Émergence du Ressel (river entrance)

The only documented entrance to the Ressel, a submerged porch in the bed of the river Célé about 1 km upstream of Marcilhac-sur-Célé, entered after a short wade or swim from the bank.

Divers kit up on the river bank beside the D41 and walk down to the Célé, then wade or swim upstream to the entrance, which the FFS fiche places about 60 m upstream of the access paths. A Dutch site guide describes rock steps down to the water and about 35 m of wading.

The first section is the part most visiting divers see: a gravel slope under a wide porch leads down to about 10 m, into a broad gallery with a floor of fallen rock slabs. About 120 m in, the passage splits into two galleries that rejoin at the head of a shaft roughly 270 m from the entrance. Divernet describes the entrance zone as busy with training classes.

The shaft drops in steps to about 30 m and then 45 m, with a slope continuing to about 55 m in a large gallery; beyond this the deep part of sump 1 begins.

Clear spring water below a layer of river water near the entrance; wide, low bedding-plane galleries with large fallen slabs, many erosion scallops on the walls, and a stepped shaft leading to deeper passage.

Typical values only. Flow and visibility depend on recent rain; a Dutch site guide warns that the entrance may be unreachable after heavy rain.

نطاقات اعتيادية من مصادر منشورة، لا ظروف آنية.

Roadside parking and steps down to the river. InDEPTH (2021) mentions a large car park with a toilet building; the older FFS fiche says toilets are in the village.