DARK WATER - Exposure Expeditions
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EXPEDITION LEADERS GEMMA SMITH & PHIL SHORT
2017 • EXPEDITION
DARK WATER
So you are a qualified cave diver… what next? Join ☑ Learn Multi stage through flooded cave
explorers Gemma Smith and Phil Short for an adventure in ☑ Work as a team and live in an underground camp
the famous caves of Lot/Dordogne! This week will be spent ☑ Practice cave mapping in the dry sections
in the beautiful southern region of France, with the chance ☑ Evening photo lectures on exploratory expeditions
to do what very few people have ever done....spend two in caves around the world
nights camping beyond flooded sections deep within an ☑ Visit guided caves to experience the geology and
underground cave system. prehistoric cave paintings of the region
+46 (0)301 - 221 00
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Discover one of the worlds best cave diving regions
The Lot area lies in the extreme north of the Midi-Pyrenees region, and stretches from the
confines of the Dordogne Valley to the highest peaks of the Pyrenees, forming the heart of South-
West France. This area is one of the most picturesque and well known cave diving areas in the
world, and for good reason! The three rivers, Dordogne, Lot and Céle in the central, southern
region of France together offer a huge range of classic spring cave dives, with a constant 14 degree
Celsius water temperature year round, and an average of 10-30m visibility making it even more
appealing. This region truly offers some of the best cave diving anywhere on the planet.
Diving in the footsteps of Explorers
The Dordogne region has been at the forefront of European cave diving developments and
exploration with the likes of Jochen Hassenmyer, Olivier Isler and Rick Stanton extending and
connecting systems here for decades. The main caves in the region are visited by tourist cave divers
throughout the year but this trip will take you off the normal tourist trail and give you a taste of
what real exploration is like. The aim of this adventure is for you to experience something
completely new, and rarely done : setting up a base camp and spending two nights underground,
beyond a flooded section of cave. This trip is an expedition, in the true sense of the word.
• Building a sleep platform
• Setting up sleeping mat, bivouac and sleeping bag
• Team building of a cook platform and meal preparation
• Set up of bathroom facilities
• Cave conservation
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Preparation dives in classic sites
The first few days of the trip will be spent in some of the classic French cave sites, for example
Emergence du Ressel, Fontain de St George, and Gouffre de St Sauveur, reviewing basic cave skills
with a large emphasis on working as a team and learning new skills, especially the use of multiple
stages, and how to handle the transportation of the gear required for a prolonged stay
underground. This is a chance to really learn and improve as cave divers, to form a team that will
complete the expedition goal as well as to see some of the classic French sites. Expect a lot of time
in the water!
Underground Camp - “the big dive”
Mid-way through the week we head to our objective for the 'big dive'. This will involve two
kilometres of swimming, half a kilometre of dry caving and an additional dive to reach the site of
our base camp for the next two nights. This is a long swim, so a good level of fitness is required.
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Pre and post underground camp accommodation and base
We will be staying in beautiful wooden lodges in the local area. These are shared two bedroom
rooms, with a communal bathroom. On the nights we aren't underground we will be spending our
nights here, where we will have a home cooked three course meal prepared for us every night.
Good energy for the week!
The accommodation is run by an active cave diver and all cylinder filling is handled by the owners.
The site is set in beautiful woodland with simulated cave line layouts to enable dry practical
workshops and emergency scenario training.
+46 (0)301 - 221 00
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About Gemma Smith
Gemma was the first European to carry the Suunto Guiding Star having received it from shark
diver Cristina Zenato. Gemma’s passion is cave diving and she took the guiding star on a 2.2
kilometre penetration dive via sumps 1 and 2 in the legendary French spring Emergence de Ressel
to surface in Bivouac Chamber de kit and cave on to sump 3.
Gemma has hundreds of cave dives logged in Florida and France using both back and side
mounted configurations, closed circuit rebreathers and diver propulsion vehicles.
About Phil Short
Phil is a member of the Explorers Club whose passion is cave exploration which he has pursued
around the world from the Ural mountains of Russia to the Southern mountains of Mexico. Phil
has been involved as a dive team member, lead diver and expedition leader with the British Cave
Diving Group, the United States Deep Cave Diving Team the BBC and Discovery.
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Presentations
Presentation 1. One thousand hours under the earth. Exploring J2 with Phil Short
As part of Bill Stones’ 2014 J2 cave expedition in southern Mexico, Phil Short and Marcin Gala
traversed 12 kilometres of horizontal cave, descending 1.2 kilometres beneath the earth to pass
800 meters of flooded passage to explore the cave beyond.
Presentation 2. Bell Island Iron Mine with Gemma Smith
The world’s largest flooded Iron mine runs under the sea surrounding Bell Island off the
Newfoundland coast in Canada. The mine is littered with industrial archeological artefacts and has a
incredible history that is being uncovered as part of the ongoing MineQuest project. Gemma is
part of the team working to map these mines and bring their history to life.
+46 (0)301 - 221 00
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CCR French Expedition Kit List
• Rebreather and Rebreather cylinders
• Rebreather Spares (including cells, batteries, o-rings, mushroom valves, etc.)
• Back-up depth/time device (a CCR compatible dive computer is recommended)
• Sofnolime (20kg, can be bought from us on site)
• 2 x 80 cuft stage cylinders (can be borrowed from us, just let us know in advance)
• 2 x stage regulators (one with spare suit inflation hose, one with an off-board hose compatible
with your CCR. Both regulators must have full size SPGs, not button gauges)
• Suit inflation system, including cylinder (we do not provide this)
• Drysuit, thermals, hood, gloves (suitable for 14 degrees Celsius water)
• Primary canister light (4 hour minimum burn time is required)
• 2 x back up lights and spare batteries
• 2 x spools ( 20m of line minimum on each)
• Mask, spare mask, fins
• Basic spares kit (mouthpiece, zip ties etc.)
• Sleeping bag (synthetic, suitable for temperatures of around 14 degrees Celsius)
• Second spare set of base layer thermals for sleeping in
• Wellington boots
• Head torch
• Cave/climbing helmets
+46 (0)301 - 221 00
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YOUR DARK WATER EXPEDITION
DAY BY DAY
Saturday May 13
Arrival day. Meet and greet in the afternoon followed by a team dinner. Early night ready for the
week ahead!
Sunday May 14
Equipment configuration and basic in-water cave skills refresher training day. Dive in the afternoon.
Evening presentation.
Monday May 15
Team dives for orientation for transporting gear underwater, followed by staging equipment in
preparation for the camp. Evening presentation.
Tuesday May 16
Teams dive through sump to cave beyond and set up camp. Expedition stories after dinner.
Wednesday May 17
Dry skills and learning workshops throughout the day underground. Geology/hydrogeology and
expedition survey techniques. Expedition tales around the camp after dinner.
Thursday May 18
Pack up underground camp and dive out. De-brief and review of stills/video taken, with a team
discussion/workshop towards producing a short 5 minute trip mini movie.
+46 (0)301 - 221 00
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info@exposureexpeditions.comYOUR DARK WATER EXPEDITION
DAY BY DAY
Friday May 19
Contingency day in case of weather or site restrictions earlier in the week. If not needed,
we all go fun diving in one of the lesser known sites, and you have the chance to
experience more of the beautiful Lot/Dordogne region. Final celebratory dinner tonight!
Saturday May 20
Pack up all the gear and head on your way home this morning.
Please note!
Please note that the itinerary is only a preliminary plan, Activities can change, or may need to be
exchanged, in the case of adverse weather conditions or other unexpected incidents. Your
expedition leaders have alternate site plans in place to cope with environmental changes.
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info@exposureexpeditions.comABOUT THE EXPEDITION
Date May 13 – 20, 2017
Destination Lot / Dordogne
Included in the price
➔ Return transfer Toulouse Airport - Dive center (one hour drive)
➔ 5 nights accommodation in wooden lodges with 2 bedrooms and shared bathroom (two
comfortable single beds in each room)
➔ 2 nights accommodation in the underground camp
➔ Full board incl. breakfast, lunch, three course dinner and optional alcoholic drinks at evening
meals (meals will be more basic the two nights in the underground camp)
➔ Dives, workshops and presentations according to the schedule above
➔ Guiding by Gemma Smith & Phil Short
➔ Tanks, weights and gas fills
Not included in the price
➔ Flight to/from Toulouse
➔ Other activities, dive equipment, drinks and meals not specified above
➔ Sofnolime for CCR divers, can be purchased at cost price
➔ Tips for guides
Price per person: 4 635 USD
How can I pay for my trip?
You can pay by bank transfer or our online payment system. We accept only Visa and MasterCard.
Contact us if you would like to pay in another currency. Do not make the currency exchange
without our permission. Please note that all extra payment fees must be paid by the customer.
How much do I pay and when?
When you have accepted the offer from Exposure Expeditions, you will receive a booking
confirmation within one to two workdays. To confirm your spot, a deposit of 350 USD is required
within 7 days of the booking date. Please double check with us about what date and time you need
to arrive/depart to your destination before booking the flight yourself and then send us your flight
schedule. The final trip payment should be in Exposure Expeditions account a minimum of 14 days
prior to your departure date.
Contact
Exposure Expeditions
+46 (0) 301-22100 - info@exposureexpeditions.com
+46 (0)301 - 221 00
Capture life exposureexpeditions.com
info@exposureexpeditions.comABOUT THE EXPEDITION
Extras
➔ Equipment rental
Please contact us for more information
Important
➔ Your passport must be whole and valid for more than six months after your arrival back home.
Please note that you need to apply for an ESTA if you are flying through, or to the US, and do not
hold an American or Canadian passport. The application must be done online via: https://
esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/ and a fee is incurred which is not included in the price of this trip. The
application must be done a minimum of 72 hours before arrival to the US. Please also read this
new rules for ESTA for those of you who has visited Syria, Irak, Iran or Sudan: http://
sweden.usembassy.gov/vwpchanges.html
➔ All divers must have a dive certificate, dive logbook and proof of dive insurance with them on
their dive trip.
➔ For this trip minimum qualification is either Open Circuit Full Cave or Closed Circuit Full Cave
and a minimum of 25 logged dives. If you have not been diving within one year of your departure
we strongly recommend that you complete a scuba review course.
➔ Please make sure that you have a valid cancellation and travel insurance which includes scuba
diving. If you do not have travel insurance or need a complement, we strongly recommend you to
purchase a diving insurance such as DAN or similar, diversalertnetwork.org.
➔ Due to ever increasing baggage restrictions on flights, overweight and extra baggage must be
reported to, and accepted by the flight company. Pricing and baggage allowance varies between
flight companies. Please note that Exposure Expeditions is not responsible for baggage being
denied pre-departure, or at the time of check-in.
We reserve the right for price changes due to currency fluctuations or flight price increases. When
you book your trip you accept Exposure Expeditions terms and conditions. The given information
that Exposure Expeditions has in its written information (i.e. the trips content, amount of dives,
diving at a special location) is provided under the pretence of optimal conditions (i.e. political/
governmental decisions, weather, etc). The dive leader or boat captain that is in charge of the trip
always has the right to change the contents of the trip due to weather, political decisions, or other
acts that lie outside of their control that can affect the customers or ships safety. In this situation,
the customer has no right to compensation or refund.
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