‘Kamyki’ Quarry / Perfect Diver Magazine 19 issue

‘Kamyki’ Quarry

Text ŁUKASZ KIELASZEWSKI

Photos DAMIAN MARCINKOWSKI

Together with Damian, we decided to visit another less known water reservoir. The fins carried us towards Głuszyca Górna (Poland), to the old melaphyre quarry.

'Kamyki', as that is the name of the quarry, began to operate most likely at the beginning of the 20th century under the name of Krause & Co. It is located at 585 m above sea level and the date of its closure is given as the 70s, twentieth century.

Access to the reservoir itself is not difficult, the narrow asphalt road leads directly to the shore.

The descent to the water is quite steep, covered with boulders and stones. In the coastal zone it is quite shallow so you can easily put on your fins, mask and check your equipment before diving.

Sailing on the right side, right next to the shore, we come across the cobbled remains of a building or a bridge, and on the left side, undoubtedly, the greatest attraction awaits us, namely the remains of a metal structure, the foundations of which are located below three meters under the water. The whole thing is noticeable at the surface of the water reservoir, its elements practically stick out above the water (they are marked with a plastic bottle). At the bottom, you can find the remains of machinery used to extract ore, such as metal parts of machines, sections of tracks several meters long or huge loading buckets.

In the coastal zone of around the reservoir there are sunken trees that have been decorated over time with water vegetation and serve as a home for local fish.

The mine is quite a shallow reservoir, only about six meters in the deepest place.

The visibility leaves a lot to be desired,it ranged from a meter to four. Thequarry is surrounded by several hundredmeters long walls which are usedby climbing enthusiasts in summer, andin winter turn into picturesque icefalls.

FROM THE EDITORS

Melaphyre, or palaeobazalt, is an igneous rock with porphyry structure from the Palaeozoic. It has an almond texture and a grey-purple, red-brown or greenish-black tint. It is a Young Paleozoic equivalent of basalt.

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