Post date: Dec 31, 2010 2:16:56 PM
Éabha, Al
A short trip after a lazy morning and afternoon. Wearing a drysuit after nearly dieing in a 3mm wetsuit on the previous trip, i hoped to move the boulders i had reached on the first dives which appeared to block the way on. There was a little more flow from the rising which i wanted as it would keep the water clearer when digging. We brought a rope to tie to the boulders which Éabha and i could then pull from the sump. It was very pleasant diving in a drysuit, and i went slowly along the left wall rechecking the sump. Reaching the right hand turn i'd found on the previous dive, i again heard bubbles surfacing and explored the ceiling with my hand. To my surprise, what i had thought previously was a tiny gap was in fact big enough to get my head and shoulders into. I got my head above water in a low bedding plane filled with a pool, at the end of which was a dry passage. Not quite confident to commit to the squeeze, i returned to Éabha and told her what i'd found (i.e. Martyn Farr's passage).
On my second dive i progressively worked through the squeeze, enlarging it as i went, to get my whole body into the pool. I wriggled along walrus-like to the end of the pool, but it would have been difficult to have dekitted and rekitted in the confined space. A return with a lightweight diving setup and a wetsuit is needed. Additionally, Éabha noticed a sound connection through the 'sump' to the pool (as reported by Farr et all on the first dive in low water conditions).
However, i'm not sure that Martyn's passage is the way on. The pool appeared to be static with no water entering it from the dry passage that i could see. I think that the water is coming from behind the two rounded boulders to the right of the squeeze up into the pool. Digging here might pay off. Having used most of the afternoon and with a promise to do some open water diving in Lough Macnean we didn't explore further.
A charmless place, 16 January 2011
Éabha, Al
A short trip to finish the investigation of Martyn Farr's extension and take a look at prospects in the sump. With lightweight sidemount dekitting in the low pool was possible, and full of hope i crawled out the water, dragging a tape with me with good intentions of making a survey. A small pool against the left wall was passed, seeming to be at the same level as the sump. Thereafter the passage became tighter and required some excavation of the floor. The survey was abandoned when i discovered that i was simply dragging coils of tape under my body. Eventually it became too tight for further progress. To make things more unpleasant the end of the cave was full of rotting vegetation and stank like a pub toilet after a heavy night. Visibility was very poor after all the rain so the possible lead in the sump couldn't be seen.
NB. There is a tiny triangular gap with about 1" airspace above the 'sump'.