First time in the Lot, France as a C1 diver - advice?

[steinbil]

I'm planning a weekend cave diving trip to The Lot, France with my C1 class buddy, and I am looking for some advice...

- Which caves are good to start with as a fresh C1 team?
- Any good resources on the caves in the region? Maps? Books? Online resources?
- What are good places to get fills?
- Where to stay?
- Are the caves very affected by weather and season? Is march/april a good time to go?
- Anything else I should know?

 

[ginti]

I'm planning a weekend cave diving trip to The Lot, France with my C1 class buddy, and I am looking for some advice...

- Which caves are good to start with as a fresh C1 team?
- Any good resources on the caves in the region? Maps? Books? Online resources?
- What are good places to get fills?
- Where to stay?
- Are the caves very affected by weather and season? Is march/april a good time to go?
- Anything else I should know?

Caves:
- Ressel (you'll likely be able to do two different dives, one at the T right, one left)
- Landenouse
- Ressel 2 (or whatever is the other name of this one)
- Fountaine Trouffe
- Trouc Madame
Caves - maybe:
- I have been to St.George as a C1 diver too, although is a bit deepish
- Some people may mention Combe Negre, but it'll be a short one and for some, it's a side mount cave
- I think, technically speaking, you could go to Cabuoy as well

Resources:
- Many resources online; try to look for websites in French (use AI translators - but plongesout should work; I don't remember all the French websites, but maybe @JMBL knows, he is from France AFAIK)

Fills:
- TheCaveToBe, Oli
- Lot Filling Station, Gregory
I would go a bit with one, a bit with the other; take the telephone number of both in case of emergency

Where to stay:
- It depends on what you are looking for: cheap? All included? What?

Weather:
- Yes, it affects the caves; better go when rain is not TOO much; without overthinking it, I'd say April is better than March (and May even better most likely), but I'll be back at you if this is a silly suggestion

 

[JMBL]

Caves:
- Ressel (you'll likely be able to do two different dives, one at the T right, one left)
- Landenouse
- Ressel 2 (or whatever is the other name of this one)
- Fountaine Trouffe
- Trouc Madame
Caves - maybe:
- I have been to St.George as a C1 diver too, although is a bit deepish
- Some people may mention Combe Negre, but it'll be a short one and for some, it's a side mount cave
- I think, technically speaking, you could go to Cabuoy as well

Resources:
- Many resources online; try to look for websites in French (use AI translators - but plongesout should work; I don't remember all the French websites, but maybe @JMBL knows, he is from France AFAIK)

Fills:
- TheCaveToBe, Oli
- Lot Filling Station, Gregory
I would go a bit with one, a bit with the other; take the telephone number of both in case of emergency

Where to stay:
- It depends on what you are looking for: cheap? All included? What?

Weather:
- Yes, it affects the caves; better go when rain is not TOO much; without overthinking it, I'd say April is better than March (and May even better most likely), but I'll be back at you if this is a silly suggestion

You've sum(p)ed it up pretty well.

 

[Slav]

1. Ressel as a starting point

2. The cave to be, Lot filling station, Laurent Miroult

3. The cave to be and Lot Filling plant depend on which side of cave country u will dive/stay. Always call before go.

4. Booking.com And Holidays rentals Lot

5. Yes. June and Octover are the best.

6. On the cave2be u've got all info 'bout caves condition for a day.

French cave divers speaks english so u can also talk with them. Very often GUI is at Ressel. The earlier u be the better chance to dive in places like Marchepied. In place like this u have ALWAYS wait for guys to get out if u're 2nd at the cave. If you see firefighters or rescue team - go to another cave They very often train there. Wine and cheese is cheap at Lidl and Auchan.

 

[chrisch]

Oli is a top bloke and will help you get the best out of your visit.

Station de gonflage et centre de formation de plongée spéléo dans le Lot

Station de gonflage, centre de plongée souterraine et atelier de réparation de combinaisons étanches.

www.thecavetobe.com

The above suggestions for dives are good. You will enjoy it I am sure.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

I would avoid Marchepied at C1 and with backmount. I haven’t tried myself - I’ve been told that it’s doable but with experience and people got stuck.

You can be naughty in Ressel and do the second T too, it’s really pretty and about 20 mins swim between entrance and start of the deeper section.

Fontaine du Truffe has a restriction at the entrance - easy in backmount once you find the appropriate angle. Probably nicer with higher water levels as you can get further into the cave.

Combe Negre is really cool if the water levels are higher. I would call it a “backmount” cave, it’s quite narrow for a sidemount actually, unless you want to get past the dry section. The access roads are not great.

I found these guides pretty useful: Höhlentauchführer

You could try Harald at Home, close to Ressel. Liveaboard on land experience if you stay a bit longer.

 

[rddvet]

Oil runs a great shop as noted above. He’s probably the most commonly used site.
My wife and I have been twice and stayed and used Harald Franzen’s diver b&b. Worth every penny. He is fully knowledgeable, gives you tons of advice and dive plans, and feeds you amazing food. As an American who doesn’t speak French, Harald makes the transition to diving in France easy.

Home

We make life easy for cave divers in the Lot: A high speed filling station for all your air, oxygen, nitrox and trimix, some of the best food on the planet in our restaurant, a wonderful place to put your head to rest, an array of adapted rental gear, all right smack in the middle of all the...

www.lotcavediving.eu

I personally prefer flying into Toulouse instead of Paris because it’s much easier.
Besides cave diving, make sure to add time to explore. There are so many ancient dry caves on the side of the road to check out, it becomes a fun adventure.

 

[rduquesnoy]

Caves:
- Ressel: you can indeed do 2 dives. One to left after the first T and another one to the right (deeper shaft).
- Landenouse: make sure you arrive early as parking space is limited to about 4 cars.
I have also done St.George and Cabouy during C1 training and they where fine.

No experience with Trou Madame as the cave has never been divable when I was there (water level too low). Prepare for a bit of walking/climbing for this one.

Resources:
You can search around online a bit but they can also help you out at The Cave To Be or Lot Filling Station.

Fills:
As mentioned before:
- The Cave To Be
- Lot Filling Station

Where to stay:
- It depends on what you want but Le Moulin de Lantouy was nice. You need to take care of your own meals but there is a supermarket nearby and there are some restaurants.

Weather:
- Avoid rainy periods. It can make it impossible to enter the caves and a lot of flow can also affect visibility (not in a good way).

 

[steinbil]

Thanks for all the great advice, guys. Exactly what I was hoping for!

 

[rddvet]

I also agree c1 dives are fine at most major Lot sites such as ressel, landenouse, trou madame, truffe (though there is an entrance restriction), and st George. We were c1 when we went the first time. I don’t know the current standards so truffe may be out because it is a single file major restriction depending on the day and the rocks built up at the entrance. It’s an odd feeling using a hoe underwater to clear out the entrance. We were full cave when we first dove it.