Mato Grosso
Dolina do Pai João
Info · exploration
Expeditions only: the caves lie in protected areas and are explored by teams with a state permit (SEMA-MT); no operator takes visiting divers.
- Max depth130 m
- CertificationFull cave
- SpecialExperienced divers
Diving and fills
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Now at Dolina do Pai João
What it looks like
All 1 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
At the bottom of a steep sinkhole lies a lake of very clear water. A vertical tunnel about 20 m across drops to 50 m, splits there and joins again around 80 m.
Profile and sections
At the bottom of a steep sinkhole lies a lake of very clear water. A vertical tunnel about 20 m across drops to 50 m, splits there and joins again around 80 m. According to Nitrox (IANTD) one passage starts at 30 m, wide and richly decorated, and two siphons run to 100 m, into a large chamber and passages that may connect to Poço 2 de Maio. In places sediment can reduce visibility.
Divers reached 88 m in the inner lake before 2003. From 2023 a team from GUE and the University of São Paulo explored the cave, with the Mato Grosso fire brigade's divers as rescue cover; a fourth expedition followed in 2026, with Rick Stanton among others.
Practical: the expeditions dived in May and September, in the dry season.
- Depth and profile
- Plan for more than -130 m: a news report on the 2026 expedition gives passages beyond 130 m. The 2025 scientific paper gives max 101 m, Nitrox (IANTD) siphons to 100 m, and 88 m was already reached before 2003 · explored: ~700 m (2024), ~900 m (2025), nearly 2 km (2026).
- Configuration
- Every known team dived on CCR; dives of 4.5 to 7 hours, with long deco.
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR
- Configuration unknown — research beforehand
- Goes down to 130 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
In the Parque Estadual Gruta da Lagoa Azul near Nobres, ~120 km from Cuiabá. A walk of ~2 km, then a steep, rocky descent of 50–100 m along the walls to the water. Only with a SEMA-MT permit.
Around Dolina do Pai João
FillsNo fill station known nearby
News
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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The caves here are listed as information only: we don't know a dive centre, guide or club yet that takes visitors, so you can't plan a trip here yet. Do you know one, or are you one? Let us know.