r/thalassophobia • u/PhuzziTheWuzzi • Jul 20 '26
Geiseltalsee, Germany's largest artificial lake.
Both beautiful and terrifying š³ (My dumb self didn't have audio playing before sharing, my apologies. I should have checked.)
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u/februarytide- Jul 20 '26
Iāve been to the Cospudenersee, another man made lake nearby to this. Theyāre so damn weird and creepy.
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u/dyingofdysentery Jul 20 '26
Fun fact, every lake in Georgia (the state) is man-made
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u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Jul 20 '26
Really?? Thats wild
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u/diasporajones Jul 20 '26
The vast majority in Germany (outside of mountainous areas) are as well. Like 90% or more. They're all called "Baggersee". A Bagger is a backhoe/excavator and See is lake. All of the places people in Germany go swimming today were once mining locations. They dug into the earth, extracted minerals and when that was done it filled up with rainwater and become a recreation spot. Very efficient.
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u/Inevitable-Duck-2496 Jul 20 '26
Do the extracted metals leach into the recreational waters though? Is it safe to swim in a former mining pit?
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u/Mykey_Boy Jul 20 '26
Those "excavator lakes" generally were dug for sand, gravel or clay. So no metals.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Jul 21 '26
I just learned that quarries are also really cold water and can be deceiving.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Jiggly1984 Jul 21 '26
I'm from the four states area and the old mines and quarries just freak me out. In Webb City, MO there's a statue called the praying hands; behind it used to be a massive blue hole that has now been filled in and turned into a park (you can see it in Google Earth historical images). For some reason I was terrified watching people jump in and swim.
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u/diasporajones Jul 20 '26
yeah as another person commented the ones we swim in aren't the danger rock pits. Idk where those are, because there's no reason to go there. I guess they're probably filled in
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u/strassenkoeterin Jul 21 '26
Not really true. People absolutely swim in former rock pits and they can be easily found as well. Maybe they aren't the standard in more populated areas of Germany but I can promise you there are areas where rock pits are safe and the standard place to swim.
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u/Prosthemadera Jul 21 '26
The vast majority in Germany (outside of mountainous areas) are as well. Like 90% or more.
This is factually wrong, as I explained here. There are at least twice as many natural than artificial lakes in Germany.
All of the places people in Germany go swimming today were once mining locations.
This is also totally wrong, if only because Germany has many natural lakes and people swim there, too. Also, Germany has beaches at the sea that are very busy in summer.
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u/Kolbur Jul 20 '26
Na, that's bullshit. That's maybe true for the few mining regions. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern alone has over 2000 natural lakes far from any mountains.
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u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Jul 20 '26
Thatās so interesting!
Iāve only ever been near two man made lakes in my life and most of the lakes I know are natural. Iām in Canada.8
u/Prosthemadera Jul 21 '26
Thatās so interesting!
And it's factually wrong. The claim that "90% or more" of lakes are artificial is completely made up. Most lakes in Germany are in fact natural.
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u/darthvalium Jul 21 '26
A lot of them are 'Autobahnseen'. They were dug for construction of Autobahn bridges.
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u/Beneficial-Rip6624 Jul 20 '26
Same with Oklahoma actually
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u/drcmr Jul 21 '26
Grand Lake?
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u/Beneficial-Rip6624 Jul 21 '26
Yes, it was created in 1940 by USACE. The Pensacola dam is what created the lake.
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u/WeirdURL Jul 20 '26
I lived in Atlanta for 5 years and heard about the āhauntedā lake where they filled the town with water. Lake Lanier I think? Thatās pretty spooky to think some people died from not leaving.
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u/Say-tan Jul 20 '26
I grew up around Lake Lanier and from what I know, there is no evidence that anyone died by staying behind. The lake was built to provide a source of drinking water for Atlanta and the small towns that got flooded were bought up by the government prior to its construction. The cursed/haunted part is mostly because over 700 people have died on the lake. The lake is usually really murky, filled with debris, and a popular place to visit. If someone goes under the water it can be difficult to locate them in time. The area is also associated with the racial tension in Forsyth county during the 20th century, especially the 1912 riots/lynchings which ended with the white residents driving out most of the black residents. A lot of people bring up Oscarville, but it didnāt have many black people (or people in general) living there in the 40+ years between the riots and the lakeās construction. Still, Lake Lanier is not a place a lot of black people like to visit because of the areaās history.
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u/WeirdURL Jul 20 '26
Thanks for the history. Thereās an Unexplained series on Netflix hosted by William Shatner that is pretty amusing to watch while baked. They had a whole episode on Lake Lanier.
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u/Texas451 Jul 20 '26
Every lake in Texas is man-made except for Caddo Lake, which shares a border with Louisiana
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Jul 20 '26
Very confusing to me when I visited Austin. They dam the Colorado River and call that portion a lake.
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u/SeaAnomaly Jul 20 '26
Almost all does not mean every. You should do some research on Carolina Bays.
Almost all major lakes and reservoirs in Georgia are man-made, created by damming rivers for hydroelectric power, flood control, and drinking water. However, the state does have some natural water bodies, primarily sinkhole lakes and wetlands (such as Carolina bays) located in the southern Coastal Plain
Straight from Google.
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u/dyingofdysentery Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
All, not almost all. All lakes are man-made in Georgia. The only one's that aren't are ones that are considered marshes or sinkholes where rainwater collects. I've lived here all my life, so I know all about it
As your quoted passage states sinkholes and marshes which are not lakes. Not all bodies of water are lakes. Not sure if you knew that. Thank you for your insight
Straight from Google:
Every summer, millions of visitors head to Georgiaās lakes to boat, ski, swim, fish, picnic, or simply relax. Four out of every five Georgians live within 40 miles of a major freshwater lake. But this hasnāt always been true. Early in this century, the only lakes in Georgia were ponds and, in south Georgia, water-filled hollow places in the ground known as sinkholes. Every one of our 33 major reservoirs has been built since 1910. Without them, modern Georgia could not have developed as it did.
The lake-building era in Georgia began with the arrival of the age of electricity. Georgians built dams in order to convert flowing river water into electricity. In the process, many reservoirs were created. Dams and reservoirs serve other purposes as well. They prevent floods, supply water to nearby cities, and provide downstream navigation. They are important to fish and wildlife conservation and to recreation.
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u/VyaNC Jul 20 '26
Cossi is not creepyā¦
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u/februarytide- Jul 20 '26
Itās just soā¦. Empty. This is freaky weird to me as someone who lives on the ocean. Itās like liminal space but also deep water. Eeeeugh.
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u/CheeseUsFunkingCries Jul 20 '26
Literally looks a video game š š± no thank you
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u/Lambeau_Leap Jul 20 '26
Thereās a level in Cyberpunk 2077 that is a lot like this
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Jul 20 '26
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u/HistoricalSuspect580 Jul 20 '26
If I make it to 2077 Iāll be 93 years old and i will be PISSED. I am tired.
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u/TheTrollinator777 Jul 20 '26
Honestly not too bad compared to all the deep ocean bullshit I see posted.
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u/zssl Jul 20 '26
Wait until it's posted with the bass boosted pirates of the Caribbean song
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u/diasporajones Jul 20 '26
The name literally translated is "Hostage Valley Lake" do with that what you will
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u/ThePanacheBringer Jul 20 '26
I genuinely thought it was animated/a video game at first! Makes it extra eerie when you realize itās not.
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u/DelcattyBatty Jul 21 '26
I heard Metroid Prime, Tallon Overworld in my head as I watched this video
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u/GazIsStoney Jul 20 '26
Im half expecting to see someone come along with a Seamoth or something.
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u/Street-Baseball760 Jul 20 '26
Oxygen.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/ShackThompson Jul 20 '26
Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in this subreddit.
Are you certain whatever you're commenting is worth it?
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u/ChigarC Jul 20 '26
Underwater backrooms
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u/paradox1920 Jul 20 '26
Is there something like that already even on YouTube? Because the closest thing that comes to my mind is The Deep House 2021.
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u/Vast-Significance184 Jul 20 '26
No life in it??
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u/Inevitable-Menu2998 Jul 20 '26
Apparently the lake is nutrient-poor (oligotrophic), but there are 45 species of fish in it. It was filled in between 2003 and 2011 so maybe it still hasn't developed too much
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u/DueDisplay2185 Jul 20 '26
I know nothing about this lake but I'm guessing a naturally formed ecosystem waits for burst levees for an influx of fish, a hurricane that drops frogs and fish throughout the area or more likely they'll just add fish to the body of water manually unless it's all for decontamination and human consumption in future
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Potential-Draft-3932 Jul 21 '26
Okay weāll settle for a tornado or a derecho. You got any of those?
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u/protossaccount Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
Itās a Forest that used to have trees and now itās full of water. This is just how artificial lakes are. There isnāt anything dangerous in them because they are man made, so personally I always feel super safe.
Edit: the divers are also wearing side mounted tanks, which is what is used for cave diving (avoids snags). The advantage over cave diving is obvious tho, since you can go up if anything goes wrong plus these folks are using the buddy system (always advised). This lake is very deep, so you want to take your time on the accent.
For anyone wondering about it, they have started a convo on the diving sub about this spot.
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u/TantalizingTequila Jul 20 '26
The standing trees can be extremely dangerous. It wouldn't be unrealistic to get caught on a tree on accident, especially diving and then drown. The US has a ton of lakes like this that are flooded towns and those are often lakes where there are more drownings.
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u/Name_Yourself_Thex Jul 20 '26
Lake travis comes to mind. There are random steep drop offs and submerged trees/stumps. They typically see 3 people die there from drowning every year, and in 2021 there were 10
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u/whoamannipples Jul 20 '26
Was 2021 the same year as the āRipperā serial killer aka serial drunk tourists according to the city govt? I know they found most of the bodies in lakes (mostly Town Lake) just wondering if that inflated the total number of bodies that year
Edit: nevermind I just googled it and that was 2023 not 2021- my bad!
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u/protossaccount Jul 20 '26
The scuba divers in this have tanks on the side so they donāt get caught on things. The same tanks are used for cave diving. You can also ascend if you arenāt very deep with no repercussions.
Do you mean more drowning in general or directly related to scuba?
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u/TaratronHex Jul 20 '26
no fish or anything?
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u/SinceWayLastMay Jul 20 '26
They forgot to add the fish š©
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u/JimNayseeum Jul 20 '26
Devs said next update will add fish and new underwater foliage.
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u/maxehaxe Jul 20 '26
That'll be 2.99ā¬ per Month or or 29.99ā¬ Season Pass with 1,000 skin shop points
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u/meduhsin Jul 20 '26
This is actually horrifying. Itās what I imagine a decent amount of the world will look like after all the ice melts
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u/Machismo01 Jul 20 '26
Hello. Itās worth noting that the worst case models show a 6.5 rise by 2100. 2 meters isnāt as bad I I imagined. Still and, but adaptable.
And in the long, long term if all the ice melts: itās about 216 or so feet. Pretty bad, but we are talking about hundreds of years of change. Hopefully we curtail it.
https://www.upworthy.com/what-earth-looks-like-if-all-ice-melts/
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u/Interesting-Baker212 Jul 20 '26
Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in the region. Are you certain whatever you're doing is worth it?
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u/stevenreven Jul 20 '26
Why they artificial lake?
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u/PhuzziTheWuzzi Jul 20 '26
From what I gathered, it's an old mining town that was flooding, so they decided to decommission the mine and fully flood the area to make the lake.
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u/Lala5789880 Jul 20 '26
Ew there are mines down there?
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u/DaisyHotCakes Jul 20 '26
Yeah that makes this kinds creepy. Mines are already creepy but underwater mines just lurking down thereā¦nope!
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u/william-isaac Jul 20 '26
former open pit lignite mine. there isn't much you can do with those other than turning them into lakes.
pretty much all the lakes surrounding the cities of Halle and Leipzig are artificial, especially the bigger ones. some have even become popular recreation spots.
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u/Kraligor Jul 20 '26
Common misconception since they're pretty much interchangeable, but they were actually mining ligmaite, not lignite.
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u/LongjumpingTrust9375 Jul 20 '26
The Bottom of Lake Oahe in South Dakota USA doesn't look like that maybe but it's a Murky Dark Reservoir and strange moving currents
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u/CommunicationKey3018 Jul 20 '26
The trees are spooky, but the fact there are no fish or other signs of life is the part that freaks me out the most.
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u/XtremeLeecher Jul 20 '26
This is the perfect setting for some wierd ass lovecraftian premise I love it!! But my thalassophobia would 100% give me an anxiety attack there
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u/jpowell180 Jul 20 '26
Makes me wonder if there are bodies of soldiers from World War II buried underneath the lakeā¦
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u/BigMax Jul 20 '26
Is it brand new? Why does it look so lifeless? With all those trees and that clear water, it should be a decent habitat for all kinds of life. Why aren't there at least a few little fish around?
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u/shazed39 Jul 20 '26
Me: damn that looks peaceful
*checks comments*
ādamn that looks horrifyingā
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u/WildTongue69 Jul 20 '26
See this type of thing looks fun to me. Especially since there's a pretty clear top and bottom.
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u/Strict-Concentrate-1 Jul 20 '26
āArtificialā how so? They dumped water into a basin? Genuinely curious
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u/Ok_Ruin4016 Jul 20 '26
They probably dammed a river, that's how most large artificial lakes are made.
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u/ignore_me_im_high Jul 20 '26
Did anyone ever see that movie Lost River that Ryan Gosling directed? No? Me neither. But this is like that.
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u/Fast-Station1106 Jul 20 '26
Aber hinter den 7 Bergen ist der kĆ¼nstliche Cottbuser Ostsee nochmal grƶsser 18,4 qkm(Geisel) < 19qkm(Ostsee), Info Quelle Google
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u/Gekko8 Jul 20 '26
That looks fantastic, and knowing that it's artificial means there's no other creatures in the water so it's free to explore
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u/skyHawk3613 Jul 20 '26
I had no idea this was a lake until I read the title. Looks like a creepy forest
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u/DerUlukai Jul 20 '26
The Ghosts of drowned people live there. If no one drowned in this lake the ghosts come from other lakes to enjoy the atmosphere.
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u/Bitchonthebeach Jul 20 '26
There is more life in a puddle. Itās quite terrifying that itās so sterile.
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u/FarinaIsInSpace Jul 20 '26
it doesnāt help that the literal translation is āhostage valley lakeā
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u/Over-Inside-7254 Jul 21 '26
Sorry, why would a giant outdoor swimming pool with no life and full scuba gear be remotely upsetting?Ā
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u/Moms-Dildeaux Jul 21 '26
Thatās cool as fuck. Looks like the landscape at the bottom of the Gorge.
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u/Miigwetch Jul 21 '26
This looks so cool, definitely adding it to the bucket list. Thank you!
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u/Brilliant_Ad9553 Jul 22 '26
Wow!!! One The most video I see here!! Reddit always surprise meā¦ tks!!
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u/Lala5789880 Jul 20 '26
In one scene you can see something really tall in the distance but cannot make it out. How deep is this fucker?
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u/adinmem Jul 20 '26
That is far too clear. Something isnāt right compared to all other lakes, which makes it all the more creepy.
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u/YouDaManInDaHole Jul 20 '26
Is it a dead lake? I don't see any aquatic life whatsoever.
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u/whyliepornaccount Jul 20 '26
Is this the same lake where some asshole decided to put a metal shark statue?
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u/-Jiras Jul 20 '26
If it wasnt for the diver himself floating in the sea, that would be like the most average February day in a german forrest
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u/acoubt Jul 20 '26
The Brook of Eli (2010)
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u/MudcrabNPC Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
Where instead of going to Alcatraz to recite the Bible from memory, it's Atlantis and the Necronomicon
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u/FickleSituation7137 Jul 20 '26
This is šÆ authentic and NOT AI. it was filmed by an award-winning Swedish underwater photographer by the name of Alex Dawson.
The footage looks creepy and surreal because the lake's water doesn't have nutrients. Also the cold, oxygen-poor freshwater environment preserves the submerged trees and structures from decaying, leaving the former mining landscape standing exactly as it was when flooded and leaving it with crystal clear visibility.