CROATIA 2004
At the reentry from Croazia, after one week, I am even more convinced about its
exploratory possibilities. In this country some of the terms used in the modern
geology have been coined. The territory of Croatia, although of small dimensions,
includes almost all of the possible carst phenomenons. The low number of
inhabitants, which are concentrated especially in the cities, confer it a very
wild aspect from a naturalistic point of view. The sightings of animals such as
deer, hawks, owls, etc. are not rare, even if remaining seated comfortably on
the car seats, and for the more fit on foot the search of animals such as the
bears is not difficult: it requires just a little luck and a hike among the
mountains.
This week I did not only have the chance to see again friends of old, but also
to meet local cavers and cave divers with a waste knowledge of the flooded
underground phenomenons in their territory.
The weather has not been good: rain and cold have accompanied us for the whole
week but, between one damp dive and another, there has been the time to discuss
on promising objectives for the future.
I
have had the possibility to dive in two springs and a flooded cave and to
observe two other enormous springs and some caves from the outside; underground
complexes, which are found at a distance of about 30 minutes from the base camp
by car.
BARAČEVAC SPRING
Dive to check the possibility of continuation: the current is quite strong near
the narrow entry and the visibility is good.
I am told that
the first meters of the tunnel are very narrow and that it will be difficult to
pass, therefore I take little material.
I pass the first
sump which is about forty meters long, moving some rocks that obstruct the
passage; the violent floods that will arrive punctually will put them back right
in the middle of the tunnel. I resurface in a dry room of about 6m lenght, then
I find myself in front of a small flooded passage which forces me to breathe
from the circuit and again I find myself in a dry room of about 8m lenght: the
bottom of this room is a mix of clay and sand. With the weight of the semi
closed circuit and the 7l tanks I sink in various centimeters. Once reached the
second sump I tie off the line and dive: the depth is between -2 and -4m, the
visibility is about three meters, the dimensions of the gallery are about 3X4m.
The tunnel winds, the shapes are complicated to describe because of the
irregularity up to around 190m from the entry; further inside the morphology
changes and the cave takes the form of a forced conduct with 3m in diameter. I
stop at 220m from the entry because I have finished the line. At the return the
visibility is reduced notably because of the clay present along the whole
flooded passage.
I
return for a second dive a few days later, and I succeed in continuing for other
65m reaching the lowest depth of -1m in a narrow section.
The Slovakian cave diver who has done this dive as the first and from whom the
information that are been given to me derive, sustains to have passed 350m from
the entry at a depth of -4m in a gallery of 4X4m; nevertheless his description
of the tunnel does not correspond to what I have seen.
Some meters above the spring two dry caves are opening, one of which it will
soon become adapted for touristic visits. In the entry lives an owl, while
inside the cave there is a happy colony of bats.
BEGOVAC LAKE – VELIKA PEĆINA CAVE
Pleasant dive in this strange cave. With the end of the winter, because of snow
melting and spring rains, a big lake is formed whose water floods the
neighboring cave which is about 400m long.
In summer
instead of the lake there is a green lawn and the cave it is almost totally dry.
Inside the cave I have observed some fish called PIŠKOR, from whistle, because
when they are caught they whistle. If removed from the water and left on the
lawn, they slip like snakes in order to return into their habitat. The shape of
their tail remembers of an eel, at the mouth there are instead long barbels.
The PIŠKOR are not completely suited for the underground life and can also live
in the lake, but they are usually seek shelter in the cave during the summer
period, not only because the lake is dried up but also because they prefer cold
waters.
The dive is interesting for the morphology of the tunnel, less for the
exploration, as with a little more work you can enter it on dry foot for
exploratory reasons.
SINJAC SPRING
It has been
explored before by the French expeditions of 92 and 98 reaching a depth of
-104m.: it is the most promising of the springs visited by me. Observing the
notable quantity of water flowing, I dive only with the intention to verify the
strength of the current. I descend in the lake before the entrance and
immediately I find myself dragged backward by the current: I intend to descend
feet first, manage to arrange my equipment and begin to descend. Not having a
clear idea from where to depart, I slip into a opening which is 3m wide and 1m
high. It is full of driftwood branches and clay; going down, I leave the 2l
oxygen tank at -6m and the 4l Nitrox50 tank at -21m, I continue my descent and
after some meters of vertical progression, at about -30m, I enter the principal
shaft of about 10m in diameter: I realize to have passed a secondary tunnel. The
clay that I loosen from the walls is pushed towards me by the current and
prevents me to see clear; it would be better to remain away from the walls, but
the scarce visibility of the water doesn't allow me to. At the depth of around
45m on the bottom of the shaft lies a hay wagon, fallen into the spring many
years ago. Continuing the descent,
the dimensions of the tunnel decrease, therefore the current becomes stronger
and stronger until I decide to return back. The return is unintentionally quick,
but very amusing; I recover the decompression tanks, make a few minutes of
safety stop and resurface.
In August the exploratory activities will be turned toward some springs in
Albania, but "seen what I have seen", I desire to reserve a gap of about ten
days to return in Croazia.
Participants:
HRVOJE CVITANOVIĊ, PREDRAG RADE, ALAN
KOVAČEVIĊ, DAMIR PAVELIĊ, LUCA TANFOGLIO, LUIGI CASATI
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