End of september I had planned with a German diver a week Ardeche, Marnade, Goul du Pont and Goul du Tannerie. My buddy didnt want to do the Font Vive, so only that 3 caves. The viz was good, water level extremely low. A person who was in the Ardeche said: rain is welcome, there is some coming but dont worry. On the day of arrival it had rained. The Pont and Tannerie where full, but it looked not too bad. Then we went to the Marnade to look. That was horrible. The ardeche river flooded streets, cayaks in trees, mud, and we could not go by car to the marnade because of flooded roads. We walked to the Marnade cave, it looked ok, but everywhere mud and clay and it was impossible to get divegear there. So lets go for a dinner and look for the next day for the Pont and Tannerie. Hopely we could dive.
Road to Marnade:
The next day at the Tannerie, diving impossible, more water, all water brown:
So what now? Further to Font Estramar or to the Lot/Dordogne region? We decided to go to the Lot. There the caves where all divable. Some pictures of the Ressel:
Last dive was in the Cabouy where my buddy had a complete bailout on oc due to cell failures of her ccr, 400m from the entrance. No problem because of bailout, but not nice of course.
3 weeks later I was again in the Lot. This time I was with own car and could do some sidemount dives and so on. I had to drive the whole way alone so I decided to take an hotel a few hours from the caves. Then I had 1 day extra diving and more rest. I started with a solodive in the St. georges, went to 76m depth with my ccr, used 4 stages bailout. The dive was possible with 3 stages, but I was solo and now I could put 1 ean32 for the restriction at 400m from the entrance, and take the other 3 gases further in the cave. This gave is the first 900-950m shallow, but then goes to 75-76m depth. That means you have to take your decogases far in the cave. It was a nice 3 hour dive.
In the evening the others arrived. The next day I went solo sidemount in the Marchepied and the Bial cave. Took camera with me and made some selfies. LOL
Then I did the Bial. This cave is really narrow at the entrance with a lot of small stones. Zero viz. Carefull entrance because you will have directly zero viz. The entrance is an instable gravel slope. If you jump in directly for the entrance you have absolutely no viz in the entrance restriction. Sadly I falled on that slope and tumbled in the water, so I made zero viz before entering the cave. But no reason not to dive. After the first 10-15 meters this cave is clear. So I started with the dive, reel in left hand, light on, left cylinder in front. Then: stucked. Ok, no problem. Moved a little bit, then some small stones of gravel hit my light canister, so the light was turned off. More stucked, no viz, no light. I turned the light on again with the right hand. Attached the reel to the mainline and then was stucked again. When I was in the cave, I checked all stuff: 1 of the regs was breathing water. So I had to repair that. Just some sand under the membrane. Happely no real problems, this regs where really new, just 15 dives old. So I took cover off, took membrane out, cleaned all and then the reg functioned again. I did just the first sump of 80m, I wanted to exit with around 80 bars in the cylinders. Then gas enough if the restriction to the exit takes more time. I dove the Marchepied and the Bial on 1 set of cylinders. I like these caves.
The next days I dived the Landenouse, Ressel, Cabouy, all oc backmounted with some friends.
On Saturday the Dutch buddies go home, I stay longer, so I have a day on my own before the others come. I do the Marchepied again and then try to get as far as possible with sm in the Lantouy. 36m is possible, then all is too small, too unstable gravel with too less gas to go further solo. But again 2 great dives.
The Font Clare is dry, so no diving possible:
Some pictures of the Ressel:
Then the hard working part for me starts. Lots of diving, lots of skills, teaching, giving theory sessions and so on. But at the end it was all worth. Finished my instructor course. Happy. And even after so much cavediving I still like it.
Road to Marnade:
The next day at the Tannerie, diving impossible, more water, all water brown:
So what now? Further to Font Estramar or to the Lot/Dordogne region? We decided to go to the Lot. There the caves where all divable. Some pictures of the Ressel:
Last dive was in the Cabouy where my buddy had a complete bailout on oc due to cell failures of her ccr, 400m from the entrance. No problem because of bailout, but not nice of course.
3 weeks later I was again in the Lot. This time I was with own car and could do some sidemount dives and so on. I had to drive the whole way alone so I decided to take an hotel a few hours from the caves. Then I had 1 day extra diving and more rest. I started with a solodive in the St. georges, went to 76m depth with my ccr, used 4 stages bailout. The dive was possible with 3 stages, but I was solo and now I could put 1 ean32 for the restriction at 400m from the entrance, and take the other 3 gases further in the cave. This gave is the first 900-950m shallow, but then goes to 75-76m depth. That means you have to take your decogases far in the cave. It was a nice 3 hour dive.
In the evening the others arrived. The next day I went solo sidemount in the Marchepied and the Bial cave. Took camera with me and made some selfies. LOL
Then I did the Bial. This cave is really narrow at the entrance with a lot of small stones. Zero viz. Carefull entrance because you will have directly zero viz. The entrance is an instable gravel slope. If you jump in directly for the entrance you have absolutely no viz in the entrance restriction. Sadly I falled on that slope and tumbled in the water, so I made zero viz before entering the cave. But no reason not to dive. After the first 10-15 meters this cave is clear. So I started with the dive, reel in left hand, light on, left cylinder in front. Then: stucked. Ok, no problem. Moved a little bit, then some small stones of gravel hit my light canister, so the light was turned off. More stucked, no viz, no light. I turned the light on again with the right hand. Attached the reel to the mainline and then was stucked again. When I was in the cave, I checked all stuff: 1 of the regs was breathing water. So I had to repair that. Just some sand under the membrane. Happely no real problems, this regs where really new, just 15 dives old. So I took cover off, took membrane out, cleaned all and then the reg functioned again. I did just the first sump of 80m, I wanted to exit with around 80 bars in the cylinders. Then gas enough if the restriction to the exit takes more time. I dove the Marchepied and the Bial on 1 set of cylinders. I like these caves.
The next days I dived the Landenouse, Ressel, Cabouy, all oc backmounted with some friends.
On Saturday the Dutch buddies go home, I stay longer, so I have a day on my own before the others come. I do the Marchepied again and then try to get as far as possible with sm in the Lantouy. 36m is possible, then all is too small, too unstable gravel with too less gas to go further solo. But again 2 great dives.
The Font Clare is dry, so no diving possible:
Some pictures of the Ressel:
Then the hard working part for me starts. Lots of diving, lots of skills, teaching, giving theory sessions and so on. But at the end it was all worth. Finished my instructor course. Happy. And even after so much cavediving I still like it.
