Guadeloupe caves?

[courteau]

Hi,
Does anyone know if there is any cave diving to be done in Guadeloupe?
Thanks!

[FW]

Hi,
Does anyone know if there is any cave diving to be done in Guadeloupe?
Thanks!

Not offhand, but all the Antilles islands are limestone, so the potential is certainly there. If you go, ask at the dive shops, but don't take that as the last word. Most of the good caves in the Bahamas are inland, away from the normal OW/tourist diving. Some were discovered by pilots who were cave divers. I have found some by asking cab drivers, and other locals.

The first cave dive found in MX was by an OW diver that swam in and drowned. We found out, when the family was looking for someone to recover him. That was mid 80s, and look what we know about now, and they are still finding new stuff.

[Jim Coke]

Forrest, are you sure about that "mid-1980's" date? Sheck and Ned were surveying the X'caret cave in the 1970's. They were the first experienced cave explorers to visit the Quintana Roo area. I'm not sure about sump diving history in central Mexico, but I'll bet Stone and others were having a look at the sumps at this time.

John Zumrick and Paul DeLoach were in the Nonec cave soon afterwards the X'caret explorations. Bill Stone and the USDCT were at the Carwash cave around 1983?. They didn't explore any cave at that cave site though.

I think the OW accident you are referring to was at the Bolonchen cave in Yucatan State. Three OW divers went in for a training dive, the OW Instructor and one student came out. I did that recovery along with Mary Garvin. By then the Carwash, Naharon and maybe the Temple of Doom (Calavera) caves were being surveyed.

To the OP, my apologies if I hijacked this thread. Forrest is right about the local limestone geology. There are two (and a few more?) dry caves on Guadeloupe. I think one is a show cave. If you have the time, try to get away from the tourist areas and start asking around. Fishermen are good to talk to about underwater entrances in the sea. Visit the show cave and ask around about inland caves. A lot of dry cavers were doing research in that area.

Jim

[FW]

...I think the OW accident you are referring to was ...

At the risk of farther hijack, I meant the first accident at X'caret, where Sheck recovered the son of a Mexican official. I though that was later than the 70s, but I was obviously wrong. IIRC, John Zumrick invited me to Mexico in the early 80s, too bad I didn't go back then

[courteau]

Thanks.
The geology of Guadeloupe is certainly right for it.
I have talked with a few dive shop owners there and nobody knows of any ''divable'' caves.
But there has to be...The big, almost one KM long dry cave has an ''underground river''...

[FW]

Thanks.
The geology of Guadeloupe is certainly right for it.
I have talked with a few dive shop owners there and nobody knows of any ''divable'' caves.
But there has to be...The big, almost one KM long dry cave has an ''underground river''...

Follow the "underground river" until it is totally underground