LEVEL 6: DIVING AREA
Updated: 4/26/24(†)
Secrets: 3 Pickups: 39, including the M16, 2 pass cards, 2 machine chips, and 3 secrets Kills: 34
NOTE: The number of pickups includes the three dragon statuettes and the items awarded for finding all three secrets. Also, the regular pickups in this level will include the UZIS, AUTOMATIC PISTOLS, SHOTGUN, and HARPOON GUN if you didn't find them earlier.
LEVEL MAP by VGCartography (used with permission)
Diving Area Video Walkthrough by Eldincy
OBJECTIVES: Make your way deeper into the rig complex. Locate a blue key card and use it to enter a large, square interior hallway. Explore the rooms branching off this hallway to find two machine chips. One opens a door; the other turns off a spinning saw, enabling you to get the red key card underneath it. Use the red card to access the submarine that will take Lara to the bottom of the sea.
POOL WITH GIANT FAN: Follow the passageway up the stairs to a large pool. Don't go in the water yet, or Lara will be sucked into the huge fan. Instead take a running jump and grab the ladder on the opposite side of the room. Climb up and follow the passage to the button that turns off the fan. Return to the pool, dive in and swim behind the fan and down a long tunnel to pick up 2 pairs of grenades (1-2). Return to the pool. Find the underwater lever on the left side and pull it to open the door on the landing ahead. Climb out of the water and continue to the next room.
ROOM WITH SWINGING HOOKS: There are 2 enemies with clubs (1-2) on the other side of the pool. If you draw weapons to aim at them, 2 thugs with guns and a Doberman (3-5) emerge from the doorway to the left on this side of the pool. You can avoid the enemies on the left altogether by not drawing weapons until you reach the other side of the pool. But if you want all the kills and pick ups, take care of the gunmen and dog first. Then shoot the two men on the other side of the pool. The two guys on this side are carrying shotgun shells and 2 sets of Uzi clips (3-5).
NOTE: If you didn't get the UZIS in the previous level, you'll get them now along with one set of clips.
Cross the water by jumping across the blocks with the swinging hooks. Here's one way: Stand at the edge of the pool, facing the right block. As the hook swings away, take a standing jump to grab the edge of the block. Traverse to the right and pull up out of the hook's way. Turn left and when the hook moves away, take a running jump to grab the edge of the other block. Traverse to the left and pull up. As long as Lara stays near the edge of the block, the second hook won't hit her. Turn right and take another running jump to the ledge on the other side of the pool. In case you slip and fall into the water, there's a tunnel at the end of the pool near the second hook that leads back to the starting ledge. (screenshots)
When you reach the far side of the pool, head to the right. Kill the 2 guys with clubs (1-2) if you haven't already and take the small medi pack and flares (6-7) they drop.
TOXIC WASTE POOL: In the next room, save the game and then slide down at the middle of the long slope to land in the small, square opening. Pick up SECRET #1, the Silver Dragon (8). Climb out of the opening and slide the rest of the way down the slope, jumping at the last moment without pressing Action to land on the edge of the metal platform above the pool of toxic waste. (screenshots)
LONG LADDER AND ROOM WITH SQUARE HOLE IN FLOOR: Follow the passage on the left to an extremely long ladder. Climb all the way to the top and continue to a room with a square opening in the floor. Pick up some auto pistol clips and 2 sets of M16 clips (9-11). Then hang from the edge of the opening so the entrance is on Lara's left. Let go to land on the slope below so Lara is facing uphill. Hold Action as Lara slides to grab the end of the slope. Release the Action button and then quickly press it again to let go and grab the ledge below. Pull up and shoot the guy with the gun (6) who's waiting here. (The shotgun works well at close range.) Relieve him of 2 sets of automatic pistol clips (12-13). (screenshots)
NOTE: If you didn't get the AUTOMATIC PISTOLS in the last level, you'll get them here in place of one set of clips.
HUGE OPEN ROOM/BLUE CARD: Follow the catwalk to the left until you come to an opening in the railing. From here, take a running jump to the sloping side wall and slide to land on the small, square ledge below. (screenshot) Take the BLUE PASS CARD (14). Slide down to the floor then climb up into the opening to the left. Follow the passage up and around to a drop-off. Take a running jump to grab the ladder on the opposite wall. (screenshot) This is the same long ladder you climbed before. Continue to the top and then return through the hole in the floor to the catwalk just as you did before.
BLUE LOCK/LARGE SQUARE HALLWAY: This time, go to the right end of the catwalk to the door with the BLUE LOCK. (screenshot) Use the card to enter. The next door opens automatically. You're now in a large hallway that forms a square around a central room. The door closes behind Lara as she enters. Around the corner to the right are 2 Dobermans (7-8). A guy with a flamethrower and 2 more dogs (9-11) lurk around the corner to the left. I found it easier to run to the right and take out the two dogs near that corner first. Then turn around and shoot at the second pair of dogs and the flamethrower guy as they approach. (screenshot) If you try and get the guy first, you may find yourself backing up into the dogs behind you. Just make sure to kill the man quickly before he can toast Lara with his flamethrower. If she catches fire, she'll die with no pool of water nearby to jump into.
ROOM WITH POOL AND CIRCULAR SAW: The doors to the central area don't open yet, nor does one of the other doors along the outer wall. The 2 hatches with wheels do open, but one is a dead end for now. So go to the one farthest from where you came in. Use the wheel to open it, then head down the stairs. A thug with a club (12) is waiting inside on the right. It's hard to fight in the cramped stairway, so run into the room, roll and then take him out.
There are also 2 goons trapped in the control room above the pool pacing like caged apes. You can ignore them for now. They won't come out until you open the door later on. Push the movable box to reveal an electrical panel in need of a chip, which you'll find soon. (screenshot)
Jump in the pool and head for an opening below and to the left of the window with the goons behind it. A scuba diver (13) with a harpoon gun lies in wait, so either harpoon him back or swim back to the low ledge at the corner of the pool nearest the entrance, climb out and shoot him from there. (screenshots)
UNDERWATER PASSAGES: Now take a deep breath and head into that underwater tunnel. Here's the sequence: Enter the passage, turn right, then keep going straight, hugging the bottom to avoid getting snagged by the current between the two grates. Pull the lever to open one of the grates, roll so the lever is behind Lara, swim forward then to the right through the open grate, right and right again. Pull a second lever which is on the left wall to open a door elsewhere. Press Look to get Lara's perspective back. Then continue along the passage, forward, then right, then right again. The grate opens automatically as you approach. Swim through, turn left, left again, and finally surface in the pool where you started. (Again, check the screenshots if you get disoriented.)
Climb out of the pool and return upstairs to the LARGE SQUARE HALLWAY. Head to the left to the other door with a wheel. Enter and continue up the stairs. The door at the top should be open if you pulled the second lever in the UNDERWATER PASSAGE.
HELIPAD: Inside 3 bad guys (14-16) approach from the helipad ahead. If you use more powerful weapons, like the automatic pistols or Uzis, and take aim from the doorway as the men approach, you can probably kill them all before they reach Lara. (screenshot) Then search the bodies to find automatic pistol clips, shotgun shells, and a large medi pack (15-17).
NOTE: If you didn't get the SHOTGUN in the previous level, you'll get it now instead of the shells.
HALL WITH BURNERS: Again, try to ignore the siren or turn down the volume and continue forward into the room. You'll just miss the helicopter taking off. Cross the helipad to the control room beyond. Here there are 2 burners with a trapdoor between them. The switch on the right turns off the first burner; the button on the left turns off the second.
For the first part of this sequence, you'll only need to extinguish the first burner. So pull the switch, side flip to the left, then run forward onto the trapdoor, which collapses dropping Lara into a shallow pit. Roll, run forward (i.e., back toward the first burner) so Lara hits the wall of the pit. Press Action to pick up the M16 RIFLE and some clips (18-19). Then quickly climb out of the pit and run past the burner before it reignites. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you're too slow and the burner comes back on, it's still possible to get out safely. Stand facing either side wall. Step forward so Lara's chest is against the wall. Sidestep until Lara's foot touches the edge of the square with the burner. Then side flip over the burner to safety. Lara will lose a little health but she shouldn't catch fire.
Next, you'll need to put out both burners in order to get safely to the end of the hallway and back. So once again pull the switch to extinguish the first burner, side flip to the left, sidestep to the left and press the button to turn off the second burner. Then side flip to the right and run along the passageway, jumping over the open trapdoor as you go. Quickly pick up the FIRST MACHINE CHIP (20) at the end of the passage, roll, run and jump back over the trapdoor and continue out into the control room. (screenshots)
BUG NOTE: If you're playing the Windows PC game and have used the Tomb Raider multi-patch from tombraiderchronicles.com, you may find you're unable to side flip here. Instead Lara hits an invisible barrier just below the visible ceiling. If this happens, use the switch or button and then just turn and run. Unfortunately, this won't help if you're stuck in the pit beyond the lit burner. In that case, you'll need to reload or uninstall the game, reinstall without the patch, and try setting the program compatibility mode following the instructions here.
Return to the ROOM WITH THE POOL AND CIRCULAR SAW (i.e., cross the HELIPAD, go down the stairs, turn right and follow the LARGE SQUARE HALLWAY back to the other open door with a wheel, enter and go down the steps). If you didn't already push the movable box aside to reveal the electrical panel, do so now. (screenshot) Insert the MACHINE CHIP into the panel to open the nearby door.
ROOM WITH POOL AND ORANGE TANKS: There are 2 enemies (17-18) in the next room: A guy with a club on the far side of the pool and one with a flamethrower lurking behind the big orange tank to the left. (screenshot) I recommend going after the flamethrower guy first, even if it means taking a beating from the club guy. If flamethrower guy has a chance to use his weapon and Lara catches fire, quickly jump into the pool to put out the flames and then use a medi pack. Then swim to the opposite side of the pool, climb out and finish him off with your new rifle. Then deal with club guy, who drops a small medi pack (21) when he dies. You'll also find 2 bundles of harpoons (22-23) on the floor near the small, orange tanks.
NOTE: If you don't already have the HARPOON GUN, you'll get it here instead of one of the bunches of harpoons.
The silver readout panel across from the entrance opens automatically when you approach. Go in and push the button that opens the grate at the bottom of the pool. Swim down to recover SECRET #2, the Jade Dragon (24). (screenshots)
DEEP POOL WITH MINI-SUBMARINE: Replenish Lara's air meter and then head for the underwater tunnel below the wall with the small, orange tanks. (screenshot) As you follow the tunnel, first straight ahead then left, 2 scuba divers (19-20) appear. You don't have too many harpoons at this stage. So you may want swim past the divers and continue through the passage until you can surface in the next room. There's one small ledge on the right where you can climb out of the pool. Shoot the scuba divers from there, along with the 2 goons with clubs (21-22) patrolling the walkway across the pool. (screenshot)
When the coast is clear, turn around, climb onto the ledge at the back of the alcove and pull the switch to open the control room door back in the room with the POOL AND SAW. (screenshot) Then hop back down to the lower level of the alcove and shoot another scuba diver (23) who swims in through the underwater tunnel. If he doesn't approach immediately, try jumping into the pool to get his attention. Then climb out of the water again to shoot him.
If you like, you can swim down to the bottom to examine the mini-submarine parked on the bottom. You can't do anything with it now, but you'll be seeing again soon.
Return through the underwater tunnel to the ROOM WITH THE POOL AND ORANGE TANKS. Climb out of the water on the left. The 2 enemies (24-25) that you just released from the control room will enter through the doorway on the opposite side of the room and you can shoot them across the pool as they approach. Take their small medi pack and Uzi clips (25-26). Then exit this room through the door where they came in.
ROOM WITH THE POOL AND CIRCULAR SAW (again): Climb the stairs to the control room and use the switch to move the hook with the suspended block. Return to the edge of the pool and take a standing jump to grab the dangling block. Pull up and take a running jump from the block down to the area on the other side of the pool. Just take care not to run on into the deadly spinning blade. Note the RED PASS CARD near the saw. You'll need this, but part of the circuitry that turns off the saw is missing. Have patience. For now, climb onto the crates in the corner, drop down behind them and press a button to raise a platform in the HELIPAD area, revealing a previously concealed area below. (screenshots)
Climb back over the crates, swim across the pool and exit through the doorway on the left, which leads back to the LARGE SQUARE HALLWAY. There are 2 armed goons and 2 dogs (26-29) between here and the HELIPAD. You'll encounter the first man (26) in the square hallway. Take him down and steal his shotgun shells (27).
NOTE: If you don't already have the SHOTGUN, you'll get it here instead of ammo.
Then follow the SQUARE HALLWAY to the left, go through the door with the wheel and up the stairs. Depending on how fast you go, you may meet the second bad guy (27) and the dogs (28-29) on the stairway or at the top. Deal with them and pick up the man's Uzi clips (28).
BACK AT HELIPAD/CENTRAL ROOM WITH RED LOCK: When you return to this area after pressing the button near the saw, you'll see the helipad has been raised and there's a large, square opening in the floor that wasn't there before. (screenshot) Drop down into the newly opened area and follow the short passageway to an opening in the floor.
Drop down into the room below. If you step off the edge, rather than safety dropping, Lara will land facing into the room. Then you can quickly take out 2 bad guys (30-31) here: one on the left with a club, another on the right with a flamethrower. (screenshot) The guy with the club is carrying the SECOND MACHINE CHIP (29). Grab it.
This room is actually the one at the center of the SQUARE HALLWAY. All four exits open automatically as you approach, but the one you want now is just opposite the RED LOCK. Go through and proceed directly across the hallway to get back to the room with the RED CARD.
ROOM WITH POOL AND CIRCULAR SAW (again): Use the dangling hook and block to cross the pool once more. Place the MACHINE CHIP in the electrical panel on the back wall to turn the off the spinning saw. Retrieve the RED PASS CARD (30). (screenshot) Return across the pool, up the stairs on the left and directly across the hall to the room with the RED LOCK. Use the card to open the door there. (screenshot)
CENTRAL ROOM WITH RED LOCK (again): Drop into the narrow hallway below with weapons drawn. A thug with a shotgun (32) awaits. When he's dead, continue along the passage until you can drop down into the room with the DEEP POOL AND MINI-SUB (again). This time, rather than swimming in from below, you emerge onto the walkway surrounding the pool. Here are the guys you (hopefully) killed earlier from across the water. Take their small and large medi packs, along with 2 bundles of harpoons (31-34) left lying on the floor. Exit through the other doorway. (screenshot)
NOTE: Be careful not to fall into the pool here. The edges are too high to climb out. So you'll need to reload or return through the underwater passage to the room with the orange tanks. Climb out of the water there and go back up the ramp to the room with the circular saw. Turn right and go up the stairs and across the hall to the door with the red lock, and then drop down there to get back to the room with the deep pool and mini-sub.
FLOODED PASSAGEWAY: Follow this hallway until you come to a door that doesn't open. Drop into the water-filled passageway on the left and follow it to the end. There are no branching passages so you can't get lost. As you slog along, you'll overhear Bartoli interrogating someone. (This dialogue is included in the transcript for the final cut scene.)
FINAL ROOM - WOUNDED MONK: Enter the next room and take out the 2 armed guards (33-34) from the catwalk as they come up the stairs. Head down the stairs but before approaching the monk in the center of the room, go into the small room on the left, where you'll find SECRET #3, the Gold Dragon (35), along with a bonus of 4 sets of Uzi clips (36-39) if you've found all three secrets. (screenshots)
Approach the monk to trigger the end of the level.
CUT SCENE: Lara chats with the dying man while changing into her wet suit, then makes a harrowing escape. (cut scene transcript/re-watch video)
†UPDATE HISTORY: 12/23/10 - First major update since this walkthrough was created in 1998. This revision includes many new screenshots as well as various other corrections and clarifications.
4/25/11 - Added the bug note involving the side flip in the hallway with burners, thanks to a tip from Tom C.
4/26/11 - Added note at end about backtracking for missed secrets, thanks to a tip from Quin.
5/5/12 - Added links to cinematics on YouTube.
12/1/13 - Added "objectives" section for each level.
2/5/24 - Added VGCartography's level maps, with permission. Visit VGCartography on DeviantArt for high-res versions, and follow on Twitter/X and YouTube for more fantastic game maps.
4/26/24 - Added sequential kill and item counts, which will hopefully be helpful for both the classic and remastered versions. More remaster updates coming eventually. Thanks for your patience.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to the participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup, without whom some parts of this walkthrough could not have been written. Thanks also to Quin, Tom C. and Whoopee for help with this level.
WAS THIS WALKTHROUGH HELPFUL? If not, I apologize and invite you to contact me with any questions. If you need help right away, I recommend the r/TombRaider subreddit. Other fan-run forums are listed at tombraiders.net/stella/community.html. If this site was useful, please consider supporting it financially or in other ways. For details, visit tombraiders.net/stella/support.html. As always, I welcome your corrections/suggestions. Thank you!
Copyright © 1998- - Stellalune (). Feel free to copy or print this walkthrough for personal use. By all means, share it with friends, but please include this credit line so people can send me their feedback. No part of this walkthrough may be reproduced on another site without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Follow this link for details about this site's advertising and privacy policy.
Stella's Tomb Raider Site: tombraiders.net.