North Wales, Great Britain
Aber Las Slate Mine
- Max depth20 m
- CertificationFull cave
- SpecialSidemount
Diving and fills
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What it looks like
aber las - mine diving February 2016 @ssi_international Full Mine diving at AberLas mine in wales. Aberlas - Slate Mine Scuba Dive Aberlas Slate Mine, Abandoned Slate Mine Diving. Wales, UK. (via shallow passage)
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Videos and posts
From other divers, via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. They only load when you click; after that, Google's or Meta's privacy rules apply.
aber las - mine diving February 2016 @ssi_international Full Mine diving at AberLas mine in wales. Aberlas - Slate Mine Scuba Dive Aberlas Slate Mine, Abandoned Slate Mine Diving. Wales, UK. (via shallow passage)
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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
From the dive base two passages lead off, one to the deep route and one into the main shallow tunnel, and a round trip is possible.
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
From the dive base two passages lead off, one to the deep route and one into the main shallow tunnel, and a round trip is possible. Long railed haulage ways link the many large chambers, with side passages and superb mine artefacts in situ. UKMC divers have lined much of the mine: the main lines run down the haulage ways, and reaching the lines in the individual chambers takes a jump. Visibility is usually very good, except at the dive base, where a stream washes slate dust into the pool that you stir up while getting ready.
According to UKMC, Aber Las is the club's 'spiritual home' and the jewel in its crown. It was found after a chance meeting with the landowner during a dive at neighbouring Cambrian, and the UKMC founders began exploring in 2013. Some eight months later they reached the end of the shallow section at 588 m, and later a link with Cambrian was confirmed, which a collapse has since made impassable.
Practical: UKMC members get location maps, dive maps and surveys of the mine.
- Depth and profile
- Two levels: the shallow one averaging ~8 m (UKMC; TDI: the main shallow tunnel at 12 m) and the deep one ~20 m. They join at the dive base and at the 'Stairway to Heaven', ~225 m in. The end of the shallow section is 588 m from the dive base.
- Configuration
- No public information on configurations; the ~80 m shaft to the dive base makes sidemount the most practical (estimate). Backmount and rebreathers are possible but heavy to carry down.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- An ~80 m shaft to the dive base and dives of up to ~600 m: little gain for the carry.
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR
- Goes down to 20 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
- Experienced divers only
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
Only with BCA membership and the landowner's permission, requested through UKMC; you do not dive here without permission (TDI). The mine lies next to Cambrian, near Glyn Ceiriog. A steeply inclined shaft of ~80 m is walked down to the dive base; the slate debris underfoot is slippery, especially with heavy dive kit.
Around Aber Las Slate Mine
FillsNo fill station known nearby
Other sites2
News
All (1)
Accidents and incidents
What happened at this cave before, with the sources. No names are given; read it as a lesson for your own planning.
- Fatal diving accident at Aber Las in August 2014, ~300 m into the flooded section.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines. Search for more news ↗ Searched automatically, last on 5 Nov 2026.
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