Lot · about 12 km from Souillac
Oeil de la Doue
- Max depth52 m
- CertificationFull cave
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- The Cave To BeAir, nitrox and trimix up to 320 bar (standard 21/35, 18/45, 15/55, 10/50), O₂ up to 220 bar
- Lot Filling Station (Proteushop)Air, nitrox (any %), trimix (incl. 21/35, 18/45, 15/55, 10/70 and custom), O₂ 200/300 bar
What it looks like
Oeil de la Doue | Tauchen | Lot Cave Diving | Höhlentauchen | Sidemount Spéléo plongée dans l'œil de la Doue #cavediving #sports #nature Cave Diving: Oeil de la Doue Diving the Oeil de la Doue
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Videos and posts
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Oeil de la Doue | Tauchen | Lot Cave Diving | Höhlentauchen | Sidemount Spéléo plongée dans l'œil de la Doue #cavediving #sports #nature Cave Diving: Oeil de la Doue Diving the Oeil de la Doue
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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
Under a cliff lies a porch 8.5 m wide and 1 m high; a 20 m lake leads to a 3 m cascade. You go in through an entrance slot of 80 cm by 3 m, which opens after 4 m to 3 x 5 m.
Profile and sections
Under a cliff lies a porch 8.5 m wide and 1 m high; a 20 m lake leads to a 3 m cascade. You go in through an entrance slot of 80 cm by 3 m, which opens after 4 m to 3 x 5 m. Visibility is best 2-3 days after heavy rain: 15 m+. A 150 m section is awkward walking through potholes, with a steel cable above the largest. The long sump is a sand-dune gallery 6–7 m wide and 3–4 m high at -20 m, which drops further to ~-52 m and then rises again to the 'galerie Fred'. A photogenic cave.
The system is about 3 km long. A miller is said to have gone in as early as 1870, after a drought; in 1893 Rupin and Armand got 180 m in. Divers passed the first sumps in 1976–1978, and at Easter 2004 the long sump was relined with a line marked every 10 m.
Practical: S1 drains and refills with the water level, and can then be hard to find. In a severe drought only a 30 m lake remains.
- Depth and profile
- Per the FFS: S1 ~195 m / -6.5 m; S2 354 m / -16 m; S3 1,380 m / -52 m; S4 130 m / -17 m; S5 to -50 m, explored to 400 m. The guide numbers them differently (incl. 300 m / -15 m and 1,400 m / -50 m).
- Configuration
- Backmount. The entrance is a slot 80 cm wide and 3 m high, roomy after that.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable
- 80 cm entrance slot, long dry sections and ~700 m walk-in; carrying a scooter isn't worth it
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 52 m (trimix or deco may be 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.
How to get there
Commune of Martel. From Martel take the D23 north; where the GR46 crosses, cross the Doue and take the dirt track on the left, past the mill, to a footpath on the left with a small wooden barrier, where you can park. The cave is about 600–700 m along the footpath, at the foot of a 15 m cliff.
approximate location
Around Oeil de la Doue
Fills2 fill stations · nearest 23 km
The Cave To Be
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.
Lot Filling Station (Proteushop)
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).
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News
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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 11 Nov 2026.
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