Ardeche und Lot & Dordogne August 2007
Team: Roland, Robin, Arne, Marc
We first went to the Ardeche in August to look at a new cave for which we had obtained a permit from the municipality in advance. We will report on this in due course.
Since the permit process was quite complex and we are planning a larger project in this cave, we ask for your understanding for our decision to keep a low profile.
Robin and Roland reached a total penetration of about 3150 m in this cave, the dive duration was exactly 375 min (6.25 hrs) with a bottom time of 210 minutes. It was done with Rb 80/Rb 2000, each with two trimix stages (different mixtures) and 3 deco gases and 4 magnum scooters. No further penetration was planned for this TG due to the scooter logistics carried and lack of habitat. We will be back!
Arne and Marc reached a penetration of about 1100 m in this cave. Marc was using the RB80 and Arne was using the Tourill RB. They used 4 scooters (2 backup), one trimix stage each and 3 deco gases each.
Since we had planned half a week for caving activities and our permit was unfortunately limited to a couple of days, we crossed over to the Lot to do a little diving. Here the first thing was to get Arne and Marc a bit ahead in the deep part of the Ressel. We agreed in advance that they would scoot in front and we would bring up the rear and turn around with them.
The TG was planned in each case with the RB80 with D20 with Trimix 17/55 and in each case 1x 80 cf Trimixstage 17/55 as well as 3 Dekogasen (40 cf Oxygen, 80 cf 50/25, 35/35).
Arne and Robin each pulled a Standard or Magnum Gavin as backup, the others in the team used Magnum Gavins.
At the TG in the Ressel we then scooted together into the side passage in the deep part and reached a penetration of about 1200 m. On the way there, for example, we turned around a linearrow at about 950 m, which pointed into the cave instead of to the exit. This is an example for the partly completely twisted guideline etiquette in France. In this passage, sometimes up to 3 different lines run in the passage. We finally turned around 80 m before the next T, which leads either further into the cave or to the flat route.
We comfortably scooted back to the shaft and had completed 50 min of bottom time at an average of 55m. During the subsequent deco, Roland and Robin then overtook Arne and Marc, who wanted to decompress a bit more conservatively.
Roland and Robin were then out of the water again after 180 min, Arne and Marc followed about half an hour later.
The next day we dived again at the Ressel with Arne and Marc and scootered here this time at the T at 830 m on the right, following the flat route, to about 900 m and turned around. We dived here again with the RB 80 and one 80 cf Trimixstage each with 17/55 and only 2 deco gases (80 cf 50/25 and 40 cf Oxygen) and a total of 6 Gavins. After 120 min we were out of the water again.
We visited the Gouffre de Cabouy the next day and dived together the traverse 900 m to the Pouymassen and chatted a bit in the pool of the Pouymassen and scooted back to the Cabouy.
Shortly after the descent from the Pouymassen Arne's gavinscooter broke down and he scooted out on one of the backups. Thus it was then nix with a further penetration into the Pouymassen. Later it turned out that the reed contact was defective and did not release.
As a small final dive of this tour we made a small detour to the Truffe and dived with the double-12 in Sump 1. The water level was so low that we surfaced after about 100m dive distance. Arne and Robin climbed out of the water and looked at the puddles of the dry corridor and could not find another descent possibility even after 50m, so everyone turned back after they returned.
We then all took the entry restriction on the way back in the worst zero visibility and were out of the water again after 30 minutes.
In this sense,
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