Projects > Doux de Coly 04 (June)

New guy testimony: Ward

Latest update: June 27, 2004

By Ward Quaghebeur

On Saturday the 12th of June a presentation about La Doux de Coly for the mayor of Lacassagne had been planned by the EKPP. After some messages on the email list, it quickly became clear that this would also become a diving weekend. For me it would be the first time to go to Coly, so it was very exciting! Together with Gertjan I represented the Dutch kaaskoppen. As Gertjan had been there before, he offered to show me the cave. This was a nice chance to get used to the cave before the project next August.

I arrived on Thursday evening around six at the very picturesque pool. Some team members were already in the cave for a setup dive for the next day and Reinhard was sleeping in his chair at the platform next to the pool. This looked way different from the Gourneyras. Let's say: "more relaxing". I was shown the Vaux house by Ralph. I had heard it was just an old abandoned house where we could sleep, but there was even fresh water, a toilet and a shower with hot water! Maybe it was not as nice as a hotel, but it was way more than I expected.

After some barbeque in front of the house we all met at La Grande Prade, the bungalow park. On Friday morning two rebreather teams were doing a long deep dive and some time after they left, Gertjan and I were planned to do a first check dive. It was my first dive at the Doux de Coly and I was being towed by my Gavin, so what can I say? It was great, especially when you arrive at the shaft. It's very impressive! Gertjan showed me were to clip off the scooter on the line, and down we went into the shaft. To descend at a really vertical shaft like this is breathtaking, and quickly we were at around thirty six meters at the bottom of the shaft. We took a short look in the deeper part of the cave before we went up again.

We also did the last dive of that day. Our task was to get the two ropes out of the shaft, because Micha, Reinhard and Hoffi were going to film the shaft during the first dive the next morning. The dinner that night was some nice local food at the Prade restaurant. On Saturday Gertjan, Alex, and Ralph were going to do a longer dive in the deep part and Alessandro Fenu and I were assigned to put their deco tanks on the rope in the shaft. Because of some misunderstanding between the two of us we didn't quite finish that task. We offered them to go in again and finish our task, but that would mean we had to skip our own deep dive one hour later. They made no problem out of it, and placed the stages on the rope themselves. Thanks for that guys! Lesson learned; be sure you know your job to be done, and finish it.

So one hour later Mara, Alessandro, Paolo and myself were going for a short dive in the deeper part. The plan was made for two teams: Mara and me, and Paolo and Alessandro. But since Alessandro and I should get used a little more to each other, I dived with him. We went in on our deco gas, tx50/25, and had one bottom stage with trimix 17/55, 60 meter gas. Ralph's scooter was supposed to be waiting for us at the bottom of the shaft, so we would have one backup scooter for our team. Unfortunately Ralph's team was not back at deco yet when we arrived at the bottom of the shaft, so there was no backup scooter for us. Therefore we only dived to 47 meter, where the cave makes a left turn, and went back out. Nevertheless it was a great dive and another lesson learned: bring your own gear.

That night, the presentation for the mayor was planned and it was very successful. I'm looking forward to the project in August, happy to have done some training dives in advance of the big project in August.