Sabine Kerkau

Diving the Christine Slate Mine of Germany

August 08, 2018 - 11:24

The story is found:

on page 72

Diving is one of the most varied sports one can imagine. In the beginning, it is the colorful fish and warm waters that inspire new divers. But after some years, for many divers, this is not enough. For these divers, wreck diving and cave diving offer exciting alternatives. If you are interested in both, a whole new exciting world can also be found in mines and mine diving.

Personally, my real passion is diving deep wrecks; however, due to weather, most wreck expeditions only take place between May and October. So, some years ago, I came up with the idea of pursuing cave diving. It’s pretty nice, but for me, in the long run, it’s too boring.

Technical Diving

Locations

Aircraft Wrecks of Gran Canaria

April 09, 2018 - 11:03

The story is found:

on page 8

For over a year, I had been looking forward to a very special expedition that was planned for May 2014. But as you know, life does not always go the way you plan. The expedition was postponed, and once again, I had to find an alternative, at relatively short notice.

After getting some interesting offers in March 2014, I met a rebreather diver from Gran Canaria at the Dive and Travel Show in Madrid. He suggested that I come to Gran Canaria for wreck diving.

Aircraft

Forgotten Wrecks of Laredo

December 05, 2016 - 13:04

The story is found:

on page 77

Croatia, Italy, France—these European destinations have long been coveted insider knowledge for technical and wreck divers. But what about Spain? Technical diving is still in its infancy in Spain. Nevertheless, there are some dive centers in the Mediterranean, as well as on the Atlantic coast of Europe, which offer trimix. There are countless worthwhile destinations in Spain.

The Atlantic is unpredictable. If you want to do technical wreck diving off the coast of northern Spain, you must be flexible enough to deal with conditions that change very quickly.

Liners and ferries

Mine Quest 2 Expedition

April 17, 2016 - 18:32

The story is found:

on page 71

Last summer, my path led me for the first time to Newfoundland, Canada, more precisely to the town of Conception Bay South. Cave explorer Jill Heinerth invited me along with Rick Stanley, the owner of Ocean Quest Adventure Resort, to dive some wrecks in the bay. On this occasion, Stanley told us about a project whose realization he has been working toward for several years.

In Conception Bay South is Bell Island, which is the location of an iron ore mine, disused since 1966. Many years ago, part of this mine was developed into a mining museum. Regular tours take place in the dry part of the mine.

Cave Diving

Locations

France: Focke-Wulf 58 Wreck

January 02, 2016 - 22:09

The story is found:

on page 71

There are places in the world where time seems to stand still, where you will find contemporary witnesses of events that can take your breath away. I visited just such a place more than 100 meters deep in a French lake—Lac du Bourget. Here, for more than 70 years, rests a Focke-Wulf Fw 58C—a German WWII airplane. This particular aircraft is one of the last of its kind that exist in the world.

On the nights of 26 and 27 November 1942, Airport Bruon in France was under German control. The Navigation School Number 4 of the 3rd Air Fleet was housed there. Young students were trained on the Focke-Wulf Fw 58C aircraft to become radio operators of the bomb squadron of the air force.

Kowary Uranium Mine of Poland

January 02, 2016 - 22:04

The story is found:

on page 82

Diving in old mines and tunnels is becoming more and more popular. More and more cave divers are discovering a love for the exploration of these unique time capsules.

In recent years, I have had the chance to dive a series of mines. Mainly these were iron mines and slate mines, which have been opened for years to trained cave divers. However, as is the case everywhere, the law of supply and demand also applies to mine diving.

Technical Diving