Diving in a Black Marble MINE // Anhee Belgium
This episode was shot on the Insta360 Ace Pro. You can get it here at a discount, and it supports the DiveSAGA channel: 👉 https://www.insta360.com/sal/ace-pro?...
Get ready for our darkest episode yet! As we dive into the majestic insides of a black marble mine in Belgium. In today’s episode on the DiveSAGA channel
⚡ SUBSCRIBE to the channel
📸 Follow us on INSTAGRAM
/ divesaga
📖 Get the BOOK "Career in SCUBA"
https://amzn.to/32kpaja
📰 Read SAGA MAGAZINE
http://www.divesaga.com/magazine
📱 Follow us on FACEBOOK
/ divesaga
I earn a commission from the following Amazon links:
🧑🚀 SCUBA EQUIPMENT I USE
https://www.amazon.com/shop/divesaga
Regulators: https://amzn.to/470maYA
Sidemount Harness: https://amzn.to/3GQOSQI
Mask: https://amzn.to/3TKO7AL
Dive light: https://amzn.to/476BlPM
Fins: https://amzn.to/4752ToN
Wetsuit: https://amzn.to/3Ru5SBc
Today we are visiting the tiny village of Anhee near Dinant in the province of Namur in Belgium. A region that is historically known for its former mining economy. Today, most mines are closed and flooded, making it an attractive destination for cave divers.
Today’s dive site is hidden in the woods. It’s a known dive site for which permission, and key access, from the speleology federation is needed. I love locations like this!
Behind these gates lies nothing less than a marble, brutalistic cathedral. The diagonal fashion in which the mine has been excavated gives it an iconic and somewhat unsettling appearance. An opening in the ceiling illuminates the majestic entrance.
Mine diving requires much of the same preparation as cave diving and should not be attempted by untrained individuals. Once our diving equipment is set up and checked, everything needs to be transported to the dive site. This is a somewhat arduous process because the natural environment around the mine is left purposely undisturbed. While moving my equipment back and forth, I can’t help but be in complete awe of what looks almost like a James Bond movie set.
After donning our equipment and performing the necessary checks, we are ready to descend into the belly of the beast. This is such a cool location. And by cool, I mean the water receives no daylight and is a nippy 8 degrees Celsius or 46 degrees Fahrenheit… Adequate thermal protection is a must because as with all overhead environments there is no option to immediately abort the dive. The distance covered on the way in, needs to be backtracked before we can exit.
Because we had to don most of our equipment in the water, the sediment in the descent area has been stirred up quite a bit, so we follow the line to clearer water. Even when the visibility clears up, our surroundings are pitch black. I’ve done quite a few mine dives and sometimes they can be surprisingly colorful. But this black marble mine gives nothing.
The diagonal walls we found in the mine’s entrance are also present underwater. They reveal interesting textures but are also somewhat disorienting because your mind wants to interpret them as vertical. It feels like we are being transported to another dimension. But as cool as that is, the same hidden dangers as always apply. Such as the loose sediment on the bottom that is extremely fine and volatile. Even minimal loss of buoyancy control would spell certain doom in this black marble temple. Now that I think of it, it does look a bit like a tomb..
Under the sediment, the story of the last few days of labor in this mine is being told. A dive like this can feel like time travel and space travel all at the same time. Especially when every little bit of light around us gets sucked into oblivion. For lack of a better description: this feels like SCUBA diving on the moon! My cameras are doing an amazing job at capturing the scene like they do.
Near the end of the line, the space opens up wide like a black underground cathedral.The view is breathtaking .. This also marks the turning point for our dive and we do have a long swim back towards our exit point. It’s hard to explain the surreal feeling one gets when being deep underground, underwater in a man made structure that is so bombastic to behold, yet meant to be forgotten. Documenting places like this is one of the primary reasons why the DiveSAGA channel exists.
Please remember that cave and mine diving are highly specialized activities that require thorough training, practice and planning, as well as specialized equipment and is not something that should ever be attempted without. Furthermore, this black marble mine in Anhee is locked for a reason and trespassing is illegal.
I would also like to thank my fellow cave diver Yorick for setting up this dive.
00:00 Introduction
01:12 Insta360 Ace Pro
01:52 Geting to the dive site
04:01 Prepping the camera equipment
05:00 Getting in the water
06:21 The dive
10:28 Epilogue
Watch video Diving in a Black Marble MINE // Anhee Belgium online without registration, duration hours minute second in high quality. This video was added by user Dive SAGA - Scuba diving 03 October 2024, don't forget to share it with your friends and acquaintances, it has been viewed on our site 3,10 once and liked it 14 people.