7 caves · down to 137 m
Cave diving in the Vercors
- Caves7
- Max depth137 m
- Water temperature5–7 °C
- Dive centres1
Now in Vercors (France)
- Cuves de SassenageIsère. A major cave rescue exercise organised this Friday at the Cuves de Sassenage ↗
Diving and fills
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Fills nearby
- Fill stationVercors PlongéeAir, nitrox (32–50%), oxygen; trimix/helium on request. Maximum fill pressure not stated (their own cylinders: 230/300 bar).Route ↗
Why come here
In the Vercors you dive the big springs at the foot of the massif, such as the Goule Noire, the Bournillon and the Cuves de Sassenage: chains of sumps behind dry passages, waterfalls and long carries, with small cylinders or sidemount. This is ground for experienced full cave divers; the water is ice-cold (5–7 °C in the Goule Noire and the Bournillon) and the entrances lie at 418 to 680 m, so check your computer's altitude setting. The springs react violently to rain and snowmelt: the Goule Noire is dived at low water in cold, dry winter spells, and the Bournillon sumps can only be reached after a long drought. The Grotte de Thaïs, the Choranche lake and two Drôme springs are closed to divers; Pont-en-Royans is the base.
Don't miss
- Goule Noire: the Vercors' second spring by discharge, with visibility of more than 7 m at low water and exploration trips of up to 13 hours underground.
- Grotte de Bournillon: a big entrance and water at 7 °C, where visibility was more than 20 m in 2010.
- Cuves de Sassenage: the outlet of the Germe, where divers search the sumps for the junction with the Gouffre Berger.
On a rest day
- Choranche Cave: A show cave with thousands of thin soda-straw stalactites and two underground rivers.
- Hanging houses of Pont-en-Royans: The colourful houses cling to the cliff above the Bourne, right in your base.
- Combe Laval: A road from 1893–1896, cut through tunnels in the cliff, from Saint-Jean-en-Royans up to the Col de la Machine.
All 7 caves
4 closed not shown ·
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuves de SassenagePermission neededSidemount · Full cave | – | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Grotte de BournillonSidemount · Full cave | 85 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Goule NoireSidemount · Full cave | 20 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Map
Dive centres and fill stations
1 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Dive centre
Vercors Plongée
Royans, ~1 km from the Camping du Pont de Manne, 26190 Saint-Thomas-en-Royans (exact address not published)
- Air, nitrox, oxygen
- Full cave, Sidemount, Trimix · TDI
- Drysuits, 12/15 L cylinders and lights
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Pont-en-Royans and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Where to stay
Find a place near Pont-en-Royans, Saint-Jean-en-Royans, Saint-Nazaire-en-Royans, Villard-de-Lans, Sassenage
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- Pont-en-RoyansBooking.com ↗
- Saint-Jean-en-RoyansBooking.com ↗
- Saint-Nazaire-en-RoyansBooking.com ↗
- Villard-de-LansBooking.com ↗
- SassenageBooking.com ↗
The links to Booking.com are affiliate links: if you book through one, DiveTripPlanner earns a small commission. You pay the same.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 112 (or 15 SAMU, 18 fire brigade); say it is a cave-diving accident. DAN Europe: +39 06 4211 5685.
- Hyperbaric chamber: Hôpital Édouard Herriot, 5 place d'Arsonval, 69003 Lyon, tel. +33 4 72 11 00 31, 24/7 (~1 h 45 from Pont-en-Royans, estimate). The number comes from the chamber list on the FFS site (updated in 2007): check it beforehand.
Access and rules
- Access: no central scheme. The Grotte de Thaïs and the Choranche lake are on private show-cave land and are closed to divers. The Émergence de Bourne (Beaufort-sur-Gervanne) and the Émergence du Diable (Échevis) are tapped for drinking water: diving banned. The Goule Noire is a protected site (site classé, 1911) in the Parc naturel régional du Vercors; no diving ban is known for the Goule Noire or the Bournillon.
Gas and fills
- Gas and rental: Vercors Plongée (Royans, near Saint-Thomas-en-Royans) fills air, nitrox and trimix by appointment; oxygen available, helium on request; rents drysuits, 12/15 L cylinders and lights. CCR absorbent and CCR or scooter rental: not mentioned, ask.
Water and season
- Water and season: 5–7 °C in the Goule Noire and the Bournillon: drysuit. The springs react violently to rain and snowmelt (Goule Noire up to 34 m³/s, Bournillon up to 80 m³/s). The Goule Noire is dived at low water in cold, dry winter spells, not during a thaw. The Bournillon sumps can only be reached after a long drought (in 2010: 'once every five years'). Plan for a stable dry spell and watch for thunderstorms.
- Altitude: Goule Noire 680 m, Bournillon 418 m. At the higher springs, check your computer's or tables' altitude setting.
Rest day
- Non-diving day: the show caves of Choranche (open all year) and Thaïs (April–August), the Cuves de Sassenage (show cave in summer, guided caving all year) and in the Dévoluy the 5 km walk to the Sources des Gillardes (861 m), one of the most powerful springs in France.
Good to know
- Character: the big springs (Goule Noire, Bournillon, Cuves de Sassenage) are sump dives: chains of sumps behind dry passages, waterfalls and carries, with small cylinders or sidemount, and only at low water.
- Federations and clubs: cave diving falls under the FFS (École Française de Plongée Souterraine: courses, regional correspondents, accident reporting) and the FFESSM (Commission nationale plongée souterraine). Isère caving committee: CDS 38. The FFS site plongeesout.ffspeleo.fr has sheets and reports on over 40 sumps in the Isère and the Drôme.
News
News articles that mention one of the caves in this region, collected automatically and not checked by us.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines.
Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
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