Switzerland · about 5 km from Weesen
Rinquelle
- CertificationFull cave
- Water temperature≈ ~6 °Cestimated, no reports yet
- SpecialSidemount
Diving and fills
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Fills nearby
- Fill stationTiefenstein UnterwasserWelten (Horn, Bodensee)Air, nitrox 32, trimix 18/45, O₂ (Divox), helium and argon; 230 and 300 barRoute ↗
- Fill stationTauchschule Divepad.ch (Urdorf)Air, O₂, helium, trimix 18/45 (premix) and argonRoute ↗
- Fill stationTec Diving (Luzern)Fill station; which gases is not stated — askRoute ↗
What it looks like
RINQUELLE - JOHN VOLANTHEN EXPLORING THE DOWNSTREAM Höhlentauchgang in der Rinquelle Betlis
All 3 videos and posts
Videos and posts
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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
The Rinquelle is a large karst spring above the Walensee: mean ~2.65 m³/s, 10–20 m³/s in snowmelt and heavy rain, and dry a few times a year.
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
The Rinquelle is a large karst spring above the Walensee: mean ~2.65 m³/s, 10–20 m³/s in snowmelt and heavy rain, and dry a few times a year. It is a T-shaped system with inflow, outflow and an overflow passage.
It has been explored since 1959, mainly in 1969–1981 (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rinquellenforschung); in the 1970s it was the longest known underwater cave at the time.
Practical: diving is practically limited to winter, and entering the cave is reserved for cave divers.
- Depth and profile
- About 1.4–1.8 km of underwater passages explored · air chamber Donnersee 890 m from the entrance · furthest point 1,080 m (1981) · vertical range of the cave 33 m; maximum depth not published
- Configuration
- Narrow sections with strong flow and a slot ('Briefkasten'): sidemount is the obvious choice (estimate). Water 6 °C: drysuit.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Narrow passages, strong current and a carry to the spring: not a scooter cave (estimate).
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- 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
Via Weesen to Betlis (by car, or on foot or by boat from Weesen), then to the Seerenbach falls, next to which the spring emerges. The former gear cableway no longer works: you carry your kit. Contact with the local explorers via rinquelle.ch.
Around Rinquelle
Fills3 fill stations · nearest 46 km
Tiefenstein UnterwasserWelten (Horn, Bodensee)
Seestrasse 19, 9326 Horn, Switzerland
Air, nitrox 32, trimix 18/45, O₂ (Divox), helium and argon; 230 and 300 bar
Tue–Fri 10:00–12:00 and 13:30–18:30, Sat 8:00–16:00; closed Mon; outside hours by appointment. 24 h outdoor stations: air and EAN32, one also trimix 18/45 (top-up card, CHF 50 deposit).
Visitors can fill on showing their certifications. Prices per 100 l: air CHF 0.50, EAN32 CHF 0.60, trimix 18/45 CHF 6. Annual flat rates CHF 150–300. In eastern Switzerland, far from Lake Thun.
Tauchschule Divepad.ch (Urdorf)
Urdorf (ZH), Switzerland — street address: ask
Air, O₂, helium, trimix 18/45 (premix) and argon
24/7, access via app (with a subscription)
Fill-station subscription CHF 85 a month (CHF 65 for rebreather-only divers). Without a subscription, per bar-litre: helium CHF 0.080, O₂ CHF 0.030, trimix 18/45 CHF 0.050. Whether visitors without a subscription can fill: ask (WhatsApp).
Tec Diving (Luzern)
Grossmatte 30, 6014 Luzern
Fill station; which gases is not stated — ask
By appointment (call or email)
Dive shop and filling plant with workshop; GUE dive centre with cave courses (Cave 1–3, CCR Cave), CCR trimix and scooter.
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Caves nearby1 within 34 km
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.
- Fatal accident during an early exploration in the 1960s (1963 according to Wikipedia) and a near-drowning in the outflow passage in 1976.
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.
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