Tag 59 - Diving in the Nuttlar slate mine

Hello everyone!

Today we went diving in a real mine! Soooo awesome!!!

So, we woke up and had breakfast as usual :)

Since we still have the inflatable boat in the camper interior (we still need to find a definitive place for it in our "garage"), it had to be moved from the passenger compartment to the bed. Please don't ask why it's currently on the bed or in the driving area... Those who know our space limitations will understand ;).

Then we prepared a few more things, went to the bank to get cash, and actually arrived on time at the diving school :).

We were warmly greeted by Oli - Oli was our guide for the trip - and we unloaded our tanks for filling.

Oli explained the dive profile to us using a map and answered all our questions. Then it was time to move on: Since we didn't have space for the camper in front of the mine, we loaded our equipment into Oli's car and drove together to the entrance.

There was a container that represented the entrance. We walked to the entry point together and discussed the last details. Then we prepared our dive gear and got dressed. The mask was ready, the lights, the camera, the gloves... The fins... Damn, where are our fins??! We awkwardly walked back to Oli and he already suspected it: "What did you forget?" Patiently, he drove with Kevin back to the base to get our fins, while I held the fort upstairs. After the guys returned, we were finally ready to go :).

We descended and it was simply magnificent! Crystal clear water, old rails, slate stones, and wheelbarrows. When we held the light towards the ceiling, it reflected and shimmered fascinatingly at the bottom of the mine. Kevin is usually a more frantic diver, so I was very curious to see how he would behave at this dive spot. Often we were only at a depth of 1-3 meters and an energetic fin stroke would be enough to severely impair visibility. Those of you who are divers will probably know what I mean. But: He dived so calmly and balanced... I almost didn't recognize him underwater! Really great! Both of us kept looking up at the ceiling and neither of us felt even a bit uncomfortable or confined - maybe cave diving will still be possible?

But back to the dive: in the larger sections it was, once you inhaled or briefly held your breath: completely silent! That in itself was absolutely fascinating! When we dived into a narrower passage, it sounded like a train passing by. At first, I thought it was a bass or something... Oli later explained to us that it was our exhaled air, which flowed along the ceiling. After about 50 minutes, the dive was already over. Honestly, I wasn't completely upset because after just 20 minutes, I felt water in my wetsuit... There must be a leak somewhere... And at eight degrees Celsius cold water, it quickly becomes uncomfortable....

But it was an incredible experience for both of us and we enjoyed every minute of it!

Out of the water, we loaded all our gear back into Oli's vehicle and then back into the camper. We met for a quick chat at the dive center before we continued on our journey.

A big thank you to Oli! Great job, we felt comfortable from the beginning!

Just a quick note about the pictures... They're not great, but we hope you can still get a little impression of our adventure today :). Oli also took some shots, as soon as we receive them, we will of course share them with you.

Onward we go! After about three hours of driving, we arrived at the Nürburgring. It's really great here! It's already starting on the road, everyone wants to be seen. Everything is here: from a simple small car, to luxury cars, to lovingly restored favorites. Pictures of the track will follow tomorrow ;).

So, now we're ending and we'll give you a new update tomorrow ;).

Until then!

Oh yeah: the pictures from yesterday are now complete ;)