47° 22′ 18.26″ N, 8° 32′ 32.14″ E
Testing dive logistics in a Swiss lake
Before we went to Colombia to build our very first coral reef, we tested the whole process in our home lake – in Zurich – in May 2021. It was a cold spring, and the water was 8°C cold. You can clearly see that in our faces in the video below. But it had to be done. This test was essential to the whole process, because we used a custom made concrete foundation to anchor our reef bricks to the ground. Both preparing the concrete pieces, and diving them down to the ground were not trivial, and we actually made e few changes to the process before repeating it with a much bigger reef in Colombia.
Pieces from our Zurich lake test reef now have a second life at the “Institut auf dem Rosenberg”, where they serve an educational and esthetic purpose in the Climate Garden of this international private school.
With this first field project in our home city, we could finally invite some keen volunteers to help us. The incredible people we met and connections we made last until this day. We are grateful for this supportive network that has evolved with rrreefs since 2020.
After all, who wouldn’t want to dive in 8°C cold lake water on a gray and rainy day, with 4 m visibility.