tignes/images...2-3/lac012.jpg
>
Thanks for the infos/picture.
There are TWO lakes near Tignes. The one you mentioned is situated
below Tignes on the street to Val d´Isere and is named "Lac du
Chervril" with the damm (where you gave the picture link) and the
hydro electric installation.
I share your opinion that a dive there might not be such a great idea.
A dive through a hydro-electric tunnel and the turbine prob might be
exiting but usually thats a very bloody "once in a livetime"
experience.

But there is a second small lake in the middle of the town Tignes (at
2000m above the sea level). Here isa link to the Tignes town map, the
lake is in the middle of the town:
http://www.tignes.net/index.php?PHPS...b065ff2e499cea

This is the lake of "the big blue" and the lake I am curious about the
diving situation and regulations.

MS

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 20:11:33 +0100, Michael Schmidt <ms250772@gmx.de>
wrote:

>Has anyone here dived in the Lac de Tignes (lake Tignes) in the ski
>resort Tignes in Savoy (south-east part of France)?
>This lake is known from Luc Besson´s famous film "The Big Blue". The
>Lac de Tignes there in the film is the "Andes Lake" where the first
>under-ice experiments with Jaque Mayol take place.
>
>We have planned to go skiing there and I am considering taking my dive
>gear with me for one(more?) dives...
>Is there a free access to the lake?
>If not, are there access reglementations/fees and who I have to ask
>for diving rights?
>How deep is the lake and what visibility can be expected?

I've never been there, but I do know (since my father was involved in
hydro-electric work) that there is a fucking great dam holding back
that lake. So there might be restrictions on access due terrorist
concerns etc., you'll have to be bloody careful not to get sucked into
an intake to a hydro-electric tunnel(!), and it will get bloody deep,
bloody fast - I'd guesstimate 200M/600ft, with typical alpine steep
sides.

See this pic of the dam with the water let out:

http://www.ifrance.com/tignes/images...2-3/lac012.jpg

Mike
--
http://www.corestore.org
'As I walk along these shores
I am the history within'

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 20:11:33 +0100, Michael Schmidt <ms250772@gmx.de>
wrote:

>Has anyone here dived in the Lac de Tignes (lake Tignes) in the ski
>resort Tignes in Savoy (south-east part of France)?
>This lake is known from Luc Besson´s famous film "The Big Blue". The
>Lac de Tignes there in the film is the "Andes Lake" where the first
>under-ice experiments with Jaque Mayol take place.
>
>We have planned to go skiing there and I am considering taking my dive
>gear with me for one(more?) dives...
>Is there a free access to the lake?
>If not, are there access reglementations/fees and who I have to ask
>for diving rights?
>How deep is the lake and what visibility can be expected?
>
>There is a diving school:
>http://tignesplongee.free.fr/presentation.htm
>offering some sort of touristy "under-ice events" for nondivers
>according to the infos given in the webpage.
>
>Their offers are not that cheap and icediving (also solo conducted as
>a cave dive) I am already doing for decades and I do not necessarily
>need external dive support.
>Are the www.tignesplongee.free.fr people ok and are they offring an
>added value also to experienced divers?
>
Dunno about the dive, but "Big Blue" was a great movie for anyone who
loves to be underwater for longer than 30 seconds at a time.

JF

You may try fr.rec.plongee.

Cheers,

Froggy

>You may try fr.rec.plongee.
Yes, you´re right.
I have posted the request there, too.

But do you know a french Web Forum ect. with a large coverage/many
readers where it makes sense to post a question like that?

MS