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This Pictures are copyright from nick-toussaint.com and the Sardegna Project team.
Please if you copy them must give proper credit to the hard effort of the team and notify us here
Please if you copy them must give proper credit to the hard effort of the team and notify us here
Last weekend of May a group of dedicated Italian DIR cave divers,
accomplish a series of dives in Bue Marino cave system in the island of
Sardegna, Italy.
The first scout trip was done in December 07 when the local Sardinia
Speleological group invite us to create a relationship assisting with the
exploration of the largest cave system in Italy and one of the largest in
Europe. Unfortunately we were welcomed with snow and rough seas so we
look around at the dry caves and sumps, getting really excited with diving in
the area!
Furthermore Bue Marino has potential to be the longest cave system in
Europe and the world's furthest single entrance cave penetration underwater.
Not really a surprise in one of the largest Karst areas in the world, as a matter
of fact to rival both in extension and beauty to the Mexican Yucatan peninsula
caves.
Actually there are several cave systems dry and flooded in the area.
But only Bue Marino, which is the largest, has been systematically organized
for exploration by the local speleological group, lead by Leo Fancello,
who has been coordinating the discretionary access permit and the teams
exploration efforts. We were happy to be collaborating with them and be let to
dive beyond the 300mt area designated for tourist cave divers.
Is noticeable the line work done by a Checz team, lead by D. Hutnam that has
been exploring, documenting and creating a beautiful grade 3 map of BM,
both above and underwater caves; unfortunately not available for the general
public yet.
Diving the Bue Marino caves as most Sardegna caves requires
a boat trip through the Turquoise coast into the sea cave
entrance, then you squeeze through the haloclines into the cave
tunnels!
Our support team set up the O2 bottles and then drop a stage at P650mt, we
then travel the snaky tunel to what it seems the end of the exploration line at
around shy of 4km, we went past a couple deep pits of estimated 45mt max
depth and large deposits of clay at about 2km. The longest underwater cave
known in Italy.
Viz perfect. Water salt 18°C fresh 15-16°C
We accomplish the dive in under 3hr using fast motor Zeuxo ADV's at average
75mt/min that's 25% more than a fast rewound mako engine!
It also was a quadruple + O2 OC dive, as we prefer to exhaust OC before
pushing on rb's
Also during the dive I test the new SUEX neutral underwater heating (up to
90amp) with split batteries allowing better discharge and burn time
management, in fact on the way out I lost my lead acid light battery and was
able to finish the dive on Primary light using the heating pack!
The cave passages are beautiful and marine life lives well inside, in fact when
I lost my light the cave wall were glowing with green phosphorescent
creatures, is basically a main bore hole with some restrictions through the
breakdowns, also haloclines, so similar to Mexico I was feeling home quickly!
More here
Thanks to the team for this dive project:
Surface Manager :
Fabio Sagheddu
TV reporter,
Constantino
Surface support Team :
Micol e Barbara
Support Team :G B, Andrea Cappa and M Barnin
OC Team :
Alessandro F, Nick T
No accidents, no dcs, no fatalities
Sardegna, Bue Marino
