1 mines · down to 36 m
Cave diving in Bell Island
- Mines1
- Max depth36 m
- Dive centres1
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Ocean Quest Adventures (St. John's)Air, nitrox and oxygen (included on their trips); helium at extra cost
Why come here
Beneath Bell Island off Newfoundland lies the world's largest submarine iron ore mine, now flooded: pumping stations, stables, mine carts and miners' graffiti in water of ~6 °C. Until 2024 cave divers dived it in small groups led by local instructors, with full cave or full mine certification and cold-water experience. It has not been dived since, the mine museum confirms (November 2026). You can still visit the dry part of No. 2 Mine on the museum's tour; you get to Wabana on the 20-minute ferry from Portugal Cove.
On a rest day
- Bell Island No. 2 Mine Tour & Museum: Local guides take you into the old mine along the Main Slope, dry this time, and the museum tells the story of the island's iron ore mining.
- Bell Island murals: Seven large murals around Wabana show the miners, the mines and island life, from 'The Miner' to a 1942 Christmas scene with more than 200 people.
- Cape Spear: The 1834 lighthouse on the cliff at the most easterly point of North America, just east of St. John's.
All 1 mines
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Island No. 2 Mine (Wabana)⛔ Closed to diversEntry or dive feeBackmount · Full cave | 36 m | Backmount | Full cave |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Dive centres and fill stations
1 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Ocean Quest Adventures (St. John's)
40 O'Leary Ave, St. John's NL (shop); 17 Stanleys Road, Conception Bay South (lodge)
Air, nitrox and oxygen (included on their trips); helium at extra cost
Ask
Guided dives: Bell Island No. 2 Mine (Wabana)
Rental: Doubles and rebreathers for rent
PADI 5 Star IDC centre (since 1997) that runs the wreck dives off Bell Island and used to run the mine dives; the mine is no longer on its website (Oct 2026). For the wrecks: Advanced Open Water with deep training and 30 dives, or 100 dives; no solo diving.
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Wabana and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Where to stay
Find a place near Wabana, St. John's
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- WabanaBooking.com ↗
- St. John'sBooking.com ↗
The links to Booking.com are affiliate links: if you book through one, DiveTripPlanner earns a small commission. You pay the same.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 911. Chamber: Hyperbaric Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, 300 Prince Philip Drive, St. John's (24/7 for emergencies): 709-777-7087. DAN: +1 919 684 9111.
Access and rules
- Requirements (2021–2024): a full cave or full mine certification and cold-water experience; small groups led by local cave instructors, with safety staff.
Gas and fills
- Gas: Ocean Quest supplies air, nitrox and oxygen on its trips, helium at extra cost.
Water and season
- Water: ~6 °C all year in the mine; at the wrecks 0–15 °C. A drysuit with good insulation.
- Season: June–September (best late June and early July); icebergs late June and early July, humpback whales in summer.
Getting around
- Travel: St. John's airport (YYT), then to Portugal Cove for the 20-minute ferry to Bell Island.
Rest day
- Rest day: the No. 2 Mine tour and museum (17 May–12 September, daily 10:00–18:00), walks past the surface mines, whale and iceberg trips from Petty Harbour.
Good to know
- Read this first: Bell Island has the world's largest submarine iron ore mine, and Ocean Quest offered dives there for cave divers until 2024. The mine museum confirms (Nov 2026) that the mine has not been dived since; the information below describes how it was.
- Also: four ore carriers torpedoed by U-boats in 1942 (18–50 m), war graves; Ocean Quest runs boats to them.
News
No recent news found about the caves in this region.
Searched automatically, last on 5 Nov 2026.
No provider in Bell Island yet
The caves here are listed as information only: we don't know a dive centre, guide or club yet that takes visitors, so you can't plan a trip here yet. Do you know one, or are you one? Let us know.