You’ve heard of Fly and Drive holidays. Well, Wreck and Cave do Fly and Dive! That’s right, we’re taking the hassle out of cave diving in the South of France.
Expedition Details
This expedition was going to be running from 2nd - 7th June, 2008. However, due to scheduling problems, I’m now opening this up for requests. If we can get 3 people together, then we can work on any date that works.
The current cost estimate is £600. This covers the accomodation, diving and food in France. I will also transport all the equipment down to France, so you can fly down, and I’ll pick you up at the airport. That will save you a day at each end of your holiday.
The diving is suitable for anyone GUE Cave 1 certified, and is perfect for all you newly qualified cave divers. We have been diving these caves for years, and Rich and Gunnar will be your dive guides, but no instruction is offered… these are fun dives guys! We will be diving 1/6ths!
Accomodation and full board catering will be provided by Lynne and Dave at the Lot Cave Diving Centre. These guys have been running a cave diving operation in the region for many years now, and you are always very well looked after.
Lot and the Dordogne
French cave diving is at its best around the Lot and Dordogne rivers. If you learned to dive in Mexico or Florida, then these caves can be a little daunting… the adventure can start just trying to find them! There are no big signs saying “Cave Here”, there is no diving infrastructure next to the caves, and the entrances aren’t marked either - so you need to know where you’re going. Luckily, we do!
Rich and Gunnar will act as your personal dive guides, showing you the best ways to dive caves like Ressel, Landenouse, St George and Cabouy. In the evenings, you can sit back and enjoy a couple of beers in the beautiful French countryside, while we mix your gas for the next days diving. Perfect!
From the UK, it can take 20 hours to drive down to the South of France, with cars and vans packed to the roof with gear. You end up losing two days of diving just getting there and back, and it’s a whole load of hard work. So, we’re not going to do it like that! Wreck and Cave will ship all the equipment you need down there in advance and will arrange for you to fly in to the local airport, where we’ll pick you up. All you need to remember is your passport and toothbrush!
The Diving
So, what of the diving? Well, There are four main sites that are ideal for Cave 1 level divers.
Ressel
Probably the most famous of the caves in the Region. The cave is a large passage, scrubbed clean on the floor, with generally excellent visibility. There is a junction about 180m into the cave where you can take the shallow route (average of 10m) or the deep route (gradual descent to 25m). They actually rejoin at a penetration of about 400m. Doing one route then the other can easily be done on two dives within the limits of a GUE cave 1 certification.
The rock formations in this section of the cave are large square boulders.
Landenouse
This is one of my favourite caves. You get to the entrance by dropping down (either jumping, or climbing a ladder) a stone wall lined well casing. At the bottom, is a small entrance that is barely visible in the low visibilty “open water” area. As soon as you get through, though, the cave opens into crystal clear passage that twists and turns as it passes under the road, the railway and on into the hillside. There are ancient clay banks on the corners of the tunnel, and many scalloped formations can be seen all along the passageway. The cave drops very gradually deeper and deeper, reaching 21m after 300m. 1000m in, it has reached 50m, and then takes a sharp dive down to 74m, and then on to beyond 90m.
The half-hitch at about 300m is an excellent place to aim at - the cave almost ties itself in a know as it rises sharply and reverses direction. This is around 21m deep, and gives a very forgiving profile, allowing a second dive very quickly afterwards.
St George
St George is a famous cave site in the Lot region. Water pumps very hard out of this cave during the rainy season, and recently washed away the road bridge. A new one has been built now, stronger and heavier,for with the locals are no doubt very grateful.
The cave drops sharply to around 30m, and then steadily rises to an airspace approximatley 100m inside - the Salle de Lataur. This is well worth a look, rather than just carrying on past the “T”. The cave carries on at a fairly shallow depth until around 1000m in, where it takes a sharp dive to over 70m.
The cave itself is large, blocky, structure with typically dark walls and slightly “smoky” visibility. It can be quite a spooky dive, but well worth it.
Cabouy
Cabouy is one fun dive. It is again a large blocky cave, with large square slabs of stone and large passageways. Like St George, it begins with a fast drop to 30m, then a gentle slope back up to 6m or so, over the next 600m. Navigation is easy, just follow the passage - it’s almost not worth trying to use the lines, as there are many of them, and are typically confusing. I have been known to scream when I see a “T” going in four different directions! Once you get your head round it, this is agreat fun cave.
The entrance pool is a the bottom of a tiny gravel road, and is a wonderful (?) suntrap. Park the car in the shade. Lots of wildlife lives around the pool, and it’s not uncommon to see snakes swimming on the surface. The basin visibility is shocking. Stay close to your buddy when decompressing.
