Michał Rachwalski – Deep Diving Instructor, Explorer, and Underwater Photographer
Michał Rachwalski is one of Poland’s most experienced technical divers — a rebreather instructor, cave and wreck explorer, and a talented photographer. He discovered his passion for water early in life as a lifeguard and sailor, and since 2000 he has been diving continuously in all kinds of conditions: from flooded quarries and lakes, through Baltic wrecks, to vast cave systems. His motto seems simple — “It doesn’t matter where, as long as it’s underwater” — but Rachwalski’s career shows that the underwater world has become not only his adventure, but also his profession and educational mission.
From the First Breath Underwater to “Deep Silence”
“From the very first breath on a CCR (closed-circuit rebreather), I knew this was my world!” — says Rachwalski, recalling the moment when technical diving completely captivated him. He quickly switched from traditional scuba systems to rebreathers, and for many years now he has been diving exclusively on closed-circuit systems. As an instructor, he trains divers only in this area. He runs his own training center, Deep Silence, which specializes in advanced rebreather courses — from the basics to trimix and cave CCR diving.
The name “Deep Silence” refers to the extraordinary sense of calm that reigns beneath the surface. Rachwalski himself is known as a composed and meticulous person who accepts no compromises when it comes to safety and equipment quality, placing strong emphasis on professionalism in training. His colleagues describe him as always smiling, optimistic, and passionate — someone who eagerly shares his experience with those who want to enter the world of rebreathers safely.
His students appreciate his individual approach — Rachwalski believes that people and their safety are the most important aspects of diving. That’s why he dedicates every free moment to improving his own skills so he can pass on his knowledge even more effectively. The phrase “Extend your limits” perfectly fits his diving philosophy — the best example being his record-breaking 156-meter dive in a flooded uranium mine.
Depth Records and Extraordinary Expeditions
Rachwalski became known throughout Poland on April 21, 2015, when he set a new national record in cave diving. During the exploration of the flooded Podgórze uranium mine in Kowary, he reached a depth of 157 meters, surpassing the previous record (132 m) by nearly twenty meters.
This dive to the bottom of Poland’s deepest dive site crowned years of preparation — Rachwalski and his friends had previously explored the mine’s tunnels many times, discovering submerged dams and laying guide lines in uncharted shafts. Returning from such depth required nearly four hours of decompression, and the record holder admitted right after surfacing that “in moments like this, you only think about getting out” — though a smile of relief and triumph appeared on his face.
Technical divers emphasize that the Kowary mine still holds many secrets — its flooded shafts descend hundreds of meters deep into the mountain, so future records may still await bold explorers.
Beyond the legendary Kowary dive, Rachwalski has taken part in dozens of other remarkable expeditions. He specializes in wreck and cave diving, having explored, among others, wrecks of the Baltic Sea (including a Polish expedition to a sunken German cruiser off the coast of Sweden) and challenging flooded cave and mine systems in Poland and abroad. Diving on his Hammerhead CCR, he has reached places inaccessible to most divers — capturing on camera the cenotes of the Yucatán and the underwater labyrinths of long-abandoned mines. On such expeditions, he combines the roles of researcher and documentarian — in dark tunnels illuminated only by a beam of light, he creates unforgettable images that reveal an underwater world unseen by ordinary eyes. As he once described the atmosphere deep underground: “Silence, darkness, and the beam of a torch revealing history written in stone — together they create an atmosphere beyond words.” It’s no wonder he strives to share those experiences with others.
Through the Lens: Press and Social Media
Underwater photography is an integral part of Michał Rachwalski’s diving passion. His images are published in industry magazines and on popular social media profiles, where he often reveals the behind-the-scenes of capturing frames from the “deep silence.” He documents not only the beauty of underwater landscapes but also the technical aspects of extreme dives — from complex equipment setups to moments of groundbreaking discoveries.
Rachwalski’s photographic style combines exploration with artistic sensibility: his photos capture the majesty of sunken wrecks and caves, brought out of the darkness through perfectly arranged lighting. Some of these images have gained recognition in international competitions — in 2025, one of his photos taken on a historic wreck won an award at an underwater photography festival in the Mediterranean.
Rachwalski is often both the author and the subject of photographs — fellow photographers say he can pose perfectly, anticipating the photographer’s intentions. “Every dive is a step forward — growth and pushing the limits of one’s abilities,” he once wrote on his profile, and those words reflect his approach to photography as well.
Inspiring the Next Generation
As his career developed, Michał Rachwalski became a well-known promoter of diving in the media. His achievements have been covered by national news outlets, and he has appeared on television programs — including a morning show on TVP2, where he spoke about his underwater adventures, encouraging viewers to explore the unknown.
In interviews and lectures, he emphasizes the educational aspect of his work: he wants to inspire but also to teach responsibility. On social media (Facebook, Instagram), he regularly shares stories from his expeditions, underwater photographs, and practical tips for divers. His profiles are followed by thousands of enthusiasts, for whom he has become a living symbol of Polish technical diving. He also collaborates with diving magazines, which eagerly publish his articles and images from his most fascinating explorations.
Exploration, Education, Documentation
Michał Rachwalski embodies the three core elements of the diving world: exploration, education, and documentation. As a technical instructor with over two decades of experience underwater, he has trained many divers, instilling in them the philosophy of safety and continual self-improvement.
As an explorer, he ventures into places untouched by daylight — from the dark depths of Polish mines to tropical caves. And as a photographer, he brings images out of that darkness that both captivate and inspire new generations of adventurers.
Together, these facets form the portrait of a man for whom the “deep silence” of the underwater world has become a second home — and who knows how to invite us there, so we too can experience, if only for a moment, the magic of the depths.
Photo Caption - Top of page: Tuna Hästberg Mine (Sweden) – Mirror Tunnel (Sweden)
A diver hovers in the “Mirror Tunnel” of the Tuna Hästberg mine in Sweden, where perfectly still water creates the illusion of a double world. The crystal-clear, icy-cold water (around 4°C) acts like a mirror, reflecting the rock passage so flawlessly that it’s hard to tell where reality ends and reflection begins. Illuminated by vibrant lights, this chamber turns into an underwater fairy-tale scene — one of the mine’s most magical spots, cherished by explorers.
Click on Images to Enlarge
1 - Above: Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich – Parker Line (Mexico)
Deep inside Mexico’s Nohoch Nah Chich cenote system, a diver glides along Parker’s Line — a shallow cave passage richly adorned with formations. Every surface here is covered in delicate speleothems, from a forest of spiky stalactites to rippling calcite “curtains,” making this route one of the prettiest in the entire cave. The water is crystal clear and only about 5–6 m deep, allowing for lengthy explorations. Drifting through these white limestone halls feels like swimming through a flooded crystal palace, inspiring awe and tranquility in equal measure.
2 - Tuna Hästberg Mine (Sweden)
Exploring the abandoned Tuna Hästberg iron mine is like stepping back in time. In the flooded tunnels, divers encounter remnants of the past: rusted ore carts, tools, and even personal items left behind when the mine closed in 1968. The deeper levels have remained untouched since the day the miners left — equipment frozen in place under a layer of silt. Gliding past a decaying wagon on the tunnel floor, the diver feels an eerie connection to history — a mix of thrill and reverence in this submerged industrial time capsule.
3 - Above: Tuna Hästberg Mine (Sweden)
Far beneath the Swedish forests, the Tuna Hästberg mine presents divers with a vast labyrinth of chambers and passages. Thick pillars of rock support the ceilings of immense halls, and narrow shafts drop away into impenetrable darkness. The only light comes from the divers’ torches, cutting through the black water to reveal walls scarred by decades of blasting. The silence is absolute — broken only by the hiss of the diver’s bubbles — creating an eerie atmosphere. It’s a demanding overhead environment, but for those trained to handle it, an unforgettable adventure into an alien underground world.
4 - Below: Felicitas Mine (Germany)
Far beneath the Swedish forests, the Tuna Hästberg mine presents divers with a vast labyrinth of chambers and passages. Thick pillars of rock support the ceilings of immense halls, and narrow shafts drop away into impenetrable darkness. The only light comes from the divers’ torches, cutting through the black water to reveal walls scarred by decades of blasting. The silence is absolute — broken only by the hiss of the diver’s bubbles — creating an eerie atmosphere. It’s a demanding overhead environment, but for those trained to handle it, an unforgettable adventure into an alien underground world.
A diver ventures into the Swiss Siphon passage of Cenote Jailhouse near Tulum, Mexico — one of the most spectacular cave passages in the region. After nearly an hour of swimming from the entrance, the reward is an otherworldly scene: the tunnel is extremely decorated, with a forest of stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone covering every surface. Here, below the halocline in salt water, the formations gleam pure white in the diver’s lights, and the visibility is crystal clear. Reaching such a remote spot requires meticulous planning and technical skill, but the beauty of the Swiss Siphon — like an underwater limestone cathedral — makes it all worthwhile.
6 - Below: Ojamo Mine – “Hell’s Gate” (Finland)
Deep in Finland’s Ojamo Mine, a diver hovers before the massive wooden structure ominously nicknamed “Hell’s Gate.” Originally built to hold up the rock when engineers realized they were just meters below a lakebed, today it looms in the darkness like a portal to another world. This imposing wall — at about 45 m depth — marks the entrance to the mine’s deepest sections. The sight is humbling: the diver’s lights reveal the sheer scale of the gate and the eerie stillness surrounding it. It’s a stark reminder of the mine’s dangers and a jaw-dropping highlight for any advanced diver exploring Ojamo’s flooded tunnels.
7 - Above: Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich – Parker Line (Mexico)
In another part of Nohoch Nah Chich (Mayan for “Giant Birdcage,” caveatlas.com), the diver finds a moment of perfect peace along Parker’s Line. The shallow cave tunnel winds among white limestone columns and stalagmites, in water so clear it feels like floating in air. Stalactites hang densely from the ceiling, and in places tree roots poke through the rock, reminding you of the jungle just overhead. At only ~5 m deep, this section allows for long dives amid breathtaking cave decorations. The scene is serene and mesmerizing — a hidden subterranean paradise where time seems to slow down.
8 - Below: Arkadiko Chorio Cave (Greece)
At the entrance of Greece’s legendary Arkadiko Chorio Cave, a diver prepares to descend into the country’s deepest underwater cavern. Sunbeams from above dance on the emerald water as the diver slips below the surface, leaving daylight behind. The cave’s passages soon twist into darkness, leading to an immense shaft that plummets beyond 186 m deep (a record-breaking 2024 expedition pushed the exploration to 240 m). Diving here is at the cutting edge of exploration — an expedition into the unknown. Amid the awe at the cavern’s colossal scale and crystal-clear visibility, there is a palpable respect for the risks of going so deep. Every second spent in this abyss is filled with both adrenaline and wonder.
9 - Above: Tuna Hästberg Mine – “Indy” Hall (Sweden)
In the heart of Tuna Hästberg, a diver floats through the enormous cavern known as “Indy” Hall. Formed by the merging of several iron ore bodies, this space is so vast that its walls vanish into darkness beyond the reach of dive lights. At over 30 m tall, Indy Hall feels like an underwater cathedral carved out of the rock deep beneath the earth. The water is crystal clear but ice-cold, and the silence is absolute. The diver’s presence is dwarfed by the sheer scale of the chamber. It’s a humbling, exhilarating experience — like flying through a secret underground abyss where few have ever been.
10 - Below: Tuna Hästberg Mine (Sweden)
Weightless in the flooded passages of Tuna Hästberg, a diver experiences a world few people ever see. The beam of the flashlight reveals rusting pipes, ladders, and cables suspended in the water — relics of an industrial past now shrouded in silence. In this total darkness, maintaining a guideline to the surface is the only assurance of finding the way out. It’s a realm that demands respect and composure, yet offers a unique tranquility. Drifting slowly through the mine’s corridors, the diver feels like an astronaut exploring a lost planet, where each twist of the tunnel could unveil another ghostly remnant frozen in time.
11 - Above: Miltitz Mine (Germany)
In the Miltitz Mine in Germany, a diver navigates through flooded chambers of an old limestone mine that fell silent in 1924. Though the ceilings are just 6 m below the surface in places, other tunnels plunge steeply to ~60 m depth. The underwater scene is surreal: staircases leading nowhere, ore wagons and tools strewn about, even an old bicycle left behind by miners long ago. In one passage, an artificial skeleton has been placed at 18 m — a quirky marker that can startle divers as it appears in the flashlight beam. With its mix of narrow passages and vast halls, Miltitz offers an adventure akin to diving into a forgotten museum, where every turn reveals a new artifact and a story from the past.
12 - Below: Cenote Minotauro (Mexico)
A diver wends through the maze-like Cenote Minotauro near Playa del Carmen, Mexico — a cave aptly named after the mythical Minotaur’s labyrinth. From the very first meters of the dive, it showcases an astonishing wealth of formations: sparkling stalactites of all shapes and sizes, stalagmites rising from the floor, and walls coated in calcite that glitters under the lights. The passages twist and turn, branching into multiple tunnels to form a true underwater maze. At around 15 m deep, Minotauro allows for long, leisurely explorations. Each chamber has its own character and beauty, inspiring a sense of wonder, as if discovering hidden rooms in an underwater palace.
13 - Above: Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich (Mexico)
Near the entrance of Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich in Mexico, a cave diver pauses where daylight meets darkness. Beams of tropical sunlight pierce the aquamarine water, illuminating the cavern’s rich decorations in hues of blue and green. In this twilight zone, the diver can see both the lush jungle above through the water’s surface and the inviting tunnel leading deeper into the cave. Nohoch Nah Chich’s name means “Giant Bird Cage” — and indeed the cenote’s vast, sunlit chamber feels like a grand natural amphitheater (caveatlas.com). It’s a magical transition point — from the open-air freedom of the cenote to the silent mystery of the flooded cave beyond.
