Blue Lake (below), in New Zealand's South Island, is the clearest lake in the world. It is fed by water from Lake Constance, above. Both are found just next to Mount Franklin, in the Tasman District's Nelson Lakes National Park. Photographer Klaus Thymann took these photos during a February trip to Blue Lake on New Zealand's South Island, after getting approval from the government and the native Maori people, who consider the lake a sacred site.
From the helicopter
Thymann's team had to take a helicopter to get to the remote lake, which required further approval from the government.
Under the water
Thymann put on a wetsuit due to the coldness of the water and, once he got there, began snapping away.
One of the most mesmerizing aspects of the experience was that the lake's bright colors reflect off the lake's surface, visible from within the lake, Thymann said.
Swimming in the lake
Normally visitors are barred from entering the lake, to preserve its legendary water quality.
Visibility in the lake stretches up to nearly 260 feet (80 meters), according to Robert Merrilees, a hydrologist with the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
Green bottom
The lake has algae on the bottom. Thymann wasn't allowed to touch the bottom, to observe Maori customs that consider the lake sacred.
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Another view
Another view of the lake bottom, covered by plants.
The lake from above
Another view of the lake from above.
Sinkhole
This is a sinkhole through which the water drains out. Thymann said that some of these holes were almost as large as him, and he avoided getting close to them, for fear of being sucked in.
Translated as the 'land of peaceful waters', Lake Rotomairewhenua holds the title of the clearest lake in the world. The visual clarity of the ethereal lake can exceed 80m, a clarity that is surprisingly close to that of distilled water.
Located in the top half of New Zealand's South Island, Blue Lake is said to be the clearest lake in the world. Its waters are fed by another lake that sits above its height of 1,200 meters above sea level.
Baikal is one of the clearest lakes in the world. During the winter, the water transparency in open sections can be as much as 30–40 m (100–130 ft), but during the summer it is typically 5–8 m (15–25 ft).
It is the second-clearest lake in North America and the fifth-clearest lake in the world. The water is also extremely pure: 99.994%, to be exact. That's almost as pure as distilled water (99.998%). Several Tahoe communities draw their drinking water directly from the Lake without any filtration.
Maldives. The Maldives, located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, is made up of more than 1,000 coral islands and some of the bluest waters in the world.
Lake George in Upstate New York is recognized as the cleanest lake in the U.S., making it a popular destination for tourists. The lake's cleanliness is attributed to being a headwater lake fed by mountain streams and protected by over 90% natural forestland.
At 1,943 feet (592 meters), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. The depths were first explored thoroughly in 1886 by a party from the U.S. Geological Survey. Their primitive sounding device consisted of a lead pipe attached to piano wire.
And beating out the world-renowned aquamarine coasts of the Maldives, Bora Bora, Croatia and Greece, it turns out Pasqyra aka Mirror Beach in Albania has the world's bluest water.
Stretching all the way down to 1,645 feet deep, Lake Tahoe has beautiful crystal-clear waters at an elevation of 6,225 feet above sea level. Known for its phenomenal clarity, this ancient lake has the purest waters in North America, making this The Clearest Lake in the United States.
A plunge into Lake Tahoe can literally take your breath away. It may be warm outside, but the lake can be dangerously cold. Lake Tahoe's average surface temperature in the summer is 63°F, and can drop to 53°F just 18 inches below the surface.
The main body of Lake Tahoe does not freeze. The stored heat in the Lake's massive amount of water compared to its relative surface area prevents the Lake from reaching freezing temperature under the prevailing climatic conditions.
Lava flowing from Mt. Pluto on the north shore formed a barrier or dam across the basin's outlet. Water from rivers and streams flowed into the Basin, gradually filling it several hundred feet above its present level.
Located just minutes outside of The Pas, MB, this lake is one of few "true blue" lakes in the world, being the clearest lake in Canada, and the second clearest in the world.
Lake George in Upstate New York is recognized as the cleanest lake in the U.S., making it a popular destination for tourists. The lake's cleanliness is attributed to being a headwater lake fed by mountain streams and protected by over 90% natural forestland.
This lake plunges down to about 2,000 feet, making it the deepest lake in the world, as well as one of the freshest. The reason Lake Baikal is so fresh is due to it's volume. It holds around 20% of the world's fresh water.
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