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Ardèche · about 9 km from Aubenas

Fontaine de Boude

  • Max depth16 m
  • CertificationFull cave
  • Water temperature≈ 12–13 °Cestimated, no reports yet
  • SpecialSidemount
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Directions

Diving and fills

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The dive

A small resurgence. The network is heavily silted, some sections are almost filled and the rock is very fragile. Explored in 1953, 1981 (G.S.

Heavily silted network with nearly blocked sections and very fragile rock.
Source: plongeesout.ffspeleo.fr – Fontaine de Boude ↗
Profile and sections

A small resurgence. The network is heavily silted, some sections are almost filled and the rock is very fragile.

Explored in 1953, 1981 (G.S. Vans) and 1999 (J.-P. Baudu: terminus at -16 m; digging failed).

Depth and profile
S1 45 m / -2 · S2 150–185 m / -16 (terminus at a sand bank) · total about 320 m, 230 m flooded
Configuration
Sidemount is best because of the restriction; a twin 7 L set also works. Silted passages, no room for large rigs.
DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
Small, silted system: no scooter.
Who can dive where
  • CaveAt least Full cave
  • Whole caveConfigurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
  • Whole caveGoes down to 16 m (trimix or deco may be needed) · doesn't decide who may dive
  • Whole caveExperienced divers only · doesn't decide who may dive
Experienced diversPermission needed

This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.

Cave map

How to get there

From Lachamp (D104) to the hamlet of Boude; park at the fifth house and follow the dry valley bed. Small south-facing entrance about 30 m further. Then 55 m of sandy passage (2.4 x 1.4 m) to S1.

Plan your route ↗

Around Fontaine de Boude

FillsNo fill station known nearby
Where to sleepAround Aubenas on Booking.com ↗

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Other sites6 within 14 km

Going to the Ardèche with your team?

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Something wrong, or do you know more?Depth, access, parking, the current situation: let us know.
Sources, sharing and disclaimer

Sources

Cave Diving Guide Ardèche, Gard & Vaucluse (Stefan Schiemann), p. 67 ↗

Current conditions

Visibility, flow and water levels change quickly. Right before your dive, check what other divers report:

  • Ardèche Caves Conditions ↗
    Facebook group

    Current conditions in the Ardèche caves: visibility, flow, water level, state of the line and temperature.

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Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training. Compiled from web research (Sept 2026) and the guide (2024 edition): CDS 07 and CDS 30, plongeesout.ffspeleo.fr, Spelunca, Grottocenter, foussoubie.fr, club reports and news. Page numbers refer to Stefan Schiemann's Cave Diving Guide Ardèche, Gard & Vaucluse. Map pins come from the GPS coordinates in the guide, from Grottocenter/OpenStreetMap or were converted from Lambert grid references (may be 50–100 m off). For some caves the data is thin or old: check it in the guide and locally. Certification requirements are estimates. Drive times are calculated by road for each stay (OSRM, OpenStreetMap).