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Source du Marchepied

Lot · about 2 km from Marcilhac-sur-Célé

Source du Marchepied

  • Max depth69 m
  • CertificationFull cave
  • Water temperature≈ ~13 °Cestimated, no reports yet
  • SpecialSidemount
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Diving and fills

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Fills nearby

  • Lot Filling Station (Proteushop)~34 min drive (estimate)Air, nitrox (any %), trimix (incl. 21/35, 18/45, 15/55, 10/70 and custom), O₂ 200/300 bar
  • The Cave To Be~58 min drive (estimate)Air, nitrox and trimix up to 320 bar (standard 21/35, 18/45, 15/55, 10/50), O₂ up to 220 bar
All fill stations and places to stay ↓

What it looks like

All 7 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.

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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

A small entrance on the bank of the Célé at Marcilhac, close to the Ressel.

Divers have become stuck in the narrow entrance passage. Fatal accident in October 2021: diver trapped and tangled in the line, ~20 m from the entrance.
Source: France Bleu, okt 2021 ↗Source: Spéléo Secours Français, aug 2019 ↗
Backmount: the restriction has only recently become passable in backmount — sidemount is clearly safer.
Profile and sections

A small entrance on the bank of the Célé at Marcilhac, close to the Ressel. After a tight passage of about 30 m the cave opens into a beautiful passage with white rock that reflects the light, and crystal-clear water (13 °C, -4 to -17 m). There is a strong outflow: hard going in, fast coming out. The restriction has only recently become passable in backmount.

Sump 1 runs about 510 m to an air bell; in total the system is about 1.3 km long, with three sumps. British divers dug it open in 2003. The cave has been temporarily closed in the past.

Source: Grotto Map – Marchepied ↗Source: Outside – Plongée souterraine dans le Lot ↗Source: Pegasus Caving Club – Lot cave diving ↗
Depth and profile
S1 510 m / -17 · S2 28 m / -5 · S3 668 m / -69 · total 1,338 m (1,208 m wet)
Configuration
Possible with a small backmount, but sidemount is better
DPV: DPV possible
A small scooter has been used, but the 30 m entrance restriction makes it a struggle; little gain
Who can dive where
  • CaveAt least Full cave
  • Whole caveConfigurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
  • Whole caveGoes down to 69 m (trimix or deco may be needed) · doesn't decide who may dive
  • Whole caveExperienced divers only · doesn't decide who may dive
Dry sections / haulingExperienced divers

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.

Source: Grotto Map – Marchepied ↗Source: Outside – Plongée souterraine dans le Lot ↗Source: Pegasus Caving Club – Lot cave diving ↗
Cave map

How to get there

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Around Source du Marchepied

Fills2 fill stations · nearest 16 km

  • Lot Filling Station (Proteushop)

    ~34 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

    ~58 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 ↗
Where to sleepAround Marcilhac-sur-Célé on Booking.com ↗

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Other sites6 within 8 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 11 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.

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Something wrong, or do you know more?Depth, access, parking, the current situation: let us know.
Sources, sharing and disclaimer

Sources

Source: Grotto Map – Marchepied ↗Source: Outside – Plongée souterraine dans le Lot ↗Source: Pegasus Caving Club – Lot cave diving ↗
Cave Diving Guide Lot (Stefan Schiemann), p. 19 ↗

Current conditions

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

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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.