Höhlensystem
Pearse Resurgence
Depth reached by divers in 2020 in the deeper of two explored branches; the cave continues. The wider Nettlebed-Stormy Pot system has a vertical range of about 1,200 m measured by cavers, which is a different measurement.
A very cold, very deep resurgence (a spring where an underground river returns to the surface) in New Zealand's Tasman region, explored by expedition divers to 245 m. One of the deepest cave dives made anywhere.
The Pearse Resurgence is a resurgence of the Pearse River on the Mount Arthur range in the Tasman region of the South Island. Since 2007 expedition divers have pushed it progressively deeper, exploring two separate deep branches, one to 229 m and one to 245 m, and the cave continues beyond both.
The water is about 6 °C, which makes these dives exceptionally demanding. The expedition leader describes cold, fatigue and untested decompression at these depths as the main hazards, and says most of the team's equipment is heavily modified or home-made, with scooters and lights the limiting items. The site is an exploration project rather than a recreational dive, and no public access arrangements for divers were found.
The resurgence is generally described as the lower outflow of the Nettlebed cave system, which cavers connected to the Stormy Pot entrance on Mount Arthur in 2014 to form the deepest known cave in the Southern Hemisphere.
Wasser, Strömung und Überflutung
A resurgence of the Pearse River from a karst cave system; the expedition leader gives a water temperature of 6 °C.
Warum es wichtig ist
The expedition leader describes the Pearse as the eighth-deepest cave dive ever made. It has been the focus of the Wet Mules team's deep-diving expeditions since 2007, including a 2011 biosurvey.
Kartierungs- und Erkundungsgeschichte
| 2007 | Dave Apperley and Rick Stanton extended the known cave from 125 m to 177 m depth. [1] |
| 2011 | An exploration and biosurvey expedition reached 194 m. [1] |
| 2012 | Exploratory dives reached 221 m. [1] |
| 2016 | Exploration reached 229 m in one tunnel. [1] |
| 2020 | The Wet Mules team reached 245 m in a second tunnel. [1] |
Zugänge und Tauchplätze
One diveable entrance, the resurgence pool. The upper Nettlebed and Stormy Pot entrances are dry caving entrances.
Zur Orientierung, nicht zur Navigation. Hohle Punkte sind ungefähre Angaben.
Weiterführende Literatur
A short history of underwater cave exploration: dated milestones
How underwater caves are surveyed and studied
ASF Cave Diving Group (Australia) ↗
Deeper (2025) ↗
Deeper into the Pearse Resurgence ↗
Alle Angaben auf dieser Seite mit Quellennachweis (8)
| Angabe | Status | Quelle |
|---|---|---|
| Divers reached 245 m in the Pearse Resurgence in 2020, and 229 m in a different tunnel in 2016.First-hand account by the expedition leader, published on an equipment sponsor's site. Wikipedia (s3) names Richard Harris and Craig Challen for 2020. | Gemeldet | [1] |
| In 2007 Dave Apperley and Rick Stanton extended the cave from 125 m to 177 m depth; dives reached 182 m in 2008, 194 m in 2011 and 221 m in 2012. | Gemeldet | [1] |
| The water temperature is 6 °C.Single figure from the expedition leader; seasonal range not published. | Gemeldet | [1] |
| The expedition leader describes the Pearse as the eighth-deepest cave dive ever made.Ranking as stated in the source; not independently checked. | Gemeldet | [1] |
| In 2014 cavers connected the Stormy Pot and Nettlebed systems on Mount Arthur, producing a cave that drops about 1,200 m, the deepest known in the Southern Hemisphere.Press report. That the Pearse Resurgence is Nettlebed's lower outflow is stated by Wikipedia (s3), not by the press article. | Gemeldet | [2] |
| No public diver access arrangements were found; the site is known through expedition accounts.Absence of a published procedure, not a confirmed restriction. | Gemeldet | [1] |
| Coordinates are a point on the mapped Pearse River, not the resurgence pool.Area-level point. | Verifiziert | [4] |
| Coordinates are a point on the mapped Pearse River, not the resurgence pool.Area-level point. | Verifiziert | [4] |
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