Ardèche · about 3 km from Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche

Source de l'Écluse

Max depth106 m
CertificationFull cave
Water temperature≈ 12–13 °Cestimated, no reports yet
SpecialExperienced divers

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Very high water: the river at this cave is higher than on 93% of the days in the past year.

At such a level springs are often murky, and some caves close. Check locally whether diving is possible. This notice comes from the river gauge (Ardèche, Vallon) and goes away by itself when the water drops.

Status: Open
Visibility: probably poorFlow Ardèche, Vallon: 175 m³/s · Very high water · rising
Water temperature: 12–13 °C, depending on the season
Local reports: Ardèche Caves Conditions ↗
Rain, next 3 days: 11 Wed0.4 mm13°/18°12 Thu39.7 mm12°/15°13 Fri3.2 mm7°/13°

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How was the visibility in the cave? Report it

poor visibility5–10 mgood visibility

Date of your diveSign in to report the visibility

This is about the visibility inside the cave, not in the head pool or the open water at the entrance.

TemperatureDate of your diveSign in to report the temperature

Report what your dive computer showed in the cave. Only the number of reports, the temperatures and the latest date are public.

Sources: Hub'Eau (Vigicrues) and MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Updated daily.

The dive

The Source de l'Écluse is the resurgence of the Grotte de Saint-Marcel system and one of its eight entrances; in 2013 the system was >55 km long with 280 m vertical range.

Deep branch to -106 m: plan your gas and your turn depth for that.

Source: CDS07 – Les siphons les plus profonds / les plus longs (jan 2021) ↗

Old, unreliable main line that is sometimes buried in sediment; visibility is often poor, especially after a long dry spell. After winter the entrance may be partly blocked by debris and mud.

Source: Cave Diving Guide Ardèche (Stefan Schiemann), p. 32 ↗

Profile and sections

The Source de l'Écluse is the resurgence of the Grotte de Saint-Marcel system and one of its eight entrances; in 2013 the system was >55 km long with 280 m vertical range. Jean-Pierre Baudu's team passed -100 m here in 2013.

Practical: Bidon is one of the Gorges de l'Ardèche reserve communes.

Depth and profile: Sump 'A bis' 1,590 m, connecting to the Saint-Marcel underground river (longest sump in Ardèche) · deep upstream branch to -106 m (CDS07, Jan 2021). Per the guide (as of 1993): entrance just above the waterline, swim first, then a gap ~2.5 m wide and 0.8–1 m high; low passage with sediment; after ~5 min a T-junction: straight on the main passage towards the Grotte du Bateau (second entrance), left an air pocket after a short dive. The main passage reaches a shaft with a 'Sortie' sign at -53 m; the bottom is 6 m deeper, with another T. Explored to 530 m at -56 m (1993).
Configuration: Backmount. Long, deep sump: twinset, sidemount or CCR with trimix; not for small cylinders.
DPV: DPV possible (estimate): Low entrance (0.8–1 m) and a silty passage where a scooter mostly costs visibility. Only in the deep main passage (a 1.6 km sump to Saint-Marcel) can it pay off, for teams on trimix.

Who can dive where

CaveAt least Full cave
Whole caveConfigurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR
Whole caveGoes down to 106 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

plongeesout.ffspeleo.fr – section (FFS) ↗

How to get there

Left bank (Bidon), directly below Camping des Grottes and below the Grotte de Saint-Marcel. Via the access road and a steep 1.5 km rocky track to the campsite. Non-guests may not park at the campsite but may unload: ask the owner for permission beforehand (he speaks English and sometimes shows the hard-to-find entrance). The car then goes to the higher car park. Then ~200 m down a steep wooded path to a gravel beach among eroded rock slabs; the entrance is left of the small sandy beach under the rocks. As a thank-you, have a drink at the campsite bar.

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Around Source de l'Écluse

FillsNo fill station known nearby

Where to sleepAround Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche on Booking.com ↗

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Other sites6 within 9 km

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