DiveWorld is located at Go Planet Parc, part of Kennispark. The ten-metre-deep diving tower is used for certified diving, freediving, introductory dives and diving instructor training courses, and is also a certified fire service training centre. Fire service divers from across the Netherlands practise for emergency situations here and sit their exams.
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Delen
DiveWorld is the oldest and deepest indoor diving tower in the Netherlands. The pool is ten metres deep, filled with 1.3 million litres of crystal-clear water and is constantly heated to around twenty degrees. What makes this diving tower unique? Necessity has been turned into an advantage. During the construction of Go Planet Parc, safety regulations required the installation of a water basin containing fire-fighting water for the sprinkler systems in the buildings and for the fire service. In the rest of Kennispark, these water basins have been installed underground, but here it was decided during construction to build the water basin above ground, so that diving could be added to the range of activities, alongside bowling, go-karting and laser tag, amongst others. All the sprinkler systems in the surrounding buildings are connected to this water reservoir, and if necessary, the fire brigade can use the water for firefighting operations, though this almost never happens.
Niek Santman has been the owner of DiveWorld since 2019. Niek: “A long time ago, my parents gave me an introductory dive as a Christmas present. After that introductory dive, I obtained my open-water certificate at DiveWorld and continued to visit DiveWorld regularly afterwards. In 2019, the previous owners decided they wanted to step down, and I took the plunge – both literally and figuratively.”
Sustainable business practices
Corporate Social Responsibility is a key focus at DiveWorld. In particular, in the area of sustainability, they have made significant changes in recent years to help contribute to a better environment. Since 2022, DiveWorld has been completely gas-free. Niek: “In 2020, it became clear that the ventilation system in the upper rooms needed replacing. For me, that was a good time to start looking for a more sustainable alternative. Whilst searching for a new heating and ventilation system, I decided to take a more radical approach and see if I could eliminate gas entirely – and after two years, I succeeded. An air handling unit has been installed to heat and ventilate the rooms. This system ensures that fresh air is supplied and stale air is extracted. A heat exchanger recovers the heat from the stale air and transfers it to the fresh supply air, so that this clean air can be used to heat the rooms directly.”
“The showers are supplied with hot water via a heat pump, and 1.3 million litres of water in the diving tower are heated to twenty degrees by the same heat pump. The fact that we’ve been completely off gas for a few years now is a significant step towards greater sustainability.”
More sustainable and cost-effective
Niek: “When I decided I wanted DiveWorld to be completely gas-free, gas prices were not even a fraction of what they are now, so I’m particularly pleased that we’ve managed to go completely gas-free at this very moment. As well as the ventilation system and the heat pump being much more sustainable, it’s also a nice bonus that this allows me to save on energy costs.”
Work and entertainment in one place
Fancy trying indoor diving, either on your own or with colleagues? Just a few minutes’ walk from your workplace, you can take an introductory dive under professional supervision. It’s a great idea for a staff outing or as a gift. For more information on the options available: www.diveworld.nl.
