Diving with Freshwater Fish
Dominators of the World’s Lakes and Rivers
Freshwater fish are a diverse group of bony fish and are classified as living in freshwater areas like ponds, lakes, and rivers that have a salinity level of less than 1.05%. Although not as prevalent or colorful as saltwater fish, freshwater fish still make up nearly 41% of all fish with nearly 15,000 different species. Freshwater fish can survive in a wide variety of habitats depending on the species from the warm, flooding rivers of the Amazon rainforest to the frozen lakes of Northern Canada and are spread all across the globe.
Common cold freshwater fish species include the popular trout family of fish such as rainbow trout, brook trout, and brown trout. You can dive with these fish in the lakes and rivers of North America. Cool freshwater fish species include carp, pike, perch, eels, and bass, all found throughout the Americas and Europe. Warm freshwater fish species include bass, bluegill, catfish, goby’s, and crappies and are found across the globe. No matter where you scuba dive, lake, river, or quarry, you are sure to come across these popular freshwater fish species. Check out the map below to explore where to dive with some of the more popular specific freshwater fish around the world.
Animals in this category
Diving with Bass
The bass is a perch-like fish encompassing many different species, both marine and freshwater. He can be found in lakes, streams and rivers all around the world, are one of the most popular game fish, and a favorite catch for fishermen. The largemouth bass is probably the most well-known and includes big mouth, black, largies, bucketmouth, wide mouth, and green bass, just to name a few.
Diving with Pike
Hechte sind Süßwasser Raubfische, die mit ihrem länglichen Körper, der spitzen Schnauze und den großen, scharfen Zähnen leicht zu identifizieren sind. Sowohl ihre Rücken- als auch ihre Afterflossen sind weit hinten am Schwanz angesetzt, wodurch sie noch länger erscheinen, als sie ohnehin schon sind. Diese gefräßigen Jäger sind sowohl in Nordamerika, Europa als auch in Nordasien beliebte Wildfische. Das Tauchen mit Hechten ist ein unvergessliches Erlebnis, da sie recht groß werden können und mit ihren blass- bis leuchtend gelben, bohnenförmigen Flecken am ganzen Körper, und ihren leuchtend orange bis rot gefärbten Flossen unter Wasser sehr hübsch sind.
Diving with Carp
Carp are adaptable freshwater fish from the Cyprinidae family, originally native to Europe and Asia but now widespread across the globe. Recognizable by their broad bodies and bottom-feeding behavior, some species, like the common carp, can grow quite large and live for decades. Their size and steady movement make them a notable presence in many temperate freshwater dive sites.
Diving with Trout
One of the more beautiful types of freshwater fish, trout is the common name for a large number of different freshwater species closely related to salmon. They live exclusively in freshwater lakes and rivers and come in a wide variety of colors that change based on their environment, making them masters at camouflage. Preferring cool, clear streams and lakes, they can be found in waters averaging 10-16 degrees C (50-60 degrees F) so if you want to go diving with trout you better bring a thick wetsuit.
Diving with Eels
Eels have an elongated, snake-like body, making them easily recognizable when compared to other bony fish. Their long dorsal fin is merged with its caudal and anal fins, making one continuous fin along the length of its upper body. While they spend most of their adult lives in freshwater, most species migrate to the ocean to spawn.
Diving with Walleye
The walleye—also known as the yellow pike or pike-perch is a widespread freshwater species native to lakes and rivers across Europe and North America. They have been introduced into additional freshwater systems over time, expanding their natural range. These fish are easy to recognize by their distinctive, outward-facing eyes, which seem to stare at a “wall“—a feature that gives them their name. Their eyes are specially adapted for low-light environments, making walleye more active in deeper or murkier waters. Their bodies are marked with golden scales and olive-green patches, and they feature spiny dorsal and anal fins.
Diving with Perch
Perch are a famous freshwater game fish, with many species resembling it; however, there are only three actual species which occur in different geographical areas around the world: Europe, Asia, and North America. They are abundantly distributed in freshwater lakes throughout these regions and are popular for both sport fishing and for food. They are easily identifiable by their somewhat long, rounded bodies, two dorsal fins of which the first is spiny and the second soft, and black vertical stripes.
Diving with Catfish
Catfish is the common name given to any fish in the order Siluriformes and are one of the most widely diverse and abundantly distributed species on the planet, occurring on every continent except Antarctica. Most of them live in freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds with the exception of a few saltwater species. They are easily recognizable by their barbels on the upper jaw and, sometimes, snout and chin, which look like the whiskers of a cat, giving them their name.
Diving with Salmon
Salmon are among the most iconic fish in the aquatic world, celebrated for their extraordinary life cycle. Born in freshwater rivers and streams, salmon spend most of their adult lives in the open ocean before returning—often across vast distances—to their natal freshwater habitats to spawn. This journey is one of nature’s most impressive migrations and offers unique opportunities for divers to witness the species up close in both marine and inland environments.Each species varies in size, color, and behavior, particularly during the spawning season when their appearance and activity change dramatically.
Diving with Freshwater Flounders
The freshwater flounder is not actually a flounder at all but belongs to the sole family of fish, commonly misidentified due to its close similarities with flounder fish such as a round, flattened body and eye that migrates to one side so they are both on top. In fact, the actual name of this small sized animal is hogchoker sole, named from the days when coastal fishermen would discard them from their catch onto the beach as they were too bony to eat and would then be eaten by the wild hogs. They are found along the Atlantic coast of North America from the state of Massachusetts to the country of Panama.
Diving with Sturgeons
Archaic giants of the fish world, sturgeon fossils have been found dating back to the Jurassic period. Despite having survived for millions of years, the IUCN has stated that, due to overfishing and habitat loss, they are “more critically endangered than any other group of species.” Sturgeon is the common name encompassing roughly 29 different species of fish in the Acipenseridae family, many of which are famous for the caviar harvested from their eggs. These fishy beasts commonly grow to about 2-3 meters (7-10 feet) in length, with some specimens reaching up to 8 meters (26.2 feet) long! Not only are they one of the largest growing bony fish, they are the longest living as well; capable of reaching 100 years or more.
Common Rudd
Originating from the carp family, Cyprinidae, the common rudd is indigenous to the freshwater lakes and rivers of Europe and Asia. Unfortunately, it is also widely spread throughout North America, where it is an invasive species called American, or pearl, roach. Within its natural distribution, the common rudd is usually found around the freshwater basins of the North, Baltic, Black, Caspian, and Aral seas.
Char
The char fish, also known as Arctic char, is a close relative to the trout and salmon of North America. Arctic char are commonly found in the cold, deep lakes and rivers of the New England area of North America. It is also widely distributed throughout the North Atlantic to Europe and the icy Pacific waters near Alaska. The char fish is an excellent source of food and popular sport fish, gaining in popularity as a flavorful fish like salmon.
European Bullhead
The European bullhead is a relatively small fish with a distinctly large head that accounts for approximately 25% of its total body length. This freshwater fish’s only scales occur along its lateral line and has large, wing-like pectoral fins. The European bullhead is distinguishable by its tapered body shape, mottled brownish color, largemouth, and prominent eyes that sit on the top of its head. This abundant fish rarely grows larger than 10 cm long.
European Bitterling
The European bitterling is a small, silver fish commonly found throughout Europe, extending from the Rhone River basin in France to the Neva River in Russia. This freshwater fish species inhabit temperate still or slow-moving water like rivers, ponds, canals, and the shallows of lakes. The European bitterling lives amongst dense aquatic vegetation and sand-silt bottoms where they feed on plants and, to a lesser degree, worms, crustaceans, and insect larvae.
Tench
The tench is a common European freshwater fish that has been introduced to much of the world. Although it is native to the lakes and lowland rivers of Europe and parts of Asia, the tench has become an invasive species throughout North America. The tench was introduced by humans to every continent on earth besides Antarctica as a sport and food fish. They are most often found in still waters with clay or muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation and can tolerate waterways with significantly low oxygen levels.
Stickleback
The stickleback is a small, scaleless fish found in the fresh, brackish, and marine waters of the Northern Hemisphere’s temperate regions. These tiny fish grow average 5-10 cm (2-4 inches) in length and include about eight fish species within the Gasterosteidae family. Cousins to the pipefish and seahorse, sticklebacks are identifiable by a row of 2 to 16 spines in front of their dorsal fin.
Loach Goby
The loach goby is a medium-sized fish living in the tropical, fast-flowing streams in the mountainous regions of Asia. They are typically found throughout China and south Japan and on the islands of the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, and the Solomons. The loach goby can be found clinging to rocks in these swift streams. They like to hide in rocks, especially when feeling threatened.
Dive Sites with this Animal
★★★★☆ Centeen Park
A popular dive site for all levels of divers, you can see the underwater sculpture placed here with six standing human figures looking up, surrounded at an 18-foot radius by benches at each cardinal point. Two sturgeons point north at 35 feet out, a tribute to a species that was once plentiful in the river.
★★★★☆ Hilterfingen Hotel Bellevue
Shallow water dive site with easy access via the ramp. At the entrance a lot of sea grass, which provides for a fish variety. Various objects in the upper area (max. 20m).
★★★★☆ Steinbruch Horka
The quarry’s main building has a toilet, shower, changing rooms, and a hotel nearby. It is possible to put up a tent for camping. A steep descent down the metal stairs leads to the water with one entrance and one exit. At the stairs, it is possible to descend to 5m at buoy no. 1.
★★★☆☆ Waldsee
The entrance is on the camping site "Am Waldsee". The entrance is at a small sandy beach. From 7 m depth you will find gravel walls.
★★★★★ Семиозерье ProDiving Base
Best place for training dives in the Saint Petersburg region. Rich and varied underwater training ground. Comfortable fully equipped diving base with compressor, rental services, hostel, saloon and sauna
★★★★★ Zimnik Kamieniołom
The quarry is located on private property with a street-side entrance from the dive shop. There is not much space to park by the boulders. Often, you may have to park at least two buildings away.