Cave diving in Burgundy
Small karst springs in northern Burgundy: the shallow Douix in Châtillon-sur-Seine and the sumps of the Bèze (both via the commune), the Trou de Jalleu just across the border in the Haute-Saône (private land) and the blue Creux Bleu. The famous Fosse Dionne in Tonnerre has been off limits since 1996.
5 springs · down to 79.5 m
All 5 springs
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creux Bleu | 10 m | Small cylinders / no-mount | Full cave |
| Source de la Bèze (Grottes de Bèze) | 17 m | Not known yet | Full cave |
| Source de la Douix | 17.3 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Fosse Dionne⛔ Closed to divers | 79.5 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Trou de Jalleu | 41 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 112 (or 15 SAMU, 18 fire brigade); say it is a cave-diving accident. DAN Europe: +39 06 4211 5685.
- Hyperbaric chambers: CHRU Jean Minjoz, Service d'Oxygénothérapie Hyperbare, 3 boulevard Fleming, 25000 Besançon (~1 h from Dijon, ~50 min from Vesoul): tel. +33 3 81 66 89 13 or +33 3 81 66 81 66 (ext. 68913); Mon–Fri 8:30–16:30, 24/7 on-call outside those hours; one chamber for one recumbent patient (as of December 2023). Hôpital Édouard Herriot, Centre de Médecine Hyperbare, pavillon N, 5 place d'Arsonval, 69003 Lyon (~2 h from Dijon): tel. +33 4 72 11 00 31, 24/7 on-call. Hôpital Raymond-Poincaré, 104 boulevard Raymond-Poincaré, 92380 Garches (near Paris, ~2.5 h from Tonnerre): emergencies 24/7 +33 7 76 54 29 71. The CHU of Reims (Hôpital Maison Blanche) treats only on working days 8:30–18:00.
Access and rules
- Access: there is no central scheme; it differs per spring. Douix (Châtillon-sur-Seine): through the mairie (in 2009 registration on a waiting list). Grottes de Bèze: managed by the commune of Bèze, diving only by arrangement. Trou de Jalleu (Champlitte): private land, owner's permission. Creux Bleu (Villecomte): no ban known. Fosse Dionne (Tonnerre): diving banned since 1996. Apart from that ban, no published municipal diving rules are known: ask beforehand.
- Federations and clubs: in France cave diving falls under the FFS (École Française de Plongée Souterraine, with regional correspondents and a course calendar) and the FFESSM (Commission nationale plongée souterraine). Active locally: CDS 21 (Côte-d'Or caving committee), the Spéléo-Club de Dijon and, in the Yonne, the Spéléo-Club de Chablis.
Gas and fills
- Gas: Aquasub in Ahuy (northern edge of Dijon) fills cylinders; which gases and up to what pressure: ask. Trimix, O₂ and helium: bring your own or arrange in advance.
Water and season
- Water and season: 11–12 °C (Douix, Creux Bleu): drysuit. The springs react strongly to rain: Bèze up to 20–25 m³/s, Fosse Dionne up to 3 m³/s. At the Douix the entrance restriction is hard to pass at high water; at the Trou de Jalleu you do not go beyond the entrance shaft in flood, and at low water the visibility there is poor. Plan after a dry spell.
Rest day
- Non-diving day: the Bèze show cave (April–October, on foot and by boat), the Fosse Dionne in Tonnerre (free to visit), the Cirque de la Coquille near Étalante and the 9.5 km walk from the Creux Bleu.
Plan a cave diving trip to Burgundy
Enter your team, with certifications, gas and configurations, and see right away which caves fit. With driving times from your stay, fill stations and an AI instructor who thinks along.
Compiled from public sources: wannadive, COSIF/FFS Île-de-France, CDS 21, Spéléo-Club de Dijon, Spéléo Club Alpin de Gap, Spéléo-Club de Chablis, plongeesout.com, Bourgogne-Nature, CNRS, Wikipedia, the Burgundy tourism board, komoot, Chemins de l'eau, MedSubHyp, Aquasub and the town of Châtillon-sur-Seine (September 2026). Much of the dive data is old (2009–2012) or comes from a single club report. Pins from wannadive, Wikipedia, plongeesout.com and one converted Lambert coordinate. ~ = estimate. Rules change — check locally.