Hérault and Gard · about 17 km from Ganges
Exsurgence de Gourneyras
- Max depth105 m
- CertificationFull cave
- SpecialExperienced divers
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Fill stationLa Palanquée New'sNitrox and oxygen per a 2018 forum post; trimix and pressure: askRoute ↗
What it looks like
Plongée Spéléo à l'Exsurgence de Gourneyras 2023 Plongée souterraine dans la résurgence de Gourneyras Plongée Souterraine à la Gourneyras 2025 Plongée Grotte de GOURNEYRAS
All 4 videos and posts
Videos and posts
From other divers, via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. They only load when you click; after that, Google's or Meta's privacy rules apply.
Plongée Spéléo à l'Exsurgence de Gourneyras 2023 Plongée souterraine dans la résurgence de Gourneyras Plongée Souterraine à la Gourneyras 2025 Plongée Grotte de GOURNEYRAS
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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
In the Vis valley lies a large blue spring pool, per Grottomap one of the finest in France. Remains of an iron anchoring frame for an old decompression bell are still in the spring.
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
In the Vis valley lies a large blue spring pool, per Grottomap one of the finest in France. Remains of an iron anchoring frame for an old decompression bell are still in the spring. Visibility up to 25 m has been reported in the far section.
Exploration: 1950 to -30 m, 1972 to -47 m, 1983 to 720 m, 1995 to 1,100 m, and 2001–2004 to the end point at ~2,165 m. The 2001 push took 2 hours plus 9 hours of deco; dives in 2002 lasted 501 and 561 minutes. Flow and flood behaviour are not described in the sources consulted.
- Depth and profile
- Pool 10 x 20 m; entrance passage 15 x 10 m dropping in steps (vertical to -48 m); passages 6–8 m across, heading north-west gradually to -72 m (foot of two chimneys), with a 2 x 2 m section somewhere; large chamber (15 x 15 m) at -102 m at ~1,150 m; max -105 m; total 2,165 m
- Configuration
- All configurations; CCR or open-circuit trimix for the deep section (estimate)
- DPV: DPV possible (estimate)
- Roomy passages (6–8 m) and a long horizontal gallery, but the deep profile limits the gain; mainly useful for the far sections (estimate).
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 105 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
- Experienced divers only
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.
How to get there
From Ganges take the D25 towards the Gorges de la Vis to ~3 km past Madières; before the second hairpin turn right onto the track (metal gate, past Mas du Pont), then ~2.4–3 km of forest track along the right bank of the Vis to the pool. The track belongs to EDF: gate usually open; do not block it, bring as few cars as possible, no camping and no fires.
Around Exsurgence de Gourneyras
Fills1 fill station · 49 km
La Palanquée New's
Boulevard Frédéric Fabrèges, 34250 Palavas-les-Flots
Nitrox and oxygen per a 2018 forum post; trimix and pressure: ask
Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00, Sat 9:30–12:30 and 13:30–19:00, closed Sun (2026)
Large dive shop on the coast near Montpellier (~1 h from Ganges, estimate). Its own site does not mention fills: call ahead. In 2018 a local diver called it the only place around Montpellier for nitrox and O₂.
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News
All (1)
Accidents and incidents
What happened at this cave before, with the sources. No names are given; read it as a lesson for your own planning.
- Fatal accidents: 1987 — a poorly equipped diver (weighting, no cutting tool) took off his weighted cylinders under the entrance pool, became entangled in the line and died at -16 m; 1993 — on the way back a diver found his buddy out of breath at the foot of the entrance shaft, who then stopped breathing; the second diver was treated in a hyperbaric chamber. April 2013: an experienced instructor sank in front of his buddy and did not resurface.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines. Search for more news ↗ Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
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