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Balkans

Ponora – Zhabokrek (Chiren)

Info · exploration

Information only: a protected cave with shafts and sumps, explored by expeditions; no dive centre or club takes visitors.

Source: speleo-bg – Ponora ↗
  • Max depth46 m
  • CertificationFull cave
  • SpecialRopework
Directions

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Now at Ponora – Zhabokrek (Chiren)

Status
Closed

The dive

Ponora is a swallow hole at Chiren whose water rises again at the Zhabokrek spring. The cave is ~3.5 km long and 46 m deep. The Zhabokrek sump was first passed in 1963.

Profile and sections

Ponora is a swallow hole at Chiren whose water rises again at the Zhabokrek spring. The cave is ~3.5 km long and 46 m deep.

The Zhabokrek sump was first passed in 1963. In 2001 a French-Belgian team linked Ponora's terminal sump to Zhabokrek over 240 m. In 2025 the team from Sofia still names Zhabokrek as one of its sites. Depths, visibility and temperature: ask.

Source: speleo-bg – Ponora ↗Source: 360mag – interview with Bulgarian cave divers (27 Mar 2025) ↗
Depth and profile
Cave of ~3.5 km and 46 m deep, with sumps · the terminal sump was linked to the Zhabokrek spring over 240 m in 2001
Configuration
Expedition dive with ropework and dry sections between the sumps; light sidemount.
Who can dive where
  • CaveAt least Full cave
  • Whole caveConfigurations: Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
  • Whole caveConfiguration unknown — research beforehand · doesn't decide who may dive
  • Whole caveGoes down to 46 m (trimix or deco may be needed) · doesn't decide who may dive
  • Whole caveRopework (SRT) needed
  • Whole caveExperienced divers only · doesn't decide who may dive
RopeworkDry sections / haulingExperienced diversDepends on water level or swell

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: speleo-bg – Ponora ↗Source: 360mag – interview with Bulgarian cave divers (27 Mar 2025) ↗

How to get there

At Chiren (Vratsa municipality). The Dushniko shaft needs rope and ladder. Protected site: ask about permission.

Plan your route ↗

Around Ponora – Zhabokrek (Chiren)

FillsNo fill station known nearby
Other sites2 within 53 km

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Sources, sharing and disclaimer

Sources

Source: speleo-bg – Ponora ↗Source: 360mag – interview with Bulgarian cave divers (27 Mar 2025) ↗

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Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training. Compiled from the research of 27 Oct 2026 and information from CDC Vrelo (Oct 2026, with the 2026 price list) on diving Vrelo: metla.mk and republika.mk (the Vrelo record, 17 Oct 2026), InDEPTH "Drive and Dive in the Balkans", underwater-3d.com (Matka Vrelo 2025), Wikipedia (Matka Canyon, Blue Eye), the GUE Balkans Cave Exploration Project (July 2010), caverescue.eu and Thalassia Salentina (Kotor, 2005); for Bulgaria, Albania and Montenegro (Oct 2026) the Bulgarian Federation of Speleology's cave registry, 360mag, showcaves.com, X-Ray Mag, Divernet, National Geographic Polska, AKT, Wikipedia, taucher.net, the Czech Speleological Society, RSE, BTA and Pro Diving Montenegro; for Bihać (Nov 2026) Una Aquarius, Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap. Dutch travel advice for North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Bulgaria checked on 27 Oct 2026 (all green). Pins from OpenStreetMap. ~ = estimate, ask = not confirmed. Rules change — check locally.