Gourneyras, October 2008
Participants: Roland, Robin, Marc, Arne, Tobi, Manu, Tim, Peter
A special thanks goes to Tobi, who basically only arrived for setting up and roping down the equipment!
Overview:
Between 30 September and 05 October we were at the Gourneyras. Arrival was on Tuesday early in the morning, - so that we could make a check TG with small equipment (D12, without stages) on Tuesday evening.
We were lucky and the conditions were great! Between 15 and 30m visibility. Even with 30m visibility you can't illuminate the cave in some places, but it was enough.
After the check TG we had unloaded our cars at the road, respectively on the dirt road. Unbelievable that sooo much equipment fits into a car :-)
In total we had 1 Habitat, 2 double RB frames, 7 mono RB frames, 5 D12/D18, 14 scooters, 70 stages, 2x 84AH heating tanks, 2x 44AH heating tanks, 5x 18AH heating tanks and a lot of "attachments" like automats, etc.
After unloading, we first set up our quarters. A part slept in the buses, a part built up their tents. The construction of the ropeway and the abseiling went relatively problem-free. However, we had a somewhat too thick rope as a pull rope, - that constantly rubbed on the rope brake. That was a bit annoying, but it still worked. Whether that was so good in the long run, would still show :-(
The next day only quite little stuff had to go down with the ropeway. So the first team, Marc and Arne, could start their TG right away. The two had the task to dive to about 1,000m and to mend and repair the line until then. Up to that point, the line situation was extremely severe. Marc and Arne were about 6h in the water at their TG.
TG Report ( Robin & Roland )
Total TG duration: 820 minutes
Max. Depth: 98,8m
During the morning, Roland and I set up our double RB rigs on the pensioner tables in the pool and performed the obligatory, standardized RB checks and checked all other equipment components again.
In order to save space, we had already equipped all the stages with the machines at the presentation and placed them in sorted "packages" in the cave pool, so that we could also do the bubble check at the same time and replace the machines if necessary. The total of 14 scooters were also "parked" in the pool.
After the double RBs were configured and tested, Roland and I performed a short OC setup TG with a Trimix 21/35 for the following day. We did without a decogas for this short bouncedive.
Tim and Marc had already deposited 2 x 80 cf stages with the 50/25 at 21 m in the cave the day before, so we now placed per diver the deep decogas with the Trimix 25/45 (80 cf or 7 L) ,3 x 80 cf Trimixstages (1 x 15/60, 2 x 12/75), 3 x Magnumscooter, as well as each1 x heating tube with 84 AH in the cave.
First we suspended 2 x 80 cf stages with O2 and one 80 cf stage with a Trimix 17/55 as break gas and a small heater tube with 18 Ah as well as a lead belt from the habitat. Afterwards we placed 6 Magnumscooters on 36 m at the line and checked them again. We noticed that the pitch of one of Roland's scooters was a bit overtightened and could not be moved. We took the scooter in question to the top and fixed it with a few hand movements.
The large heating tube with the 84 Ah and the deep Dekogas with the 25/45 we placed about 150 m in the cave on scarcely 51 m depth. Due to the very low water level (it was missing about 5-6 m!!) it should have actually been 54 m at this point. So we decided that the next day we would pick up the Trimix 25/45 again on the further way into the cave and drop it again when we reached the 54 m mark.
Afterwards we slowly dived out and on the way up towards the surface we took equipment from Arne, Marc, Manu and Peter as well as Tim in the form of some scooters, Trimixstages, deco gases with us into the pool as they were on deco stops from their dives in the meantime. (see other reports)
Afterwards we supported the girls and guys getting out of the water and then taking off the equipment.
Finally, towards evening, some scooter packs, lamp batteries and other odds and ends were transported up by cable car and loaded.
Afterwards, there was a multi-course and extended barbeque at the campfire under the leadership of Arne. He does not let anyone else to the grill and enjoys every time "felt" 5 m high stab flames, which he "conjures" with the grill lighter. During dinner we discussed the schedule and timing of tomorrow and the dive of Roland & Robin and distributed the tasks.
Afterwards we went to bed at 22:00 to get up at 7:00 the next morning (no, we are really not early risers and often like to dive at night).
The next morning we filled up our carbohydrate stores, Roland preferred a strong noodle soup, Robin enjoyed pasta and tomato sauce. But it takes some effort to eat pasta at this time of the day.
Around 8:30 we were then at the cave pool and were supported by Manu or Arne and Marc in putting on the double rebreathers in the pool.
Beforehand, we briefly checked the heating shirts for functionality, plugged the stages with the Trimix 35/35 into the switch block of the RB and breathed on the scrubbers for a few minutes. Robin used an additional 14 cf argon stage clipped to the left chest D-ring with a bolt snap, in addition to the 14 cf argon tank fixed to the bailout tanks with straps, for descent. With the known cave profile, out of argon is not an option.
We said goodbye to the team and finally descended into this huge cave.
Visibility conditions were excellent at about 20-25 m, 30 m visibility in places. We briefly checked again the habitat and the stages fixed to it as well as the stages deposited on 21 m with the 50/25. On 36 m we dropped the stages with the 35/35 and changed to the "Shallow" Trimixstage with the 15/60, which we wanted to use up to a depth of 75 m for the first kilometer, besides everyone took up still 2 Trimixstages with a 110 m gas in the form of a Trimix 12/75 as well as in each case 3 Magnumscooter. Thus we were from now on each with 3 Trimixstages and 3 Scooters on the way. After that a short check of the backup rebreather was done and off we went. We pressed the triggers and followed the insane gear profile. After a very short time we reached our 84 Ah heating tubes and stages deposited the day before with the Trimix 25/45 which we wanted to use as deep decogas from 54 m depth. We decided to leave the heating tanks there at 51 m and only took up the stages. After a few minutes, we finally reached the 54 m mark and placed the stages at a suitable location, as well as the argon stages we had brought along for the descent.
It was hardly possible to illuminate all areas of the cave we followed the passage profile and scootered side by side and enjoyed this really beautiful cave. After not even 30 min on the trigger we finally reached the area of the cave where it drops from the 70-75 m range to a depth of about 100 m. The floor was only dimly visible, the ceiling not at all. The floor was only dimly visible, the ceiling not visible at all.
Here we deposited a stage with the 75 m gas and a Magnumscooter on the line and switched to the first of the two Trimixstages with the Trimix 12/75 and scooted down the giant shaft, reaching a maximum depth of 98.8 m. Up to this point, the situation was very good.
Up to here the line situation was chaotic, but due to the work of Marc and Arne no problem to find the right way. After a short time this should become different. The line was torn and hung loose in the passage profile, without a line continuation was to be recognized, we connected a Reel at the line end and one of us looked for the continuation of the passage profile, after the continuation and/or the other line end were found, we connected the line to the existing line. The passage profile rose after a short time to about 80 m and from here only the line laid by Micha and Reinhard existed, which was unfortunately constantly interrupted over sometimes larger distances, so that we connected on the one hand the laboriously found lines with each other or if the continuation of the line was not manageable again connected the reel and scooted further into the cave.
The line of Micha and Reinhard was provided with distance markers (yellow tape), so that one had a certain overview.
One of us scootered alternately ahead and lit out and looked for the continuation of the further passage profile, the other laid line and got tie-offs and placements.
Finally the cave dropped again to over 90 m and we found again the line of Micha and Reinhard and connected our line to them.
We scooted quickly following the passage profile and the line and reached a shaft that quickly led to a depth of about 70 m. We were able to find the line again. After a few minutes on the trigger the line was broken again without any line continuation. We reconnected the reel and let the scooters pull us again into a shaft at about 93 m and followed the tunnel and the line. After a few minutes on the trigger, we finally found the older line continuation again and reconnected it to our line. The constant patching, knotting and re-laying of line and searching for the continuing course of the passage cost corresponding time. Since we assumed a saturation profile for the decompression, we did not care about the depth and bottom time, since the decompression would not change significantly with increasing bottom time and regardless of depth.
These ascents and descents of the cave profile also resulted in a corresponding, higher gas consumption at the counterlung ratio of 1:10 that we used.
The profile of the cave rose gradually, first to about 85 m, then to 75 m, then relatively quickly to 45 m. That we broke through the decoceiling here did not bother us, because we would pass here again on the way back and the resulting bubbles would again force into solution or reduce again. The cave dropped a bit in the further course and we reached a depth of 52 meters.
Here the line was broken again and the cave looked like it would rise even further. Since Robin still had about 50 bar in the first trimix stage and we had defined this limit as one of the turnaround criteria, we ended the dive in the deep part at minute 170.
It would have meant with the further rise and with it with the way back renewed decrease of the depth profile in the consequence definitely alternatively on the second Trimixstage - which was planned for the way back - to change or to fall back even the back package with the D20. Since the gas in the backpack is used exclusively as safety gas and is not touched except for inflating the wing, this was not an option for us. Well knowing that we had the line end of Micha and Reinhard at our first dive within reach, it was then just good for today.
We attached another cookie to the line and scooted - following the now continuous line - leisurely out of the cave and looked around for side passages and other possibilities of further passage continuation. At some significant places we will start again in the foreseeable future and look at them more closely. We are both of the opinion that it goes here still further!
It is already madness that even with about 20 m visibility in the deep part of the cave in its dimension is hardly completely illuminable and you can hardly see the other wall section, which makes the search for other continuations not exactly easy.
On the way back it went now clearly faster and at minute 220 in the TG we reached the deposited stages with the 75m gas and the two Magnumscooter.
We switched to the stage with the Trimix 15/60 and each deposited scooter and stowed the other scooter again. The third scooter was not used during the entire dive and served only as a pure backup scooter.
We then made a few deep stops and finally scooted out of the cave. At minute 290 we reached our discarded stage at 54 m with the deep degas (Trimix 25/45) and changed to it. The bottom time was not particularly long and totaled 270 min.
At 51 m we took up our heating tubes and switched them on.
We decompressed to the top and on the 48 m Arne and Tim already met us from above. A short okay and the two were already there and unloaded us of the no longer needed equipment in the form of the 6 Scooter, 4 Trimixstages and the Reel. We kept one trimixstage each for the deeper gas breaks we did on the rebreathers and decompressed further up.
Robin wrote Tim & Arne the planned decoprocedure in the wetnotes and tore out the page and gave it to them. Thus all involved had the exact plan and knew exactly when we will arrive at which deco level and when we want to enter the habitat.
From 39 m we already started with gasbreaks with the Trimix 15/60 to save the lungs for the following decopression. The gas breaks were considered as full decompression time and did not extend the decompression time.
In between, we kept drinking from the discarded hydration bags and rehydrating while eagerly looking forward to the habitat.
In between, Arne and Tim came by every now and then and took up deco gas days that were no longer needed in the meantime and checked if everything was OK with us.
About 20 minutes before the end of the 12m deco stage the habitat crew arrived and prepared everything.
At minute 600 we were ready to enter the habitat at 8.5 m and performed a 15 min gas break on the Trimix 17/55 that was placed at the habitat.
Roland was served first and climbed into the habitat after he was helped out of the double rebreather and the weight belt was put on. Robin was next. Honestly it has to be said that we should practice this again ;-)
When we were both sitting in the habitat we finished the gasbreak and changed to the O2. Gas breaks now took place in the habitat in the ratio 12:8 (O2: Breakgas), in between there was pasta with tuna and how creative tuna with tomato sauce and plenty to drink.
The 6 m decostage was completely done on 9 m and the 9 m stop was completely deleted from the calculated decoprofile. We stayed in the habitat for 180 min and had plenty of time to chat.
With the Deko we could have gone surely somewhat more aggressively ran, however by the remoteness of the cave (it goes also no portable radio), we had decided for the "hare's foot variant" :-)
The habitat was unfortunately due to the low water level and lack of a suitable place for placement on the ceiling only on 8.3 m what us but not bothered. Before leaving the habitat we did a 15 minute gas break on the trimix and left the habitat one by one with the help of Marc, Arne and Manu and surfaced at dive minute 820 in the pool.
TG Report ( Tim, Manu, Peter )
TG Total duration: 210 minutes
Max. Depth: 68m
Gases: Manu and Peter: BG 18/45, DG 50/25 and O2, Tim BG 15/55, DG 35/35, 50/25 and O2, all equipped with PSC rebreathers and scooters.
Since Tim's dive partner had dropped out, he came along with us. We agreed on our goal (scootering to the shaft) and coordinated because of the gases and deco strategy.
Briefing
After the detailed briefing (reversal criteria, deco strategy, team order, TG procedure) we went into the water and did our predive checks above water, dived down, completed the UW checks and put down the O2 on 6m, the first deco gas on 21m and Tim his third gas on 36m.
The dive
With the finger on the trigger we went into the darkness. The profile of the cave is impressive: At the beginning, ceiling and floor still slope parallel at a distance of about 10m, until the ceiling changes to horizontal and the cross section grows. The visibility was really good, but often not enough to see all walls and ceiling from the line because of the in places overwhelming dimensions. Behind the first climb we already saw HID points coming towards us, that had to be Marc and Arne. Both teams went off the trigger briefly and enjoyed the visual spectacle of seeing the outline of the crest silhouetted against the light of the oncoming team's HIDs. A quick exchange of the OC with the laser sabers and on we went. Since the line situation in this part of the cave is a bit chaotic to say the least (partly three lines running more or less parallel, scraps of line hanging down from the ceiling, T's coming from the ceiling onto the lower lines at a sharp angle), we had to find a sensible strategy to make sure that we would be able to find our way out again using ONE line: We decided to use the white cable, since it was different in color from the lines and didn't seem to be broken anywhere. After almost 30 minutes of leisurely scootering, we arrived at the shaft, which went down from 60m, take a quick look around and head back home, as the planned ground time was over.
Back at the entrance we see above us first Marc and Arne on deco in the green-blue backlight of the entrance portal and above them Roland and Robin at the setup for their dive. A great feeling to see the whole team united diving!
Deco
After the deep stops we joined Marc and Arne at 27m, but due to our shorter bottom time and shallower depth we soon left them below us. The deco was relatively uneventful, except for the fact that Peter's Rebi sporadically started to bubble, so he left the deco open to avoid any risk: The mouthpiece was torn, and so water ran blithely into the loop at the end. But better safe than sorry, and since the reason for the noise UW could not be properly clarified, it was so the safe decision.
After the dive
After the slow dive out, we first floated a bit in the pool, relaxed and talked about the dive and our impressions before we put the equipment down in the water and took a little break on land.
The cave is overwhelming because of its dimensions, but there are also many very nice details to discover. The shaft that marked our turning point is breathtaking. The walls above the shaft are washed out in a round shape, so they just invite you to go around in circles.
It was great to see how well we got along as a team: We had only dived together once before, yet there were no ambiguities or coordination problems, as we have strict common standards throughout Team Cavebase regarding equipment and procedures based on DIR principles. So the friction loss remains vanishingly small.
In this sense,
Your Cavebase
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