Sauerland · about 2 km from Bestwig
Schieferbergwerk Nuttlar
- Max depth39 m
- CertificationCavern
- Water temperature≈ 7–8 °Cestimated, no reports yet
- SpecialFlooded mine or quarry
Diving and fills
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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 ↗
What it looks like
Bergwerktauchen in Nuttlar (c) 25.06.2016 Tauchen im Schieferbergwerk Nuttlar 27.04.2025 Tauchen im Bergwerk Nuttlar | LetonPower L24 im Ersteinsatz Nuttlar - tiefer Bereich
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Bergwerktauchen in Nuttlar (c) 25.06.2016 Tauchen im Schieferbergwerk Nuttlar 27.04.2025 Tauchen im Bergwerk Nuttlar | LetonPower L24 im Ersteinsatz Nuttlar - tiefer Bereich
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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
Underwater you swim through a slate mine where time seems to have stood still: ore carts on rails, a compressed-air loader, a break room with work jackets still on the hooks, a mine telephone, buckets, pipes, stacked rock walls and cathedral-like chambers.
Profile and sections
Underwater you swim through a slate mine where time seems to have stood still: ore carts on rails, a compressed-air loader, a break room with work jackets still on the hooks, a mine telephone, buckets, pipes, stacked rock walls and cathedral-like chambers. The water is 7–8 °C and visibility is often very good as long as nothing is stirred up.
The mine belonged to the Gessner company, which mined slate underground here from 1878 to 1985. After the pumps stopped, the lower 2 levels flooded over ~7 years (~38 m rise). It has been open to cave divers since June 2013; per Wikipedia and the mine owner it is the largest diveable mine in Germany. The visitor mine closed on 31 March 2023, but diving continues. Maps (PDF) of the systems are on the operator's site.
Practical: independent diving needs full cave certification (e.g. IANTD, NACD, NSS-CDS, GUE, ISE, UTD, PATD, CMAS CH; Cave 1 from other agencies after a check dive), a medical max 2 years old, insurance and ≥100 logged cold-water dives. Without a cave card you can do a guided cavern dive (min OWD, max 8 people, 45 min) or take guidance for tech divers. Fills at the mine (air, nitrox, trimix, O₂).
- Depth and profile
- 2 flooded levels with ~10–12 km of galleries (of ~20 km on 5 levels): middle level to ~-14 m, lower level to ~-30 m (operator); max -39 m per the mine owner; wannadive gives -60 m (unconfirmed). Systems: yellow (Katze), red (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Stollen) and the Tiefe Sohle.
- Configuration
- Backmount, sidemount and CCR. Required: proper thermal protection (drysuit recommended), 2 separate regulators and at least 2 lights. CCR (incl. pSCR) only after a check dive unless you hold a CCR cave certification. No scooters, no solo diving.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable
- Scootering is banned throughout the mine (usage rules §4.7).
Who can dive where
- At least Cavern
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 39 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
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 via Bergwerktauchen UG (Tauchschule Sauerland), April–November Sat–Sun 9:00–18:00. Check in first at the desk, Briloner Straße 48a, 59909 Bestwig; the last ~200 m is an unpaved forest track. From the adit you walk ~30 m in the dark to the underground lake. Day pass €69 (9:00–18:00), 10-day card €590 (valid 3 years), guidance for tech divers without a cave card €129 per dive, cavern taster €69 (45 min) or as VIP €199 (60 min). Bring certification, medical and proof of insurance: without papers no entry and no refund. Booking is compulsory; per X-Ray Mag (2023) max 12 cave divers a day are allowed in, and in winter the mine stays closed for hibernating bats (open at weekends from April to mid-November).
Around Schieferbergwerk Nuttlar
Fills3 fill stations · nearest 0 km
Bergwerktauchen Nuttlar (Tauchschule Sauerland)
Briloner Straße 48a, 59909 Bestwig (Nuttlar)
Air 200/300 bar, nitrox (32 %), trimix and O₂; no price is listed for trimix
April–November Sat–Sun 9:00–18:00
Fills at the mine itself, in the check-in room. Prices at the mine: air 12 l €7.20, 15 l €9, twin 12 l €14.40 (300 bar €21.60), twin 18 l €21.60; EAN32 12 l €14.40, twin 12 l €20.90; O₂ 40 cft €15, 80 cft €30. Rental gear only via the dive school, not at the mine. Own compressors are banned on site.
See im Berg (TauchCenter Bielefeld), Messinghausen
Diemelseestraße, 59929 Brilon (Messinghausen)
Air 200 and 300 bar; helium and oxygen
April–November Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00
Fill station at an open diabase quarry lake (to ~-45 m, day pass €30, min AOWD and 100 dives). Run by TauchCenter Bielefeld (IANTD training). Whether you can get fills without diving the lake: ask.
Bergwerktauchen Felicitas
Zum Heilstollen, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg)
Air, nitrox and O₂ (2024 article); helium/trimix not mentioned — ask
Sat–Sun 9:00–18:00, other days by arrangement
Fills only when booked in advance. Hall of ~600 m² with storage and a repair workshop; cave-diving school (IART) that also teaches a nitrox/trimix gas-blender course (€350). Walk-in fills without diving: ask.
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Caves nearby2 within 21 km
News
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 13 Nov 2026.
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