Splash: Lake TLV

Tel Aviv's newest place to get outdoors is a man-made lake in the center of the city

30 ביוני 2014

While many of us are content to spend hot afternoons lounging on the Mediterranean shore, some crave summer activities that bring a rush of adrenaline. For adventurous locals and vacationers, Tel Aviv’s Begin Park offers Lake TLV, a man-made lake with world-class cable waterskiing facilities.Though the lake, open year-round, hosts tournaments for Israeli and European athletes in October and May, July is the high season for families and beginners. First-time visitors watch a short instructional video and receive safety tips from instructors before diving in (literally); according to Lake TLV’s staff, it usually takes two to three tries to first get out of the water.

Photo courtesy of PR
Photo courtesy of PR

 Some quick learners might advance to one of the lake’s seven obstacle courses, which contain jumpers and gliders frequented by professionals. But if you’re exhausted after a few hours of the high-intensity sport, you might conclude your visit by sipping a cold drink at TLV’s new outdoor café or bar; some visitors come just for the eateries’ beautiful lakeside views. For young athletes, Lake TLV provides one and two-week long summer programs, where campers learn Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) and acrobatics as well as cable water skiing. For their mothers, the lake also offers a course taught exclusively by women, for women, held on Friday mornings. An adrenaline-filled summer day merits a fun-filled summer night, so LakeTLV holds weekly parties and evening events, with a schedule updated weekly on its Facebook page.

NIS 110 for one hour, NIS 160 for two hours (recommended time), and NIS 350 for a daily pass. Two-week summer camp NIS 1,150 Register on laketlv.co.il