I had seen some pictures of a granitemine somewhere in France: green water, wide tunnels and blocks of stone, and clear water. The only problem: most times closed for divers and a 12 hour drive from my house.
But I had planned 2 weeks of cavediving in the Lot region in France, 3.5 hour from that mine. So I asked friends if they wanted to join me when I would ask for permit. And some would. So I sent emails to get permit and we got a yes and a date back. Diving in this mine was booked. So at 5 a.m. we drove to the mine. Central meeting point was a place in the middle of the village ‘Saint-Meme-les-Carrieres’. We met some other divers who would do an introduction in cave diving and the organisator.
The mine is located almost in the middle of the village. And you go in with your own car. Wow, huge. After a briefing in daylight we drive further and deeper in the mine till we reach water. Old attributes are still found in the mine. The granite blocks where taken out by horses, later by machinery.
It is a little bit muddy, but no problem.
The watertemperature is 7 degrees C. So cold. We dive drysuits, but the diver who do an introduction only have wetsuits as they normally dive in warmer waters, their dives will be limited by just half an hour or so. We dive independent, without guide. All routes have their own color of line and of course you can jump from one line to another. We decided to follow the blue line first.
To find the blue line, it takes some time. First follow a white line, then you see a gate under water, after the gate you see a red line starting in the left and the blue one will start somewhere further on the right. Ok, we will find. But it takes us 15 minutes to find the blue line. We jump from the gate to the blue line. And see another black line also. And a pink one.
We follow the blue line till we see some T’s that go to a higher level. Nice, yellow lines now.
Cookies placed, and up to the other level. A nice small ‘tube’.
The waterlevel in the higher part is low, we decide to make a small conversation and then move on to the blue line again.
After 70 minutes we finish the dive. COLD. It is not really cold for us dutchies, but in the Lot area the water is 13 degrees, and in the Netherlands also. In winter we have 3-4 degrees and sometimes ice, but not now yet. I dove here with a 490 gramm underwear without heating and 5mm gloves. In real winter I use the same underwear, but take 3 finger mits or drygloves and sometimes heating.
The intro divers did a 30 minute dive with a guide, they liked it, but it was cold.
Lunch is done in an Asian restaurant outside the mine. Then back for the second dive. This time we don’t make a real plan to follow a color, just go in and see what looks nice. So we started with a white line, jump after the gat to a pink one and jump then somewhere to the black line. Again a nice dive. This time shorter, almost 1 hour.
Then a 3.5 hour drive back to cave area in the Lot follows. But it was nice to do.
But I had planned 2 weeks of cavediving in the Lot region in France, 3.5 hour from that mine. So I asked friends if they wanted to join me when I would ask for permit. And some would. So I sent emails to get permit and we got a yes and a date back. Diving in this mine was booked. So at 5 a.m. we drove to the mine. Central meeting point was a place in the middle of the village ‘Saint-Meme-les-Carrieres’. We met some other divers who would do an introduction in cave diving and the organisator.
The mine is located almost in the middle of the village. And you go in with your own car. Wow, huge. After a briefing in daylight we drive further and deeper in the mine till we reach water. Old attributes are still found in the mine. The granite blocks where taken out by horses, later by machinery.
It is a little bit muddy, but no problem.
The watertemperature is 7 degrees C. So cold. We dive drysuits, but the diver who do an introduction only have wetsuits as they normally dive in warmer waters, their dives will be limited by just half an hour or so. We dive independent, without guide. All routes have their own color of line and of course you can jump from one line to another. We decided to follow the blue line first.
To find the blue line, it takes some time. First follow a white line, then you see a gate under water, after the gate you see a red line starting in the left and the blue one will start somewhere further on the right. Ok, we will find. But it takes us 15 minutes to find the blue line. We jump from the gate to the blue line. And see another black line also. And a pink one.
We follow the blue line till we see some T’s that go to a higher level. Nice, yellow lines now.
Cookies placed, and up to the other level. A nice small ‘tube’.
The waterlevel in the higher part is low, we decide to make a small conversation and then move on to the blue line again.
After 70 minutes we finish the dive. COLD. It is not really cold for us dutchies, but in the Lot area the water is 13 degrees, and in the Netherlands also. In winter we have 3-4 degrees and sometimes ice, but not now yet. I dove here with a 490 gramm underwear without heating and 5mm gloves. In real winter I use the same underwear, but take 3 finger mits or drygloves and sometimes heating.
The intro divers did a 30 minute dive with a guide, they liked it, but it was cold.
Lunch is done in an Asian restaurant outside the mine. Then back for the second dive. This time we don’t make a real plan to follow a color, just go in and see what looks nice. So we started with a white line, jump after the gat to a pink one and jump then somewhere to the black line. Again a nice dive. This time shorter, almost 1 hour.
Then a 3.5 hour drive back to cave area in the Lot follows. But it was nice to do.
