Grottenstelsel
Cocklebiddy Cave
Distance from the entrance to the furthest point reached in 1995, as given in a history by two participants. The CDAA describes the tunnel as more than six kilometres long; a 2008 team reported adding about 120 m beyond the 1995 line. No published total survey length was found.
A single, nearly straight flooded tunnel under the Nullarbor Plain, more than six kilometres long and over 90% underwater, divided by two air chambers. A long-running expedition site, restricted by written application to the WA parks authority.
Cocklebiddy Cave opens from the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia into a long entrance chamber of more than 300 m that ends at a 180 m lake. From there the cave is essentially one straight tunnel, more than six kilometres long, with more than nine-tenths of it underwater.
The tunnel is broken into three sumps (flooded sections between air spaces). The first, about 1 km long, reaches the air-filled Rockfall Chamber, where divers have to carry their equipment across a rock pile to the second sump of about 2.5 km. That ends in another air chamber, Toad Hall, beyond which a third sump runs about 1.8 km. Reaching the far end therefore involves very long dives, heavy logistics and camps underground, and the cave has been visited mainly by organised expeditions.
The cave is historically important: expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s repeatedly set world distance records for diving in a single-entrance cave, and later teams used scooters (diver propulsion vehicles), sleds and rebreathers to extend and map it.
Water, stroming en overstromingen
Expedition accounts note that the cave water is too salty to drink, so drinking water has to be carried in on long trips. No temperature or visibility figures were found in the sources consulted.
Waarom het belangrijk is
A landmark site in the history of long-distance cave diving. In 1983 a French team set a world record for underwater penetration and an Australian team went further the same year; a 1995 Australian team reached a point about 6.26 km from the entrance.
Survey- en verkenningsgeschiedenis
| 1961 | Western Australian Speleological Group divers made the first dive and found a submerged tunnel about 200 m from the entrance. [2] |
| 1976 | A joint WA/SA team reached the air-filled Rockfall Chamber. [2] |
| 1982-09 | A WA/SA team led by Hugh Morrison reached Toad Hall and found the third sump. [2] |
| 1983-09 | A French team led by Eric Le Guen used scooters to push about 1.46 km into the third sump, a world record for underwater penetration at the time. [2] |
| 1983-10 | A combined Australian team went about 240 m beyond the French limit, with Hugh Morrison reaching a point about 6.24 km from the entrance. [2] |
| 1995 | An Australian team led by Chris Brown reached a point about 6.26 km from the entrance, where the passage continued as a low, tight squeeze. [2] |
| 2008-08 | A team including Craig Challen and Richard Harris used rebreathers and scooters to extend the line by about 120 m. [2] |
Ingangen en duiklocaties
One natural entrance leading to the entrance chamber and lake; no other entrances are described in the sources consulted.
Voor oriëntatie, niet voor navigatie. Holle stippen zijn bij benadering.
Elk gegeven op deze pagina, met zijn bron (9)
| Gegeven | Status | Bron |
|---|---|---|
| The entrance chamber is over 300 m long and leads to a 180 m lake; the cave is a single straight tunnel more than six kilometres long, more than 90% underwater. | Geverifieerd | [1] |
| The first sump is about 1 km long to the Rockfall Chamber, the second about 2.5 km to Toad Hall, and the third about 1.8 km. | Geverifieerd | [1] |
| In 1995 an Australian team led by Chris Brown reached a point 6,260 m from the entrance (5,310 m of it underwater).Participant history, page last updated 2025-03-18. A 2008 team added about 120 m beyond this line. The CDAA says 'more than six kilometres' (s1). | Gemeld | [2] |
| In September 1983 a French team led by Eric Le Guen pushed about 1,460 m into the third sump, and in October 1983 an Australian team went 240 m beyond that, to about 6,240 m from the entrance. | Gemeld | [2] |
| The cave water is too salty for human consumption, so drinking water has to be carried on long trips. | Gemeld | [2] |
| Divers must apply in writing at least four weeks before a trip to the District Manager, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Esperance, with an application and indemnity form.As published by the CDAA; the WA agency has since been restructured, so confirm the current office. | Geverifieerd | [1] |
| The CDAA directory rates Cocklebiddy Cave (6N48) Cave and Advanced Cave, managed by the WA Department of Parks and Wildlife. | Geverifieerd | [3] |
| Coordinates are the Cocklebiddy locality centre, not the cave entrance.Area-level point. | Geverifieerd | [4] |
| Coordinates are the Cocklebiddy locality centre, not the cave entrance.Area-level point. | Geverifieerd | [4] |
Geverifieerd: vermeld door een officiële of primaire bron die we hebben geraadpleegd. Gemeld: alleen afkomstig van een secundaire bron. Bronnen spreken elkaar tegen: de noot geeft beide versies. Mogelijk verouderd: de nieuwste bron die we hebben gevonden is oud.
In eigen woorden geschreven op basis van bovenstaande bronnen. Een correctie melden