The rumour-corner around the Teufelstisch
All of the rumours and stories on this page are wrong.
Tis page was only created to show, which stupid things circulate.
You find the correct (true) informations at the Teufelstisch-Information-Page or
below the rumours. These correct informations were confirmed by me in my own dives (down to
max. 120ft of course).
Rumour #1:
Reminds me of a couple of fatal incidences in Germany in the Bodensee
at a site called Teufelstisch. Basically it's a rock table at about 70 m
(approx. 220 ft) and people considered it fun to drop straight down and
hit the table full speed. Of course, if they missed the table they would
find themselves at 300 ft before they could compensate by inflator
(buoyancy). For some of them that was the end of the story...
The truth:
The Teufelstisch is a rock needle with its table at about 1.5ft to 6ft below surface,
depending on the water-level. So you only can hit the table full speed, if you stand on
it, lift your legs and drop off about 2ft. Even then your head is mostly above the water.
A fact is also, that the bottom of the needle is located at about 270ft. But this is at many
places in the lake Constance, not only at the Teufelstisch. It is often even deeper.
It is the truth too, that, diving deeper than 120 to 150ft, the risk to have an accident
is very high. On my oppinion, you can only say: It is your own fault. Especially in
the lake Constance, which makes grand demands on the divers because of its coldness
and dullness, and dives down to depths greater than 90ft need more experience than in
other diving waters.
Rumour #2:
There exists a strong current going down into the depth. It is so strong, that even
divers tightened to a rope stay in the depth forever because the rope has broken by
the strong current.
The truth:
In my many dives at the Teufelstisch I did not found any current at all, especially no current going down into
the depth.
Rumour #3:
There exists a strong current which pulls the divers up to Wollmatingen.
The truth:
See above (Rumour #2). Wollmatingen is about 3.5 km as the crow flies away from the
Überlinger See (the part of the Bodensees, in which the Teufelstisch is situated).
Going from the Teufelstisch it is even about 7 km as the crow flies across the land.
Rumour #4:
There are underwater-caves, where you cannot find your way out.
The truth:
There exist no underwater-caves at the Teufelstisch. So you cannot get lost inside
them.
Rumour #5:
The Teufelstisch is located in front of the shoreline and is connected to the wall in 114 ft depth
by a about 270 ft wide saddle.
The truth:
The saddle lies in 93-96 ft depth, is about 6 ft long and at the top about 1 ft wide
(with "long" is ment the distance between the wall and the Teufelstisch, with "wide" the
distance parallel to the wall). The saddle widens by going down.
Rumour #6:
At the Teufelstisch there are gigantic catfishes (nearly sea monsters). They eat the
dive victims. This is the reason, why they are never found again.
Die Wahrheit:
I have never sawn catfishes or sea monsters there. And all dive victims at the
Teufelstisch have been found.
Back to the Teufelstisch-Information-Page