Kategorie: News
RNZ Dive Hub
For twelve weeks, a 6.5-meter-long diving container with glass walls on three sides stood in parking lot P5b in front of the Rhein-Neckar-Zentrum in Viernheim. Shoppers often stopped to take a look. Behind the glass, people who had never put a regulator in their mouths before were breathing underwater. Others logged a perfectly normal dive - only this time with an audience and the shopping center in the background.
The RNZ Dive Hub, a joint summer project between Taucher.Net and the Rhein-Neckar-Zentrum, ran from June 6 to August 29, 2026. In the end, there were 421 introductory dives in the pool. Many of them were completed by teenagers. The vast majority of them: first-time dives. Anyone who reads this as just an event in a parking lot didn’t see the summer.
This great project was made possible because the RNZ center management made the space available to us for twelve weeks. Special thanks to Center Manager Dani Marquardt. Twelve weeks with the container meant twelve weeks of operations, coordination, water, electricity, safety, weather, and people who just happened to stop by. Working with the center was straightforward and really, really good. No drama, no friction, no constant readjustments. Everyone involved had so much fun, and that’s worth mentioning because it’s true. Without the RNZ, the pool would never have made it to P5b. Thanks to the RNZ, it turned into a summer that the local diving scene won’t forget anytime soon.
The container came from the THW Helferverein Düren and was customized for Viernheim. Three windows, a standing area, about 6.5 meters long - enough to try it out, give demonstrations, take photos, and still take in everything from the outside. On June 6, there was an Open Dive with participants’ own gear. Anyone who wanted to could “dive” into the container themselves and show off through the glass. Starting June 8, the official program ran for everyone who stopped by. The motto was: watch, ask questions, and, of course, dive in yourself.
Our equipment sponsor MARES provided us with a full set of gear for the entire twelve weeks. Without this equipment, the operation wouldn’t have been possible on this scale. L&W Compressors and dynamicPOOL Weinheim offered fantastic support. Ralf and Heike Ulmer managed the pool operations perfectly. For two weeks, Marlon worked as a student intern at and inside the container. During that time, our young colleague learned more about operations, people, and diving than he would have in many a theory session - tanks, procedures, calming “newbies,” just being there. Throughout the entire twelve weeks, Mathilda pitched in wherever she could. Without this support system, the idea would never have become a reality this summer. Hyperbaric physician Silke Schwaner provided medical supervision for the entire event. Depending on the activity, she was at the Container - and, of course, available for a medical chat in between.
Diving Schools and Companies from the Region
The region’s diving schools, among others, offered introductory dives. Anyone who realized after their first breath from the regulator that they had the hang of it can continue there - try another introductory dive or jump right into a course. In alphabetical order: Achims Tauchoase (https://www.tauch-oase.de), Diving Mammalia (https://divingmammalia.de), Easy Divers Ketsch (https://www.easy-divers.net), 7oceans Speyer (https://www.7oceans.de) and the Fritzenschaft Speyer Diving school (http://www.froschmann.net).
The diving instructors present were Michael Kuhn, Jürgen Schwehm, and Adrian Krause. For each introductory dive, we adjusted the equipment to fit the participants; and, of course, that’s when you really noticed the quality of our equipment sponsor, MARES. Anyone breathing underwater for the first time immediately notices whether everything fits right - only then is comfort guaranteed.
The Fritzenschaft Diving School also offered introductory dives with the MARES Horizon. Some already certified divers took advantage of this opportunity and completed their first Rebbie introductory dive. That, too, was a complete success. It wasn’t just first-timers at the pool. Divers came who wanted to try out a full-face mask or a mini-scooter, or who simply wanted an unusual dive to add to their logbook. Right in the middle of the center, behind glass, warm water, clear visibility, and an audience gathered at the windows. For the local diving scene, this was a real highlight. Many of the trial divers have since booked or already completed courses at nearby dive centers. That was exactly the point: not just to get wet once, but to find your way into the greatest sport there is.
One day, the diving company Kesberg joined us at the container (https://tauchen-kesberg.de/). They come from a completely different corner of the sport - working underwater, not vacationing. And they’re urgently looking for new talent. We’ll have to wait and see if any of the diving visitors came away with a new career idea. In any case, their appearance was a great addition to the program.
Out of about thirty clubs in the region, only two showed up. Just two. Despite invitations from us and the association. That’s a shame, and there’s no sugarcoating it. When diving comes right into the heart of the shopping center, just watching from the sidelines isn’t enough. This makes our thanks to the Bensheim Diving Club (https://tsf-bensheim.de/) and the Octopus Weinheim Diving Club (https://tco-weinheim.de/) all the more heartfelt. They made the effort. They were there. And they did a really great job.
The Mannheim Professional Fire Department (www.mannheim.de/de/s.../feuerwehr-und-katastrophenschutz) and the Heidelberg Professional Fire Department (https://www.heidelberg.de/.../Berufsfeuerwehr.html) were each on site three times. They didn’t just explain what they’re capable of. They brought equipment, demonstrated what their job entails in the water - and even got into the pool themselves. Rescue diving behind glass, for people who otherwise only see the fire trucks on the street. That went over well.
The DLRG Lampertheim (https://lampertheim.dlrg.de/) and the DLRG Bergstraße District Association (https://kv-bergstrasse.dlrg.de/) were there three times and offered introductory diving sessions. The DLRG Hemsbach (https://hemsbach.dlrg.de/) managed to be there for one day. Great atmosphere, no frills. Water rescue workers getting people into the water. Anyone who only knows the DLRG from their lifeguard duty at the lake saw here that these same people also patiently guide a first-timer through their very first breath.
The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) deserves its own paragraph because their presentation was so impressive. Three days straight. The Army’s info van, the Navy’s info van, and ship divers on site. No stiff program, no rushed schedule. The guys and girls demonstrated what ship diving is all about: working underwater, equipment, posture, and calmness. The whole process ran smoothly and seamlessly, from setup to the very last dive.
Anyone who was at P5b on Saturday saw what that does to visitor numbers. The day was one of the busiest of the entire summer. People stopped to ask questions, looked through the window, and didn’t just walk right on into the mall. This wasn’t just a decorative booth. This was the military taking its job seriously while still remaining approachable. A huge thank you to everyone who made these three days possible. Learn more about the Bundeswehr at https://www.bundeswehr.de/de, and about the Navy and ship divers at bundeswehr.de/de/../spezialaufgaben-schiffs-minentaucher
Great program with the mermaids
Every other weekend, the Mermaids Wolfsburg (https://mermaids-united.de/) came by. They drew young crowds to the container - and into the mall. Kids stop in their tracks when a fin glides past behind glass. Parents stop because the kids stop. Mermaids from the surrounding area were there too, rounding out the scene. The women from Wolfsburg set the tone. This was perfectly complemented by the two children’s craft events hosted by Søstrene Grene right next to the pool (rhein-neckar-zentrum-viernheim.de/../soestrene-grene/): paper and paint up front, fins behind the glass in the back. Lots of happy faces. Exactly the kind of scene that captures the spirit of summer.
Diving with a Disability
One of the most powerful moments was made possible by Nicole Krass (https://www.tauchen-mit-handicap.de/). Diving with a disability, right in the middle of the parking lot. Several people with spinal cord injuries entered the container - and came back out. That sounds like logistics, and logistics it was. But underwater, the weight is gone. Underwater, the wheelchair doesn’t matter. Anyone who saw that won’t forget it. Special thanks to Nicole.
A Diving Story You Can Touch & More Great Event Days
One Saturday, the Historical Divers’ Society was there (https://www.historische-tauchergesellschaft.de/). Frank Werthwein and his team showed that old gear doesn’t just look good - it still “dives” really well. Helmet, hose, the whole shebang - tested and ready for action, not just for display. Many people stopped to watch. Alongside the Navy, mermaids, and first-timers, this offered a different perspective on the same sport: this is how diving began, and this is still partly how it’s done today.
Then there was underwater chess, organized by Fridthjof Schiffmann. One move, one breath. Not so easy. That’s exactly why it’s so good. Anyone standing on the sidelines could see that concentration underwater has a quality all its own. No show match. Just chess - only wet.
Over two days, Daniel Scott and Markus Schmidt photographed clothing from Tom Tailor, Engelhorn Active Town, Woolworth, and Galeria underwater. Fabrics that move differently in the water than they do on a rack. At the same time, Alexander Strauss trained the RNZ models in the water, selected the best ones, and sent them to the test shoot. Walking, posing, and looking underwater - you have to practice that. Konstantin Killer took photos over the last two days (https://www.unterwasser-model-kunstfotografie.de/). You can see the results for yourself. That’s all there is to say about it.
What made this summer a success wasn’t a single event. It was the network. Almost all of the region’s diving providers - and quite a few from beyond - pitched in: schools, clubs, emergency responders, professionals, mermaids, photographers, historians, and sponsors. This network already existed beforehand. After twelve weeks at the RNZ, it’s grown even closer. The breadth of the underwater activities was what made it a success.
Anyone who just wanted to get a taste of it could do so. Anyone who wanted to see commercial diving got to see commercial diving. Anyone who wanted fins, a helmet, “Horizon,” or chess got exactly that. It was precisely this mix that kept people coming back to the container.
Donations for Marine Conservation
Over the twelve weeks, 6,500 euros were raised for marine conservation, including 500 euros from the Tom Tailor store at the RNZ for the Turtle Foundation. The money will go to the Turtle Foundation, the Dolphin Watch Alliance, and Ghostdiving. It was presented on the final evening - at a really great party at the Container, to which everyone involved was invited. After twelve weeks of water, heat, setting up and taking down, trial dives, shows, and day-to-day operations, it was the perfect way to wrap things up. Just getting together, saying thank you, handing over the money, and letting the summer come to a close.
Twelve weeks. One container. 421 trial divers. A few full logbooks. A few new courses. An intern who learned a lot. And many faces that looked different afterward than they did before. For the region’s diving scene, the RNZ Dive Hub was a highlight. Diving right where people usually go shopping - and it worked. After twelve weeks, we’re really happy.
A look back in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ5QLMN9gw8