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This story was updated on 5 August to reflect a statement from WETNOTES magazine, which named the divers who died in Bodensee
By DIVE Staff
Two divers have died after an emergency ascent from approximately 80 metres at a popular dive site on Lake Constance, also known in Germany as Bodensee.
The incident occurred on Sunday 2 August at the Tennisplätze site in Überlingen, on the German shore of the lake in the Bodenseekreis district of Baden-Württemberg.
A 46-year-old woman and her 64-year-old dive partner were on a joint dive when they initiated an emergency ascent at around 10:30 for reasons that remain unclear.
Although police have not publicly identified either diver, a Facebook post on 4 August by German tech diving magazine Wetnotes indicated that the woman who died was Séverine Bär, a long-time contributor to the publication.
Wetnotes named the male diver only as ‘Frank’, her ‘life-partner’. Both are thought to be highly experienced technical and CCR divers.
The Wetnotes Facebook statement reads:
With great dismay, we learned of the tragic death of our long-time author Séverine and her life partner Frank.
‘The entire Wetnotes team is stunned and mourning – along with many people from the diving community who knew the two as friends and fellow travellers.
‘Séverine has been writing for Wetnotes since the fourth issue and has enriched our magazine with her reports, her passion, and her enthusiasm for diving over the years.
‘Together with her partner, she experienced countless adventures in her home and around the world, as well as the most demanding dives.
‘What made both of them truly special was not only their experience, but their way: open, heartfelt, modest, and addressing every person on an equal footing.
Not only in our magazine, but also with every interested diver, they shared their knowledge and enthusiasm for our sport.
Séverine and Frank lived for diving – and they showed that true sportsmanship is always characterised by humanity, respect, and camaraderie.
We have lost two wonderful people. Their warmth, their enthusiasm, and their laughter will be missed.
Our thoughts are with their families and everyone who was close to them. We will always remember them with love.’
According to a local police report, the male diver was already unconscious during the ascent. The woman was initially reported as having lost consciousness after reaching land, but a correction issued later the same day clarified that she lost consciousness shortly after surfacing, while still in the water.
Both divers died at the scene despite resuscitation attempts.
In a statement, Polizeipräsidium Ravensburg said: ‘On Sunday (2 August 2026) a fatal diving accident occurred at the Tennisplätze dive site in Überlingen.
‘According to current findings, a 46-year-old female diver and her 64-year-old dive partner were on a joint dive and initiated an emergency ascent at around 10:30 from a depth of approximately 80 metres for reasons that are still unexplained.
‘The man was already unconscious during the ascent, while his companion lost consciousness shortly afterwards. Despite resuscitation measures, both divers died at the scene.
‘The exact circumstances of death and the reasons for the emergency ascent are the subject of ongoing investigations by the Water Police Überlingen.’
The third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, Lake Constance borders Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where it is generally known by its German name, Bodensee.
The lake is a popular inland destination for scuba divers from each country, although most of the diving is on the northern German shore.
The dive site known as Tennisplätze lies close to the town of Überlingen and is used by both novices and experienced technical divers.
A gently sloping shallow area near the shoreline is often used for training, however, the lake bed drops off into a wall at around 30m, eventually reaching around 120m of depth.
Police have seized the divers’ equipment – part of the normal procedure for diving-related fatalities – and launched an investigation into the series of events that led to the emergency ascent.
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