Cave system

Source de Saint-Sauveur

Resurgence195 m deepFrance, Lot (Occitanie)

Restricted access · as published 2006-06-26 A letter from the Conseil général du Lot dated 26 June 2006 restricts cave diving at Saint-Sauveur to the pool area because of rockfall at the restriction, and strictly prohibits exploration of the underground network; an information panel was to be placed on site. Earlier (2005) the FFS fiche described diving as tolerated on condition that each dive was reported to the fire and rescue service via 112, that only one vehicle per group used the end of the track, and that the gate was kept closed. Subaqua reports exploration dives in 2014; the sources do not say whether the 2006 restriction was lifted or the dives were specially authorised. Access rules change: confirm with the landowner or managing authority before you travel.

Documented Also known as: Saint-Sauveur, St Sauveur, Gouffre de Saint-Sauveur, Résurgence de Saint-Sauveur, Fontaine de Saint-Sauveur

Surveyed length

Not published

Documented depth

195 m (640 ft)

Entrances listed

Maximum depth reached by Xavier Méniscus in August 2014 according to Subaqua n°257. The FFS fiche's history stops in 2004 at -133 m and describes the main gallery to about -90 m.

A deep resurgence pool near Calès that feeds the Ouysse. Its flooded gallery descends past 100 m within a few hundred metres, and a 2014 exploration reached 195 m. In 2006 the Lot département restricted diving to the pool after rockfall.

Saint-Sauveur is a broad resurgence pool in the valley below Calès, reached by a farm track from the Rocamadour–Couzou area. It is one of the springs that feed the Ouysse, which flows on to the Dordogne.

In the middle of the basin, at about 15 m, a sand-and-cobble-covered fissure drops abruptly to a restriction (a narrow passage that limits progress) at 24 m, about 60 m from the start. Beyond it the gallery widens and descends steadily, reaching about 45 m at 150 m and 68 m at 200 m, then continues as a large passage around 70 to 90 m deep with several routes and an air bell at 550 m, according to the FFS fiche.

The cave has a long and sometimes tragic exploration history. Divers first entered it in 1954; Eric and Francis Le Guen stopped at 78 m in 1980; Xavier Goyet died returning from a deep exploration dive in 1986; and through the 2000s British and French divers pushed the terminus beyond 120 m. Subaqua reported in 2014 that Xavier Méniscus extended the end by 150 m to a maximum depth of 195 m on a 13-hour dive.

On 26 June 2006 the Conseil général du Lot wrote that recent rockfall at the restriction made any exploration of the underground network dangerous, and restricted cave diving temporarily to the pool area, with exploration beyond strictly prohibited. The sources consulted do not say whether or when that restriction was lifted.

Water, flow and flooding

The spring feeds the Ouysse, a tributary of the Dordogne. The deep gallery lies far below the spring outlet, so most of the passage is a deep phreatic tube.

Why it matters

One of France's deepest explored resurgences, reached to 195 m in 2014 according to the FFESSM's magazine.

Survey and exploration history

1954	Y. Dufour and Guy de Lavaur dive the cave. [1]
1980-07-29	Eric and Francis Le Guen stop at 78 m, 350 m from the entrance. [1]
1986	Xavier Goyet dies returning from a deep exploration dive. [1]
2001	Rick Stanton finds a window in the former terminal dead end and descends to 103 m (610 m). [1]
2004-08	A further 70 m is added at around 120 m depth, stopping at 133 m with the way on open. [1]
2006-06-26	The Conseil général du Lot temporarily restricts diving to the pool after rockfall at the restriction. [2]
2014-08-16	Xavier Méniscus extends the terminus by 150 m to a maximum depth of 195 m on a 13-hour dive. [3]

Entrances and dive sites

One entrance, the resurgence pool. Under the 2006 restriction only the pool area may be dived.