Rostock's divers are threatened with extinction: Neptune Hall must be renovated!

Rostock's divers are threatened with extinction: Neptune Hall must be renovated!

In the heart of Rostock, more precisely in the Neptun swimming pool, water sports enthusiasts are currently having mixed feelings about the future. NDR Kultur visited the Rostock diving club on June 20, 2025 and brought not only the club's sporting successes to light, but also its challenges. Moderator Julia Westlake interviewed former Olympian Jaden Eikermann, who won gold at the German Championships in 2020 and took part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris in both 2021 and 2024.

“Diving is like flying,” is how Ole Rösler, also a successful diver from Rostock, describes the fascination of his sport. But despite the poetic comparison, the club faces serious problems. The Neptune swimming hall urgently needs to be renovated, which poses immense challenges for the divers because they lose their central training location. The condition of the hall is a thorn in the side of the club's chairman, Annette Rösler. Over the past 15 years she has been closely connected to the sport through her son, a talented diver, and knows the importance of this hall for many athletes.

Need for renovation and its consequences

The Neptune swimming hall, which has been in operation since 1955 and has a high reputation in water sports, not only houses a diving pool, but also numerous activities such as diving, water polo and school swimming. But the necessary renovations, which have been continuously initiated by the city's building construction department since the 1990s, have now reached a new peak. The hall, whose complex also includes, among other things, a 50-meter and a 25-meter hall, is now facing an exceptional investment need to ensure its functionality and safety. This is particularly important since the 25-meter hall is due to undergo energy-efficient renovation in 2024, which will take several years.

As part of these renovation measures, some projects are already in the pipeline. The energy-saving renovation and the modernization of the shower area in the 25-meter hall are just a few examples that will require a total investment of around 9.2 million euros. These measures are not only important for current athletes; They are also crucial for the future of diving in the Rostock region.

The support of the community

During a visit, diver Philipp Schmid demonstrated his talents by playing the electric piano near the diving pool during the NDR interview. Monika Dietrich, an experienced jumper and trainer, was also there and shared her impressions of the sport she loves so much. The athletes and coaches agree that the Neptune swimming pool is their “second home”. “Without this hall we cannot train because the other options are far too far away,” added Rösler and appealed to the importance of the location for all athletes.

The city of Rostock has a particular focus on water sports, especially diving, as it is one of the five federal bases in Germany, which, in addition to Rostock, also include Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden and Halle (Saale). The tradition of diving in the region is deeply rooted. Not only are talents discovered here, they are also encouraged. This backdrop illustrates the value of the Neptune Swimming Hall for the next generation of divers.

So the future is uncertain, but also promising. It takes the joint effort of the city and community to ensure that the divers from Rostock can continue to “fly” – both indoors and on the international stage.