5 mines · down to 72 m · 3 suitable for an intro team
Mine diving in the Sauerland
- Mines5
- Max depth72 m
- Water temperature7–9 °C
- Dive centres4
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Fill stationBergwerktauchen Nuttlar (Tauchschule Sauerland)Air 200/300 bar, nitrox (32 %), trimix and O₂; no price is listed for trimixRoute ↗
- Fill stationSee im Berg (TauchCenter Bielefeld), MessinghausenAir 200 and 300 bar; helium and oxygenRoute ↗
- Fill stationBergwerktauchen FelicitasAir, nitrox and O₂ (2024 article); helium/trimix not mentioned — askRoute ↗
Why come here
The Sauerland means flooded slate mines, where ore carts on rails, machinery and tools still stand underwater as if the miners had just gone home. Nuttlar and Felicitas are dived with a day pass from the dive base, Christine and Schwalefeld near Willingen through a club, at depths from -14 to -72 m. Without a cave card you can only join a guided dive at Nuttlar and Felicitas; independent diving needs a cave or mine certification (full cave at Nuttlar), and Schwalefeld is for full cave divers only. The water is 7–9 °C all year, so a drysuit is a must, and everywhere you need a dive medical, insurance and a logbook. Bestwig sits centrally between the mines.
Don't miss
- Schieferbergwerk Nuttlar: a slate mine where time seems to have stood still, with ore carts on rails, a break room with work jackets still on the hooks and cathedral-like chambers in 7–8 °C water.
- Schieferbergwerk Felicitas: chambers around 15 m long and 4–5 m high with hoists, ore carts and saw and splitting machines, and the Barbaratunnel leading deeper into the mine.
- Schiefergrube Christine: ore carts, mining tools, wooden boots and miners' personal belongings in several galleries with side passages, not all of them marked.
On a rest day
- Ramsbeck visitor mine: In Bestwig an original mine train takes you into the mountain, where the tour passes a 420 m deep blind shaft, with a mining museum above ground.
- Atta Cave: In Attendorn you walk a circuit of about 500 m through a lit dripstone cave that has been open to visitors since 1907.
- Kahler Asten: On this 841 m mountain near Winterberg the glass viewing room of the Astenturm gives you a panoramic view.
All 5 mines
1 closed not shown ·
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schieferbergwerk FelicitasEntry or dive feeBackmount · Cavern | 52 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Schieferbergwerk NuttlarEntry or dive feeBackmount · Cavern | 39 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Schiefergrube ChristinePermission neededEntry or dive feeBackmount · Cavern | 46 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Schiefergrube SchwalefeldPermission neededEntry or dive feeBackmount · Full cave | 72 m | Backmount | Full cave |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Map
Dive centres and fill stations
4 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Fill station
Bergwerktauchen Nuttlar (Tauchschule Sauerland)
Briloner Straße 48a, 59909 Bestwig (Nuttlar)
- Air 200/300 bar, nitrox, trimix and O₂
Dive centre
See im Berg (TauchCenter Bielefeld), Messinghausen
Diemelseestraße, 59929 Brilon (Messinghausen)
- Air 200 and 300 bar
- IANTD
Dive centre
Bergwerktauchen Felicitas
Zum Heilstollen, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg)
- Air, nitrox and O₂
- IART
- Schieferbergwerk Felicitas
Fill station
Tauchschule Sorpesee (Tauchschule Sauerland)
Ameckerstraße 16, 59846 Sundern
- Air 200/300 bar, nitrox up to 36 %, O₂
- Dive equipment
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Bestwig 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 Bestwig, Brilon, Willingen (Upland), Bad Fredeburg (Schmallenberg), Meschede
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- BestwigBooking.com ↗
- BrilonBooking.com ↗
- Willingen (Upland)Booking.com ↗
- Bad Fredeburg (Schmallenberg)Booking.com ↗
- MeschedeBooking.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
- Call 112. Chambers with emergency service (GTÜM list, Jan 2025): Knappschafts-Kliniken Gelsenkirchen, Schernerweg 4, 45894 Gelsenkirchen, +49 209 5902 7233 (closest, ~1¼ h drive from Bestwig, estimate; call ahead); Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, +49 172 109 91 12 / +49 173 710 66 00 (30 min advance notice); Druckkammerzentren Rhein Main Taunus, Schiersteiner Straße 42, 65187 Wiesbaden, +49 611 192 22 (30 min advance notice). DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
Access and rules
- Access: all mines are private; you dive only via the operator or club. Nuttlar: booking compulsory, day pass at the Bergwerktauchen desk (Apr–Nov, Sat–Sun 9:00–18:00); per X-Ray Mag (2023) max 12 cave divers a day, and closed in winter for hibernating bats. Felicitas: day pass (€59, also for Mon–Fri) or guidance (€200, two guided dives with fills) online, Sat–Sun 9:00–18:00 and other days by arrangement, year-round. Christine and Schwalefeld: application to the Scapehander club (scapehander.de), €50 per day after confirmation, year-round.
- Papers: cave card (for CCR also CCR cave), dive medical (Nuttlar max 2 years, Scapehander max 1 year old), insurance and logbook (Nuttlar: ≥100 logged cold-water dives). Without papers no entry and no refund (Nuttlar).
- Rules: scooters banned at Nuttlar, Christine and Schwalefeld; no solo diving (Nuttlar); in the club mines no training, don't move lines and take your markers out; no own compressors or generators at the mines.
Gas and fills
- Gas: Tauchschule Sauerland fills at the Nuttlar mine (Sat–Sun) and at the Sorpesee in Sundern (Wed–Sun): air 200/300 bar, nitrox up to 36 %, O₂. Felicitas fills when booked in advance (air, nitrox, O₂). Helium: TauchCenter Bielefeld at the See im Berg (Brilon-Messinghausen, Apr–Nov Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00) lists air 200/300 bar, helium and oxygen. Walk-in fills and trimix: ask.
Water and season
- Water: 7–9 °C year-round → drysuit, 2 separate regulators and 2–3 lights.
Safety
- General advice in mines: expect loose rock, old cables and sharp metal, rust and silt that stir up quickly, shafts and air pockets with bad air — never breathe them. Stay on the fixed lines.
Rest day
- Rest day: the See im Berg (Messinghausen) is an open diabase quarry lake to ~-45 m without overhead (min AOWD and 100 dives, €30 per day); the Grube Christiane in Diemelsee-Adorf is a dry visitor mine (tour ~90 min, 9 °C).
Good to know
- Bases: Bestwig for Nuttlar, Willingen for Christine and Schwalefeld, Bad Fredeburg for Felicitas; Brilon and Meschede lie in between.
- More mine diving in Germany: Saxony has the Altes Kalkbergwerk Miltitz, the Felsendome Rabenstein and the Marmorbruch Crottendorf.
News
News articles that mention one of the caves in this region, collected automatically and not checked by us.
- No Angels and much more: what awaits you at the „Sparkassen Bergwerk Festival" in Kleinenbremen ↗
- Diving in the old Nuttlar slate mine – Nitrox (IANTD) no. 6 ↗
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines.
Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
Going to the Sauerland with your team?
Marcel finds the sites that match your team's certifications.
Plan a trip