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Altitude diving in Peru

Peru does not compete for the world’s deepest dive.

Peru offers the world’s highest dive!

The Peruvian Andes hold thousands of lakes waiting to be explored for the first time. Join us and set your personal record – a record not many others will dare to attempt.

If you are interested in high altitude diving in Peru, please make sure to read this entire page. If you are still interested, then click the bottom link and register for high altitude diving in Peru.

What is altitude diving in Peru?

Altitude diving is scuba diving where the surface is 300 meters (1,000 feet) or more above sea level (for example, a mountain lake). The depths and durations used for altitude diving in Peru are very different from those used for the same dive profile at sea level.

At altitude, atmospheric pressure is lower than at sea level, so surfacing at the end of an altitude dive leads to a greater reduction in pressure and an increased risk of decompression sickness.

The amount of time the diver has spent at altitude is also of concern as divers with gas loadings near those of sea level may also be at an increased risk.

So – Altitude diving is everything above 300 meters ???

Stefan Austermühle, co-founder of Nature Expeditions, and his wife Nina Pardo, were the first to ever dive in the Lagoon of the Condors in the Peruvian cloud forest at an altitude of 2,700 meters. They are also some of a handful of people, who have had the privilege of diving in Lake Titicaca, the highest navigated lake on earth: altitude of 3,812 meters.

Altitude diving in Peru truly takes diving to its extreme.

Altitude diving in Peru: a truly mystical adventure!

Before you consider doing high altitude diving in Peru we ask you to read the following and take it very seriously:

There is relatively little data on the risks of altitude diving in Peru compared to sea level diving. No tables, or table corrections, can guarantee that decompression illness (DCI) incidents will not occur when altitude diving in Peru.
If you are planning to participate in high altitude diving in Peru you must be aware of the fact that the extreme altitudes in these areas do increase the health risks exponentially in case an accident occurs during altitude diving in Peru.
You must also be aware of the fact that in Andean regions no pressure chambers nor any other specialized medical infrastructure is available to treat diving accidents and that no specialized medical personal will be available either.
Additionally, the transports of victims of dive accidents would necesitate first crossing high mountain passes in order to get (after hours or days of travel) to Lima where the only pressure chamber is available. The likelihood of severe health problems in case of accidents that are usually deemed non-threatening increases many fold during high altitude diving in Peru, while the chances for survival in case of severe accidents during altitude diving in Peru are, let’s say, not good.
Nature Expeditions SAC is pioneering the development of expeditions for altitude diving in Peru for a restricted number of experienced divers that have a proven capacity for diving in extreme conditions. Interested divers must have all necessary certification levels and must have documented experience in high altitude diving.
Nature Expeditions will provide detailed information to all participants in order to further increase their level of knowledge about altitude diving in Peru and to prepare them as best as possible for the challenges involved with altitude diving in Peru. Nature Expeditions will organize the expedition logistics and expedition participants will be guided by a diver with experience in altitude diving in Peru. However, as can be expected, Nature Expeditions will assume no liability for any consequences (loss of property, injury, accident, death) arising from altitude diving in Peru.

Having said all of this:
High altitude diving in Peru – especially in lake Titicaca – is an amazing, almost mystical experience: In Stefan’s opinion it’s just worth the risk!

So if you get excited about high altitude diving in Peru, come and join Stefan Austermühle for a return to Lake Titicaca. You will also get the privilege of being one of the very few people in the world to see the unique and holy Kaira frog and the endemic Lake Titicaca sponge!

Stefan Austermühle is a German biologist residing in Peru. He is the Executive Director of the Peruvian conservation organization Mundo Azul and General Manager of Nature Expeditions SAC. In the last 12 years he has organized and led 14 expeditions into the Peruvian wilderness, from the coastal desert and the Andes to the Peruvian cloud forest and lowland rainforest. Seven of these expeditions involved the production of TV documentaries, while the other 7 where scientific research expeditions. Stefan and his wife Nina were the first to dive in the Lagoon of the Condors in the Peruvian cloud forest at an altitude of 2700 meters, the first to dive in the Peruvian rainforest in the National Park Yanachaga Chemillen. They also belong to the handful of scuba divers that have been lucky enough to dive in Lake Titicaca at 3812 meters of altitude.

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