Plongée souterraine dans le Barrois
Des sources argileuses, souvent troubles, autour de Saint-Dizier et de Bar-le-Duc : la vasque du Rupt-du-Puits et, avec une clé fournie par la ligue régionale de spéléologie, les siphons derrière son forage ; de longs siphons d'exploration comme la Bezerne et la Fontaine de Laneuville ; et, au sud de Joinville, la Dhuit aux eaux claires.
9 sites · jusqu'à 20 m
Les descriptions des grottes sont pour l'instant en anglais.
Les 9 sites
| Site | Prof. max. | Type | Brevet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source Bleue (Villiers-sur-Marne) | 19 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Fontaine de la Bezerne | 20 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Fontaine de la Dhuit | 16 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Fontaine de Laneuville | 8 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Source des Clefmonts (Pont de la Grotte) | 3 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Grande Fontaine de Sommelonne (Trou Bleu) | 7 m | Petites bouteilles / no-mount | Full cave |
| Réseau du Rupt-du-Puits – forage (siphons amont) | 6 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Fontaine Saint-Martin (Pas-Saint-Martin) | 7 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Vasque du Rupt-du-Puits | 11 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
Les brevets requis, les configurations et les profondeurs trimix sont des estimations destinées à la planification. Vérifiez-les toujours sur place et plongez dans les limites de votre formation.
Infos pratiques : règles, gonflage et numéros d'urgence
Urgences
- 112 (or 18); say it is a cave-diving accident and ask for the spéléo-secours (the SSF's departmental adviser). National SSF line: 0800 121 123. DAN Europe: +39 06 4211 5685.
- Hyperbaric chambers: CHU de Reims, Hôpital Maison Blanche, 45 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51092 Reims (~1 h 15 from Saint-Dizier): chamber +33 3 26 78 48 23; according to MedSubHyp (Aug 2024) only on working days 8:30–18:00, outside those hours advice from the on-call intensive-care doctor via the SAMU (15/112). 24/7: Hôpital de Hautepierre, Centre régional d'oxygénothérapie hyperbare, avenue Molière, 67200 Strasbourg (~3 h): chamber +33 3 88 12 79 17, out of hours via intensive care +33 3 88 12 79 01. Hôpital Raymond-Poincaré, 104 boulevard Raymond-Poincaré, 92380 Garches (~2 h 45): emergencies 24/7 +33 7 76 54 29 71. CHRU Jean Minjoz, 3 boulevard Fleming, 25000 Besançon (~2 h 45): +33 3 81 66 89 13, 24/7 on call.
Accès et règles
- Access: there is no central scheme. Rupt-du-Puits: the borehole belongs to the ONF and is locked; the key is kept at the Maison lorraine de la spéléologie (MLS) in L'Isle-en-Rigault, for cavers licensed in a European federation, under a convention between the Ligue Grand Est de Spéléologie (LIGES, Maison régionale des sports, 13 rue Jean Moulin, 54510 Tomblaine) and the ONF. The Ligue also holds conventions for the Trois-Fontaines forest (Béva) and the underground quarries of Savonnières-en-Perthois. Source des Clefmonts: gate (as of 1993/2005). Source Bleue: private (hotel). No rules have been published for the other springs.
- Contacts: the springs are explored by local clubs, who also lay the lines; get in touch beforehand. Meuse: CDS 55 (cd.speleo.55@gmail.com) with the clubs GERSM (own cave-diving team, gersm@orange.fr), Los Fouyants (Bar-le-Duc) and Proteus (Beurey-sur-Saulx, clubproteus@gmail.com). Haute-Marne: the ASHM, the only caving club in the département (ashm52100@gmail.com). The Ligue has a cave-diving training commission.
- Licence and insurance: the FFS offers a temporary licence for foreign nationals: 30 days, €53 (2026 rate), insurance included. Apply with a separate form via ffspeleo.fr/adhesion (not through the online AVENS system), with a medical certificate; for cave diving it must be less than a year old. For one or three days there is also an FFS initiation insurance through a club, which also covers cave diving.
Gaz et gonflage
- Gas: no public fill station with published nitrox, trimix or O₂ was found in the area. Bring your own gas, booster and CCR absorbent, or ask local diving clubs (e.g. Hippocampe Club Plongée 52 in Saint-Dizier, hippocampeclubplongee52@gmail.com) whether they can help.
Eau et saison
- Water and season: 11.5 °C measured in the Rupt-du-Puits (1967; an older account gives 8 °C) and ~10 °C in a Haute-Marne spring (2023): drysuit. Visibility is usually poor because of clay (0–2 m), except in the Dhuit. The springs react strongly to rain (Rupt-du-Puits: ~11 l/s in June 2026, ~1,960 l/s in March 2026); plan after a dry spell. Dhuit: Vigicrues gauge at Saucourt, ideal 0.8–1.2 m.
Sur la route et aux alentours
- Lodging: the MLS (17 rue Henri-Chevalier, 55000 L'Isle-en-Rigault, +33 3 29 71 30 12) is a gîte for cavers with meals, by appointment, ~5 km from the Rupt-du-Puits.
Jour de repos
- Non-diving day: the Beurey-sur-Saulx/Robert-Espagne karst trail (4 km, ~1.5 h, bring a torch) past the Rupt-du-Puits springs; dry caving in the underground quarries of Savonnières-en-Perthois (access via an online form from the GERSM).
Planifiez un séjour de plongée souterraine dans le Barrois
Saisissez votre équipe, avec brevets, gaz et configurations, et voyez tout de suite quelles grottes vous conviennent. Avec les temps de route depuis votre hébergement, les stations de gonflage et un instructeur IA qui réfléchit avec vous.
Compiled from public sources: plongeesout.ffspeleo.fr (FFS site sheets, mostly 1994–2007; Dhuit 2019), the GERSM and CDS 55, Wikipedia, grottomap (IKARE data), showcaves.com, Spéléo Club de Paris, ABIMES, the Maison lorraine de la spéléologie, the FFS, the Meuse département, JHM, Haute-Marne Attractivité, fontesdart.org, MedSubHyp and CDS 07 (September 2026). Much of the dive data is old or comes from a single exploration team. Pins from Wikipedia and grottomap or converted from plongeesout's Lambert coordinates; the Dhuit has no pin yet. ~ = estimate. Rules change — check locally.