Cave system
Långban Mine
Mine workings reached depths of up to about 365 m. Exploration divers have reached about 160 m; regular dive levels are at about 21, 40, 55, 75 and 90 m. NGDF gives the mine as about 370 m deep and explored to 100-115 m (undated).
Historic mine workings at Långban in Värmland, flooded since closure in 1972 and dived since 2005 by a members-only club working with the Värmland Museum. Dive levels run from about 21 m to 90 m in cold, very clear water.
Långban in Filipstad municipality was mined from the 16th century, commercially from the mid-17th century, until it closed in 1972. When the pumps stopped, the workings flooded from surrounding lakes. Shafts reached as deep as about 365 m once dynamite came into use.
Diving began in 2005, when divers and the Värmland Museum together founded Långbans Dyksällskap (the Långban Diving Society). Divers originally entered through Storgruvan; the entry now is a purpose-built platform in Kollegiegruvan with benches, lighting and a whiteboard for dive plans, plus small underwater habitats at shallow stops.
The club has about 100 active members logging roughly 1,500 dives a year. Dive levels lie at about 21, 40, 55, 75 and 90 m, and exploration teams have reached about 160 m in the Loka shaft. Project divers keep the mine maps updated and document new sections with 3D photogrammetry.
Conditions
Constant 6 °C year-round with visibility up to 40-50 m (club members' 2026 article).
Typical ranges from published sources, not current conditions.
Survey and exploration history
| 1972 | The mine closes and floods after the pumps are switched off. [1] |
| 2005 | First dives in the flooded shafts; Långbans Dyksällskap is founded with the Värmland Museum. [1] |
Entrances and dive sites
One managed diving entry: a platform in Kollegiegruvan (earlier entries were via Storgruvan).
Every fact on this page, with its source (8)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamite, introduced in 1895, allowed mining to depths of up to about 365 m.NGDF gives about 370 m. | Reported | [1] |
| Dive levels are at about 21, 40, 55, 75 and 90 m; the Loka shaft descends to about 150 m and exploration teams have reached about 160 m.Article by club members; NGDF says explored to 100-115 m (older/undated). | Reported | [1] |
| Water is a constant 6 °C year-round. | Reported | [1] [3] |
| Visibility reaches 40-50 m.NGDF gives up to 40 m. | Reported | [1] |
| Access requires membership of Långbans Dyksällskap; new members register at gruvdyk.se, upload certificates and pay a mandatory annual fee, then dive first with a keyholder.No fee amount was found on the registration page. | Reported | [1] [2] [3] |
| After a guided first dive, members may dive the first level (20-30 m) independently and unlock deeper levels by logging dives in line with their training. | Reported | [1] |
| The mine closed in 1972 and flooded; the first dives and the founding of the dive club with the Värmland Museum took place in 2005. | Reported | [1] |
| The club has about 100 active members making about 1,500 dives a year. | Reported | [1] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction