I will spend two weeks in Vercors, France next July with fellow cavers. We plan to do some vertical stuff and cave/sump diving.

Has anyone been to Vercors? Are there any interesting places to dive in? Nothing overly ambitious, but decent full cave stuff for a new cave diver. I've done a lot of dives in mines, but less in natural caves (mostly some muddy sumps).

Any places where to get air fills (or other gases) and spare parts? English speaking folks?

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I dive side mounted 7's in sumps, and use side mounted twelves + two stages for deeper stuff (mines, max 60m).

This is one part of France where CDG members haven't been especially active. But you could usefully ask the same question on the CDG message board? Even non CDG members may then see it and post useful information.

Or maybe the SSF (France's answer to the BCA) can help? I'm pretty sure there's loads to do in the area.

VERCOURS CAVES Classic French Caving Vol 1 by Des Marshall 1993  100 pp 13 B&W photos 25 plans and maps.  The first guide in English to some of the finest caves in Europe.  Includes such splendid caves as Antre des Damnes - 720m with P2, one of the deepest shafts in France at 319m.  Grotte de Gounier, Grotte de la Luire, Grotte de Bournillion and the Gouffre Berger, the first cave to break the magical 1000m depth in 1956.  SB

SCIALET No 18 1989 148pp illus, numerous surveys.  This is the current issue and describes all the latest explorations by French cavers both in France Spain and Austria.  Back numbers are still available, details on request. This is covers a wide range of topics such as: Vercours, Grotte Vallier 3420m; Scialet de la Combe Oursiere 3500m; - La Blizzard 6054m etc.  SB In French.

There is also a Speleo Sportive Vercours but I cannot find the details.

These guys seem to do a good amount of diving in France (based on their youtube vids - I don't know them!) not sure if they have dived the Vercors but might be worth an ask?

http://www.platypusgroup.org/

Matt

I don't know if there are many sumps in the Vercors area. In the Lot and Ardeche area however there are a lot of good dive spots.

A fellow caver has perhaps more info, his website : http://thinkblue.eu/

Doh - I actually have the cave diving guide to eastern france in front of me on a bookshelf.

The book is available through Lulu publishing, author Stuart Morrison. Not sure how detailed it is for the Vercors as he states it is one of the regions lumped in with some others. Not being too familiar with the area I can't advise.

Matt

I think this particular page may cover some stuff in Vercors, but haven't verified it. Just posted a link.

http://www.plongeesout.com/

As ah147 points out, Plongesout does indeed have some info.
The Vercors massif straddles Is?re (close to Grenoble) and Dr?me (further to the West).

http://www.plongeesout.com/sites/raba/isere/isere.htm
http://www.plongeesout.com/sites/raba/drome/drome.htm

I've no idea about dive sites - when I've been to the Vercors it's as a dry caver & the entire point of visiting is that the limestone is well over a kilometre above the sump levels!

Maybe you'll find something in the valleys. Certainly I think Sassenage (the bottom of the berger) has been dived, but even in there there is a long way up within the hill to the perched sump level.

The Spéléo sportive dans le Vercors books are the ones I've always referred to for dry caving (French, but interpreting the rigging + topos is usually not too difficult). Last time we just rocked up & went to a local outdoor shop to buy the latest versions, the ones available online in the UK were years out of date.

Thanks a lot for all this information. It will take a while to digest it all. I'll take a look at the books and websites suggested.

English edition available here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vercors-Caves-Classic-French-Caving-Classic-French-Caving-Vol-001-Marshall-De-/391011677293?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item5b0a1cb46d

The entrance lake in Grotte de Gournier is an unusual and interesting dive.  Contact this chap who should be able to arrange it for you http://www.vercors-plongee.com/#/plongee-caverne/2967246

When I did the dive he brought along a motorised wheelbarrow to get the gear to the cave entrance 

There are endless diving possibilities in Vercors from huge resurgences to 1000m deep caves plus some exploration potential to boot.

There are two guidebooks for the Vercors written in French but easy to follow tackle lists etc if you have basic understanding of The language.

Speleo dans le Vercors Vol 1 & 2 published by Edisud and edited by S. caillaut. Published late nineties so probably out of print but I am sure you will find if you look for them. They do not have specific diving info as far as I can tell.

As if by magic there is a copy of volume 1 for sale on eBay! This contains all the big classic systems such as the Trou Qui Souffl?, the Gournier/ Chevaline, as well as the Gouffre Berger but you won't have a permit allowing you to do that I presume? Check out the web site 'Speleo Vercors' put together by expat Brits living and caving in the Vercors. There are surveys and stuff you will find useful and it's all in English.

Hope this helps you and your group and that you enjoy your time out there.

Cheers
Paul