Cave entrance
Steinugleflåget
A dry cave on the side of a large collapse above Plurdalen whose flooded pools, about 100 m below the entrance, form the upper end of Pluragrotta's deep section. Reaching the water involves steep, loose dry caving; this is an expedition site, not a normal dive.
Steinugleflåget opens at the side of a large collapse doline on the hillside above Plurdalen. A steep dry cave, with a tight first section and then large boulder halls, descends roughly 100 m to the flooded pools where diving starts. A Finnish team that dived here in August 2010 needed two days to carry two rebreathers and bailout cylinders down and two days to bring them out, and described loose rock as the main hazard above water.
Underwater, the pools lead to large, sandy-floored passages; the 2010 team found areas descending to about 70 m. NGDF describes Steinugleflåget as the upper point of the Plura deep run, giving a second entrance to Pluragrotta through a section reaching about 130 m.
The environment
Clear water around 6 °C (August 2010 observation), sandy floors that silt easily, scalloped rock, and a cold dry cave (about +3 °C air) above the water.
Conditions
Only a single summer observation (+6 °C, August 2010) is published. Gear transport through the dry cave is the main logistical challenge.
Typical ranges from published sources, not current conditions.
Other entrances to Pluragrotta–Steinugleflåget system
For orientation, not navigation. Hollow dots are approximate.
Every fact on this page, with its source (6)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The diving pools lie about 100 m below the dry-cave entrance, which opens at the side of a large collapse.Trip report from 2010. | Reported | [1] |
| Passages from the Steinugleflåget pools descend to about 70 m in the areas the 2010 team dived.2010 observation; the deeper connecting section to Pluragrotta reaches about 130 m according to NGDF. | May be out of date | [1] |
| Water was +6 °C and air inside the mountain +3 °C in August 2010.Single 2010 observation. | May be out of date | [1] |
| Steinugleflåget is the upper end of the Plura deep run and a second entrance to Pluragrotta. | Verified | [2] |
| The 2010 team began the trip on the day they received an acceptance, implying permission was required.Who grants permission is not stated. | Reported | [1] |
| No requirements are published; the 2010 team mentions receiving an acceptance before diving. | Reported | [1] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction