Gigi CASATI
- SPELEONAUT -
Curriculum Vitae
Born in Lecco, on June 28th 1964
Diving Activity:
He starts learning the diving techniques with aqualung in 1978
Certificates:
1981 First degree ANIS (National Association of Diving Instructors)
1981 Open Water Diver PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)
1982 Refresher course for the Hyperbaric Chambers use ANIS – CMI (Medical
Hyperbaric Centre)
1982 Second degree ANIS
1982 Advanced Open Water Diver PADI
1982 Rescue Diver PADI
1984 Navy at Divers Group and Raiding Headquarters “Teseo Tesei” (ComSubIn). Diving
operator ARO –ARA certificate; vote 18/20
1987 ANIS Assistent Instructor
2005 NAUI Instructor (National Association of Underwater Instructors)
2005 Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor SDI (Scuba Diving International)
2005 Full Cave Instructor TDI (Technical Diving International)
2005 Advanced Trimix Instructor TDI
2009 Instructor Trainer SDI-TDI
2009 Full Cave Instructor Evaluator SDI-TDI
2014 Instructor Trainer PSS
Others Sports :
Swimming – Bike - Mountaineering-ski – Mountaineering – Kayak
Speleological Activity:
1984 He starts his activity and takes part in several explorations
1988 He becomes member of the Italian National Corps of Alpine and Speleological
Rescue (CNSAS)
Cave-diver Activity:
1985 He carries out his first dives in springs
1986 He begins learning about cave diver advancing techniques from the French
and Swiss schools (These are the most advanced in Europe)
1987 He is the speaker during the First Cave Diving Course (with Jean Jacques
Bolanz and Cristian Locatelli) of Speleological National School of Club Alpino
Italiano (CAI) (It’s the first time that in Italy people are speaking about
specials techniques for cave-diving and materials)
1989 He becomes Regional Responsible for Cave-diving Team for CNSAS
1991 He becomes Technical Cave-diving Responsible for Speleological National
School of Club Alpino Italiano
1992 He becomes National Responsible for Speleological Commission of CNSAS (In
office until 1997 when he has resigned)
He is member of Colonne de Plongèe du Swiss Speleo Secour
1994 With decree of President of Republic of Italy he is
awarded a Bronze Medal for civil valour with the following reason:
“Young caver, heedless of personal danger, with noble self-denial, dived down
into a constriction of a cave flooded by water, to recover the body of a
colleague that has been trapped there"
November 29th, 1992 –Nesso ( CO)
2001 He is awarded Civic Merit with Silver Medal for
sporting merits by the Lecco Council
2003 He is given the
Prize for
“intrapersonal intelligence” organized by Focus Magazine and by Tourism
Chairman of Rimini
2008 With decree of President of Republic of Italy he is
awarded of Honour
as Knight of the Republic
Exeditions carried out:
n. 60 expeditions in Italy since 1987 till 2015
n. 19 expeditions in France since 1989 till 2010
n. 25 expeditions in Greece since 1989 till 2010
n. 24 expeditions in Switzerland since 1992 till 2015
n. 1 expedition in Mexico in 1993
n. 1 expedition in Russia in 2003
n. 2 expeditions in Albania since 2004 till 2006
n. 8 expeditions in Croatia since 2004 till 2008
n. 3 expeditions in Macedonia since 2009 till 2012
n. 2 expeditions in Philippines since 2011 till 2015
He carries out more than 2000 dives in caves, 1200 of which
with the prospect to explore new places
He dives in almost one hundred different caves
After diving down in a cave 650 m deep, he carries out an
exploration in a sump on the bottom
He carries out 35 dives, reaching and going beyond 2000 m from the entrance
He carries out 70 dives beyond -140 m depth, in caves
Significant explorations carried out:
Laca della Bobbia (Italy 1987 – 1988): 1200 m of plan development , crossing
5 sumps. Maximum depth: -25 m. Six hours the total exploration time, including
constricted and complicate passageways. Temperature: 9° C. The exploration ends
in the 6°C tight sump
Grotta Masera (Italy 1990): 1000 m of development with 5
sumps crossed. Maximum depth: -75 m. End of exploration down in a constricted
passage 40 m long,1 m wide and 0.8 m high; slope of the gallery: 45° with sand
bank on the floor (with the risk of being blocked by the sand falling from the
ceiling during the passage). Total exploration time: 7h. Temperature: 9°C
Bossi Spring (Switzerland 1992 – 2006): 650 m of
development with a sump crossed and a second sump still in exploration. Maximum
depth: -89 m (until 2003 it was the deepest sump in Europe, maybe in the world,
with emersion on the other side of the cave). He climbs up for a 50 m vertical
drop beyond the first sump for a total of new 600 m of dry galleries. 150 Kg of
equipment to be put up and down by himself after the passage of first sump.
Total exploration time: 11 hours. Temperature: 8°C
Cave K2 (Switzerland 1992): he explored it with Patrick
Deriaz, crossed the sump in the cave at -650 m depth. Length of the sump: 25 m,
at -3 m depth beyond a canyon 200 m long to be crossed with ropes because of
strong water on the floor. Time of exploration: 25 hours, including 5 hours to
go back and forth from the car to the cave by ski, 14 hours to go back and forth
from the entrance to the sump and 6 hours from the sump to present bottom
Spring of Vaucluse (France 1989): explored by the COMEX ‘s
robot which went down to -305 m deep. In collaboration with other members of the
expedition he recovers, at the fist attempt, the robot embedded at the depth of
120 m. Time of diving: 3 hours. Temperature: 10°C
Cave of Diros (Greece 1987 – 2006): explored with Bolanz,
Dell’Oro, Deriaz, and Giannopulos; 15 Km length; maximum depth: -78 m. Its
peculiar features are the 4 levels of galleries and the frequent branches. Time
of exploration: 7 hours. Temperature: 18°C. During the expedition in 1994, they
found rhinoceros’s skeleton, wild boar’s teeth and elephant’s broken tusks
Spring of Gorgazzo (Italy 1987 –2008): explored with
Bolanz, Dell’Oro, Deriaz, Locatelli, Pennec; he surveyed as far as 106 m deep
which is one of deepest topographies ever done. Time of exploration: 3 hours.
Temperature: 9°C. In 2008, after
to have obtained from Common of Polcenigo the permissions for the dive, Casati
has continued the exploration reaching -212m at a distance of 440m from the
entrance. The immersion has been done with a mechanic closed circuit.
Spring of Elefante Bianco (Italy 2004): He reaches the
depth of -186 m at 530 m from the entrance. He dives for a length of 330m
staying deeper than -100m. Total time of exploration: 7 hours. Temperature: 8°C.
In 2004 this exploration was the deepest in the world carried out with a
semi-closed circuit in a cave. This is, at present, the deepest spring in Italy
Cave of Oliero (Italy 1986 – 2005): explored with Bolanz,
Dell’Oro, Deriaz, Locatelli, and Pennec. He did the topography as far as 800 m
from the entrance at an average depth of -40 m. The maximum exploration of
Casati is 2635m long with an average depth of -50m. This is also the longest
sump in Italy and one of the longest in the world. In 2005 Casati succeeded in
connecting the two springs of Oliero: Cogol dei Siori to Cogol dei Veci.
Nowadays the total development of the area is about 9000m. Together with two
English cave divers, Rick Stanton and John Volanten, Casati stays for three days
beyond the first sump, to go on with explorations. Time of exploration: 2 hours
45’. Time of decompression: 5 hours. Temperature: 8°C
Spring of Devil (France 1995): the second sump, whose
peculiar feature is to have many constricted passages, was explored by Casati as
far as 620m from the entrance, down to a depth of -137m. Time of exploration of
the dry part: 55’, time of diving: 8 hours 10’. Water temperature: 8°C. This is
the deepest sump inside a cave
Spring of Divje Jezero (Slovenia 2001): It was explored
down to -160 m depth, 420 m from the entrance. Casati covers 190 m staying
beyond -100 m depth. Time of exploration: 30’, time of diving: 8 hours 30’.Water
temperature: 7°C. Maximum visibility: 3 m. It is nowadays the deepest Slovenia’s
spring
Spring of Castelcivita (Italy 1995 – 2004): It was explored
down to a -117m depth and as far as 300 m in length, then Casati covers 550 m
going up till -82 m. and then going down again until -120 m. Time of
exploration: 48’, time of diving: 6 hours 30’. Water temperature: 15°C
Spring of Sinjaz (Croatia 2004 – 2006): Casati explored
it, down to -155 m depth, and went as far as 318m from the entrance. The reduced
visibility makes the exploration difficult. At present time, this is the deepest
Croatian spring
Spring of Cetina (Croatia 2004). This spring was explored
down to -109 m. depth. Water temperature: 5°. The end of exploration was caused
by a landslip blocking the passage
Vouliagmeni (Greece 1987 –2001): Casati covers 1150 m at
the average depth of -80 m reaching the maximum depth at -105 m. There are
stalagmites 4 m high with a diameter of 1.5 m in the highest part and these are
the deepest in the world
Casati, in a gallery, reaches -115 m depth and therefore
Vouliagmeni is the deepest Hellenic cave
Tuffera (Italy 1990 -1998): Casati reaches the depth of -93
m crossing a constricted passage 50 m long, at the depth of -5m. Continuous
visibility: 1 m
Pollaccia (Italy 1990 –2007): He reaches the depth of -125
m going into a gallery at the depth of -76 m as far as 250 m. This cave has many
constricted passages. Water temperature: 6°C
Cave of Vall’Orbe (Switzerland 1993 –2000): he overtakes
the first sump that is 180 m long and 60 m deep with a constricted passage on
the floor and a visibility of 1 m; Casati with J.J.Bolanz covers a dry gallery
of 350 m. When they arrive in front of a new sump, they dive overtaking 300 m of
flooded galleries. The exploration stops in front of a new sump that is at the
end of a great room. Time of staying beyond the first sump was 15 hours.
Materials taken to continue the exploration are about 30kgs each. Temperature:
9°C. Time inside the cave: 20 hours
Grava di S.Giovanni (Italy 2004 –2005): He reaches the
maximum depth of -138 m, he proceeds for others 95 m going up again to -120 m.
Water temperature: 15°C. Visibility: 2 m
Spring of Gouron (France 1994 – 2000): Carried out with
J.J.Bolanz for more than 2500 m, overtaking 5 sumps, the first of which was 500
m long and 50 m deep. This cave, in the dry part, has to be often climbed.
Materials were 25 Kg each. Total time: 9 hours. Temperature: 9°C
Vrelo Une (Croatia 2007): The first exploration in this
spring had been done some years ago by a French diver: he reached 50 m depth in
the summer 2007; Casati reached the depth of -205m as far as 290m from the
entrance. 13’ walking and 295’ total diving. Water temperature: 9°C. Vrelo Une
is now one of the deepest explorations in the world. The difference from other
deep springs is the low temperature of the water. This dive is the deepest in
the world done with a manual closed-circuit. Vrelo Une is the deepest Balkans
spring
Majerovo Vrelo (Croatia 2007): Exploration of this spring
had been performed by several teams: Croatians- French- Belgians and
Austrians-Germans that reached the distance of 610 m at the depth of -92 m. In
summer 2007, Casati continues the exploration down to a maximum depth of -104 m.
Besides, reaching the depth of -98m, he comes to the surface again in the
opposite side of the sump. This sump is probably the deepest surpassed in the
world. The total length of the cave is, at the moment, of 942 m. Water
temperature: 7°C. Dive time: 180’. Majerelo Vrelo is the longest Balkans sump
Kusa (Croatia 2005 - 2006): With J.J.Bolanz, he overtakes
the first sump, 205 m long, at the maximum depth of -50 m already explored. He
covers 200 m of a dry gallery as far as to get to the second sump. He dives and
goes on with the exploration reaching the depth of -55 m, comes to the surface
after 550 m of galleries. The cave has a total development of almost one
Kilometre
Mexico: In 1993 he takes part in an explorative-documentary
expedition in Yucatan. He explores more then 3 Km of galleries. The documentary
was often broadcasted on Fininvest Net
Russia: In 2003 he takes part on a reconnaissance in Urals
region. He explores about ten meters of new galleries. Water temperature: 2°C
With J.J.Bolanz, he picks up a truck from the depth of -90
m which had sunk in the Garda’s Lake to recover the driver’s body. He also
carries out several rescues in lakes or springs to recover drowned persons. He
takes part in underwater digging works in the archaeology site in the Viverone’s
Lake of piles Age
Genova (2006): with Lorenzo Del Veneziano he explores a new
important wreck in the Mediterranean See: a submergible Ubot. The stern is -122
m deep and the bow is raising, almost upright, to -90 m
Red See (2007). He takes part in the “Esploro Iolanda”
expedition. Iolanda is a cargo sunk on the reef near Sharm El Sheik. He reaches
the depth of -204 m exploring a big part of the reef but founding only plate’s
pieces and anchors. No traces of cargo. At -200 m the visibility was more then
50 m; water temperature 20°C on the floor and 27°C over -50 m
He explores others wrecks, at less demanding depths in the
Mediterranean See
He uses Rebreathers from 2002. In these last years he dives
for about 2.000 hours using this machinery in various situations met in cave
diving
He takes part at several broadcasts on RAI net and
Fininvest. He is the guest at Superquark, the Piero Angela’s show
His explorations are published on several magazines of the
field: diving and speleology
He is invited at several meeting to speak about his
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