The Drentsche Diep is a short waterway of approximately 7 kilometres connecting the Winschoterdiep to the Zuidlaardermeer, a natural inland lake in the northern Netherlands. It forms part of the Hunze river system, occupying the stretch between the northern edge of the Zuidlaardermeer and the Winschoterdiep. Geographically, it sits within an ancient glacial valley carved by meltwater, though the flat surrounding landscape gives little visual indication of this origin today.

The waterway has been regulated and its current is minimal — paddlers travelling southward toward the Zuidlaardermeer will be moving upstream but are unlikely to notice any appreciable flow. The course retains a slightly meandering character, a remnant of its natural river origins. Banks are lined with reeds, and the surrounding land consists of pastures and hay meadows, giving the route a quiet, rural character through open agricultural countryside.

Access to the Drentsche Diep from the north is via the Winschoterdiep, departing at approximately canal kilometre 6. At the southern end, the waterway opens into the Zuidlaardermeer. On the port (eastern) side approaching the lake, the Meerwijck camping site and marina offer facilities including berths for vessels up to 7 metres in length, a restaurant, and a supermarket. The Allround Watersport Meerwijck marina on the north-eastern shore of the Zuidlaardermeer provides additional well-equipped mooring facilities.

The Drentsche Diep is also noted as a fishing location, with Northern pike and European perch among the species present in the water. The broader Zuidlaardermeer, into which the Drentsche Diep flows, also supports zander. Paddlers planning a route along this waterway can combine it with time on the Zuidlaardermeer itself, which lies immediately to the south and is a natural inland lake of some size.