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We try an underwater escape room

IHAVEN’T had many memorable moments recently but wrestling a necklace from the clutches of a skeleton lounging at the bottom of a flooded Welsh slate quarry stands out.

I’ll back up. Last year, I obtained my Padi (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Open Water Diver certification in the Maldives. But much as I loved diving the bath-warm waters while being flashbombed by swarms of angelfish, my bucket list has subsequently been filled with dives closer to home, whether it’s swimming with Devon’s seals or exploring Scottish shipwrecks. And now, rather unexpectedly, I’m taking on a session in the world’s first underwater escape room, found in Snowdonia’s Vivian Quarry.

Scuba Escape, which has just launched, is the brainchild of Clare Dutton, Padi course director and founder of Duttons Divers (duttonsdivers.com), and Padi instructor Leanne Clowes. If you’ve ever visited Llanberis you’ve probably seen Vivian Quarry’s entrance, near Snowdon’s mountain railway: two imposing red wooden doors (perfect for the escape room concept) wedged into the side of what was once the world’s second-largest slate quarry.

The six 240-minute games test diving skills such as buoyancy and navigation. I choose the pirate-themed Treasure of Syreni and beforehand I’m sent a swathe of fascinating facts about shipwrecks and swashbucklers.

I arrive in Snowdonia on a surprisingly sunny April day, although there’s a definite chill when the quarry’s doors slam shut, despite sunlight pouring in from above. It’s deathly silent, barring occasional creaks from rusting pulleys sagging over the emerald water. The theming is fantastic, whether it’s the treasure chests and rum barrels scattered across the waterside platform where e we buddy check our kit, or the briefing by a sword-wielding pirate under the gaze of mermaids lazing nearby.

Although my fellow competitors wear dry suits,

I opt for a wetsuit and barely y notice the cold. At 18 metres s underwater, I’ve more pressing matters to deal with, like remembering the name of Blackbeard’s ship. Visibility is surprisingly good. I spot a discarded quarry wagon and the

Escapism: Divers’ skills are tested as they search for clues underwater

Memories Me to treasure: Tamara Ta chose a pirate-themed pir swashbuckling sw adventure ad with Scuba Escape Es in Wales

. Skeleton key:. . Meeting a bony. . stranger in the. . flooded quarry.