Old round Baikal railway (Krugobaikalka)

Recommended depths:  two to 15 meters for photographing and filming, and two to 40 meters for recreational dives. For technical divers, there are interesting objects at a depth of 45, 60, 90, and up to 120 meters.  

The central part of the dive site is a canyon that begins from the shore and at a depth of 60 meters, changes into a wide slope. There are the remains of a train wreck in the canyon. In the shallow place, you can find a mangled platform, and deeper, up to 120 meters, iron fragments of the railroad structures. 

At a depth of 3, 6, 45, and 90 meters, there are railroad wheel pairs. At 5 meters, you can find a rail handcar, and at 15 meters, an old bogie. 

Recommended depths: three to 25 meters for photographing and filming, 6-40 meters for recreational dives, and up to 80 meters for deep and trimix dives.

Kolokolny is a steep slope with prominent small rocks and grottos. The drop-off begins with a shelf with large boulders, among which there are grottos and tunnels.  The steep slope goes down to 40 meters, and then a wall begins. At a depth of 65 meters, you find a huge grotto.

Recommended depths: four to 40 meters for photographing and filming, 8-40 meters for recreational dives, and up to 100 meters for deep and trimix dives.  

The center of the dive site is a large cavern with a big “window” in its upper part. The site got its sounding name by analogy with the Blue Holes of Palau.

The big rock ("finger') above the cavern shows the upper entrance of the Blue Hole. A huge «finger» - a single 5-meter-high rock starting at the depth of 23 meters.

Further at the depth of 21 meter is the entrance to the underwater tunnel, formed by a pile of stones, the exit from it is at the depth of 15 meters. Further we can see a huge rock, which is attached to the drop off and overlooks the sea. There is a crack in the rock with an exit at the top of it at the depth of 18 meters. The entrance to the crack is at the depth of 25 meters. 

Numerous small grottos, rough stones covered in sponges make this place look like a coral garden. Moving further the group notices the drop off turn into a steep stone inclination. If we move stones on this inclination, we can see lots of blue Lake Baikal shrimps (acanto gammaridi). Safety stop is not a dull procedure if we are enjoying the views of a stone-and-sand offshore area, covered in sponges. 

Recommended depths: 6-40 meters for photographing and filming, 6-40 meters for recreational dives, and up to 80 meters for deep and trimix dives.

A truly picturesque place both underwater and on the surface. 

Very beautiful rocks and the old railway landscape are in perfect harmony with the magnificent underwater views. The small harbour looks like a huge canyon underwater. The drop off, smooth rocks, standing side by side to each other. Sponges in abundance.

Remnants of metallic constructions (when constructing Circum-Baikal railway they tried to make a bridge over the harbour, but due to the depth the plan did not work out, so the engineers came up with the idea of a tunnel in the rock instead of the bridge). 

Recommended depths: 6-25 meters for photographing and filming, 6-40 meters for recreational dives, and up to 95 meters for deep and trimix dives.

The center of the dive site is a comparatively narrow great canyon, starting at the depth of 18 meters. At the depth from 18 to 24 meters the canyon is blocked with logs, then it runs to the depth - vertical walls, bottom of pebbles. At the depth of 60 meters there is a vertical bench, at the depth of 78 meters there is one more huge pole crossing the canyon. The canyon is explored to the depth of 95 meters. 

To the right from the canyon (in the direction of Cape Tolstiy) there is an interesting sandy drop off, with cliffs of different sizes scattered on its surface, the deeper and further to the right we go (towards and round the cape) the drop off becomes stony. Scarce colonies of sponges, lots of Lake Baikal shrimps (acanto gammaridi). 

Recommended depths: 2-65 meters for photographing and filming, 3-40 meters for recreational dives, and up to 115 meters for deep and trimix dives.

Katorzhanka is a grandiose wall.

The group moves either to the north or to the south, depending on the place of entering the water. A narrow stripe of shallow waters is 3-4 meters deep, bits and pieces of a railway carriage on the edge of a drop off - a vertical wall runs to the depth of 100 meters, then it is followed by a stone inclination of 45-60 degrees.

The wall is of interest for dives of all levels, but it is very convenient for deep techno-diving. We descend along the wall and there is no need to go far away from the drop off.

Recommended depths: 6-40 meters for photographing and filming, 6-40 meters for recreational dives, and up to 90 meters for deep and trimix dives.

Despite its name, the Katorzhanka shelf is a large rugged wall.

The central part of the dive site is a rocky crest going far into the lake. There are grandiose drop-offs on both sides of the crest.

When moving to the south one can see a stone inclination covered in sponges. When going to the north - smooth, benchy, inclined walls of the drop off.

Recommended depths: 6-40 meters for photographing and filming, 6-40 meters for recreational dives, and up to 70 meters for deep and trimix dives.

There are canyons in the middle and in the northern part of the dive site. In the central canyon at the depth of 40 meters there is an ancor. Shallow waters are 3-6 meters deep, the bottom is of white sand and huge stones. In the southern part of the dive site there is a very beautiful wall of steep platforms, which runs into a stone-and-sand inclination at the depth of 70 meters. A narrow and deep canyon starts almost from the shore. The northern wall of the canyon runs farther into the lake as compared to the southern one, it is located at 90 degrees to the shoreline - very smooth and vertical. 

Then the wall makes a 90 degree turn and runs parallel to the shore. After the turn the wall is not as vertical, but still quite steep. Then starts the next canyon, it is 40 meters deep. Maximum depth of the central canyon is 54 meters. In the northern side of the central canyon the bottom of shallow waters (3-8 meters deep) is of a huge number of different-sized stones.

Lots of sponges, Lake Baikal shrimps (acanto gammaridi).