Hérault and Gard · about 6 km from Ganges
Foux du Mas de Banal
Closed to divers
Private land: the owner no longer allows diving.
- Max depth163 m
- CertificationFull cave
- SpecialSidemount
Diving and fills
Dive here with
No dive centre guides here yet. Do you dive here with guests? Add your centre for free →
Fills nearby
- Fill stationLa Palanquée New'sNitrox and oxygen per a 2018 forum post; trimix and pressure: askRoute ↗
Now at Foux du Mas de Banal
The dive
A deep window onto the groundwater of the Vernède system. Mind the clay banks: touch them and visibility drops below 50 cm at once. The level varies by more than 10 m between seasons, and the spring only flows in flood.
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
A deep window onto the groundwater of the Vernède system. Mind the clay banks: touch them and visibility drops below 50 cm at once.
The level varies by more than 10 m between seasons, and the spring only flows in flood. Depth was pushed step by step from -50 m (1983) to -163 m (1999).
- Depth and profile
- Fracture shaft (2 m wide) to -12 m, 50 m descending passage to a large shaft; -163 m reached (June 1999); 440 m of passage, 171.5 m vertical range
- Configuration
- Not applicable: closed. Passages from 2 x 1 m to 4 m shafts.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Not applicable: closed; also a vertical, narrow profile.
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 163 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 Saint-Bauzille-de-Putois take the D108 towards Montoulieu; after 1,100 m take the track on the right past a scrapyard, descend 80 m to the stream, then 150 m to the spring. Cattle pasture. Private land: permission is no longer given.
Around Foux du Mas de Banal
Fills1 fill station · 43 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.
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.
- June 1999: a support diver sent to recover cylinders from a deep push was found dead at -68 m with a fin snagged on an old line.
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.
More of the latest in Hérault and Gard (Languedoc, France): conditions, closures and news →Going to Hérault and Gard with your team?
Marcel finds the sites that match your team's certifications.
Plan a trip