The Långban Gruva (Långban Mine) in the municipality of Filipstad in Värmland was opened in the 16th century and closed its doors in 1972. Located in Långbans Gruv och Kulturby (Långban Mining and Culture Village), the mine’s dive base is now operated by Långbans Dyksällskap (Långban Dive Club).

When you are young, you are bold. You have no fear of anything, being naturally confident, especially if you have plenty of muscles, tattoos and are stuffed with a big ego. All in all, a strong, self-assured attitude. You are ready to tackle any challenges that would boost your self-esteem. It is a zest for adventure, a visceral pull towards the unknown and the excitement of an adrenaline rush. Cave diving can lure you into a new dimension when you are mentally ready for the exploration of the underworld.

A dry plateau in northern Namibia. A field of tuff and lava rock. There is a small hole in it. It turns out to be the entrance to a cave system. Everyone is curious. After all, there is an explorer or researcher in each of us. It seems that we are always interested in finding out more about our environment.

Plura Valley is a technical and cave diving resort located in northern Norway, just below the Arctic Circle. It has been run by Ina and Jani Santala Jordbru for the last seven years. They host over 1,000 technical and cave dives every year. The resort is all-inclusive, in terms of diving, with a full technical diving centre attached to cosy Nordic accommodation in the picturesque Plura Valley, with full catering and, of course, a dive-themed bar.

It was time to dive an old slate mine. So, we headed to Sauerland in Germany, where there is a little town called Nuttlar. The town, which has about 1,700 inhabitants, is a district in the municipality of Bestwig, located in northern Hochsauerlandkreis (North Rhine-Westphalia). 

There was not even a star in the heavens tonight. The vault of the sky was obscured by clouds that, pushed by the northern winds, reached this flap of South Africa on the border with Swaziland.

Nature here was wild. Metre after metre, civilisation marked by the surrounding villages seemed to slowly disappear, swallowed by the primordial forest. It was a green wave merging everything together and defining the landscape as an infinite expanse of trees from which primeval peaks emerged.

It was my fifth time visiting Yucatán in the last five years. Back in 2017, I had taken part in a TDI Sidemount Cave Course in Playa del Carmen. In 2018, I dived the cenotes around Merida and was back again the following year for more. In 2020, my cave training was pushed one step further with a Stage Cave Course in Playa and with a DPV Cave Course (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) in Tulum—even more exciting, but nonetheless challenging. At this level, you cannot use an underwater camera anymore, since you need both hands to deal with the equipment.