Trip report(s) posted on the techdiver list

Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2000 08:24:03 +0100
From: Frédéric PINNA
To: techdiver@aquanaut.com
Subject: Diving in France - Bourg Saint Andeol

Hello list,

It is my first post on the list so be kind with my poor english.


Here are the technical informations about our little trip in the cave
called Goul de la Tannerie (a.k.a. Petit goul) at Bourg Saint Andeol
(Ardeche county) in FRANCE.

What does it look like ??

The first 700m are very narrow and at an average depth of 9m.
Then you reach the first shaft until  80m. At this point you have to
swim 250/300m at a depth of 90/100m to reach the second shaft. In the
second one, famous swiss cave diver Olivier Isler reached 165m in 1996.

TEAM
Divers :
David BIANZANI (Grenoble)
Claude MARTIN (aka DOB....like doberman, because he eats all day long)
Xavier MENISCUS (Valence)
Patrick MUGNIER (Marseilles)
Frederic PINNA (former marseillan and now on the Loire valley)
Francois TOURTELIER (Marseilles)

Medical practionner
Jean louis GUILMIN (Marseilles)


The first members of the team arrived on sunday november 26 in the evening.
We started to stage bottles monday 27 in the afternoon and tuesday 28.
The flow was quite strong so we couldn't enter the sump on monday morning. Conditions going better, we started in the afternoon. Because of the weather, we decided to push on wenesday 29 instead of thursday as we planned first.

Patrick MUGNIER as the main diver entered the sump on wenesday november 29 at 1:15 PM
He went out at 8:30 PM with O. Isler's reel.
Depth max reached -170 metres on 9/70
Distance from the entrance 1100 m
Patrick's Gas Consumption : 32.000 litres

mix gas used :
pure oxygen (deco)
Nitrox 65% (deco and swimming)
Nitrox 50% deco
Nitrox 40% deco
Trimix 24/10 deco
Trimix 20/50 (deco and swimming)
Trimix 12/60 (deco and swimming)
Trimix 9/70 (deco and swimming)
Argon (dry suit)
Air (wing)

the first 700m have been swum in 60 min
Need 30 min to reach -170m.
Vis was poor less than 10m.
Strong flow in the deep part of the cave.
First meeting with support diver at -50m.
Each 40 min new visit of a support diver and cylinders were got out of the sump.

All the stops have been done 700m from the entrance.


Equipment 2X20l + 2X18l + 2X4l (wing et dry suit)

deco made on DECOPLANNER and GAP
GF 0.20 et 0.60

240 minutes of deco
first stop 90 metres

total diving time  7h15

To be continued ...

I think it is a world record of deep cave diving so far from the entrance.

It is not for debate, only for information. Diving, we always try to do it simple (DIS).

Dive safe

Frederic