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Lot · about 1 km from Cahors

Fontaine des Chartreux

Closed to divers

Cahors' drinking-water catchment: diving is forbidden.

  • Max depth138 m
  • CertificationFull cave
  • SpecialExperienced divers
Directions

Diving and fills

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Fills nearby

  • Fill stationLot Filling Station (Proteushop)~91 min drive (estimate)Air, nitrox (any %), trimix (incl. 21/35, 18/45, 15/55, 10/70 and custom), O₂ 200/300 barRoute ↗
  • Fill stationThe Cave To Be~93 min drive (estimate)Air, nitrox and trimix up to 320 bar (standard 21/35, 18/45, 15/55, 10/50), O₂ up to 220 barRoute ↗
All fill stations and places to stay ↓

Now at Fontaine des Chartreux

Status
Closed

The dive

A karst spring in the middle of Cahors. The water is 12 °C and visibility ranges from under 1 m to clear. Discharge is ~2 m³/s at low water and more than 50 m³/s in flood.

Profile and sections

A karst spring in the middle of Cahors. The water is 12 °C and visibility ranges from under 1 m to clear. Discharge is ~2 m³/s at low water and more than 50 m³/s in flood.

Divers have explored the spring since the 1940s. Archaeological work (1989-1991) recovered Roman coins from the floor of the flooded gallery. The spring is the drinking-water source for Cahors and its surroundings.

Depth and profile
Near-vertical shaft of more than 140 m; divers reached -133 and -137 m (1988) and -138 m (1998). The huge conduit narrows to 4-5 m wide at depth.
Configuration
Not applicable: diving is forbidden.
DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
Not applicable: closed; also a deep shaft.
Who can dive where
  • CaveAt least Full cave
  • Whole caveConfigurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
  • Whole caveGoes down to 138 m (trimix or deco may be needed) · doesn't decide who may dive
  • Whole caveExperienced divers only · doesn't decide who may dive
Experienced diversDepends on water level or swellPermission 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

On the left bank of the Lot, ~250 m upstream of the Pont Valentré, next to the pumping station. Cahors' drinking-water catchment: no access for divers.

Plan your route ↗

Around Fontaine des Chartreux

Fills2 fill stations · nearest 44 km

  • Lot Filling Station (Proteushop)

    ~91 min drive (estimate)

    180 route de la Tuilerie, 46100 Cambes

    Air, nitrox (any %), trimix (incl. 21/35, 18/45, 15/55, 10/70 and custom), O₂ 200/300 bar

    Daily 9:30–19:30, year-round

    About 20 min from the Ressel. Standard mixes ready to go; order custom blends in advance (WhatsApp). Also a dive shop (Proteushop), rental of scooters, lights and twinsets, and cave training (PSAI/TDI).

    Website ↗Navigate ↗

  • The Cave To Be

    ~93 min drive (estimate)

    842 rue Émile Zola (D14, Bournazel), 46500 Gramat

    Air, nitrox and trimix up to 320 bar (standard 21/35, 18/45, 15/55, 10/50), O₂ up to 220 bar

    Open year-round (except between the end-of-year holidays), daily 8:30–19:00

    Near Gramat, handy for the sites around Gramat and Padirac. Guided dives in 16 caves of the Lot, at your own certification level (air or nitrox without deco, or one trimix dive with deco). Also courses from cavern to full cave, sidemount, CCR and scooter, rental of overhead gear, a shop and accommodation. Contact: Olivier.

    Website ↗Navigate ↗
Caves nearby6 within 21 km

News

All (2)

Nearby

Articles about cave diving that name a place within 25 km of this site, but no cave by name. They're not necessarily about this site.

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 Lot (France): conditions, closures and news →

Going to the Lot with your team?

Marcel finds the sites that match your team's certifications.

Plan a trip
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Sources, sharing and disclaimer

Sources

Current conditions

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

  • Lot Caves Conditions ↗
    Facebook group · private group

    Divers share visibility, flow and water levels of the Lot springs here. Run by The Cave To Be (Gramat).

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Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training. Based on personal notes; page numbers refer to Stefan Schiemann's Cave Diving Guide. Certification requirements are estimates — no substitute for local knowledge. Drive times: from Marcilhac taken from the guide, elsewhere calculated by road (OSRM, OpenStreetMap). The Doux de Coly and six springs that are closed to divers come from public sources (plongeesout/FFS, the CDS46 list of springs with access rules, Sept 2026). The pins of 14 of the 16 sites listed by The Cave To Be (Gramat) on its website come from there (Oct 2026); the Pou-Meyssen pin comes from The Hidden River Project, and the Marchepied pin was checked and kept. Access, sumps, history and hazards of many sites were added in November 2026 from public sources: the FFS site sheets (plongeesout), Spelunca, FFESSM magazines, the CDS46 and Grotto Map; the pins of Meyraguet, Goul Naou and the Oeil de la Doue come from the FFS. In November 2026 the CDS du Lot named by e-mail the 16 springs that divers may visit; the other springs in the Lot are marked closed.