I started cave diving in 2008, and quite a few years have passed since then. I still enjoy it just as much, but one thing has hardly changed over all those years: finding good and, above all, practical information about a cave is not always easy.
Especially when we first started, we gathered our information from all over the place. A survey from one website, GPS coordinates from another source, and some additional information from someone who had already been there. Then we just had to hope we would actually find the place.
That did not always go entirely according to plan.
On one occasion, our entire team set off for Cunhac (Ressel 2). We had the GPS coordinates of the cave, so what could possibly go wrong?
At one point, someone said: “Ron, I think we are standing exactly on the GPS location.”
He was right. The only problem was that we were on top of the hill, almost directly above the cave. Technically, the coordinates were excellent. Practically, they were not much use to us. Jumping down was not an option, so in the end we had to drive about 15 kilometres around to reach the correct side of the river.
The first time we visited Combe Nègre, we also ended up wandering around a field with a GPS in our hands. And if you simply follow the GPS coordinates for La Ouie, you will not automatically arrive at the place where you actually want to start as a cave diver.
You soon learn that the coordinates of the parking area can sometimes be more useful than those of the cave itself.
The same applies to information about the cave itself. A survey tells you a lot, but not everything. We once dived Marchepied with twinsets. Anyone who knows Marchepied will probably immediately understand why we subsequently concluded that this was not exactly the ideal configuration for this cave...
Those are exactly the kinds of things you would rather have known beforehand.
From scattered information to one place
Over the years, you naturally build up your own collection: GPS coordinates for caves and parking areas, surveys, photos, videos, information about access, parking, walking distances, equipment configurations and all kinds of other practical details.
Many cave divers travelling to France will of course be familiar with Plongée Souterraine. When we started, it was already an important source of information and, for many cave divers — especially those just starting out — it is still something of a bible for cave diving in France.
But even there, you will not find everything.
Other information is scattered across different websites, old trip reports and surveys, or is simply passed on by other cave divers. Over time, you build up quite a collection yourself, while the next cave diver essentially has to start the same search all over again.
That is why I started this website.
Here I try to bring together, in one place, the information I have collected over the years. Not just the location of a cave and a survey, but especially the practical information surrounding it: Where can I park? How do I get from there to the cave? How far do I have to walk or swim? What kind of cave can I expect? Is a DPV useful, or is it better left behind? And are there any particular details I should know before I find myself standing at the water’s edge with all my equipment?
Some of the information comes from my own experience, some from information shared by other cave divers over the years, and some from existing sources. Wherever possible, I of course try to respect copyright and credit the original author or source whenever known.
This website should therefore not be regarded as the absolute truth, and it will probably never be completely finished. Conditions change, information becomes outdated, and there is always something new to discover.
Think of it primarily as a collection of practical information from cave divers, for cave divers.
And if this website prevents someone from standing on top of a hill with all their diving equipment, only to discover that the cave is actually on the other side of the river... then it has already achieved its purpose. 😉