51637. Simon ...
Most images are approximately 768 times 1024 pixels in size,
numbers in front of the picture descriptions are the serial numbers of the original photo files.
Made on the second day of the inter-club and international excursion (hosted by the
Dimnice Caving Society) with participation of:
Oleg Klimčuk, Simon Burja, Vladimir Levašov, Samo Morel, Matjaž Žetko, Aleš Humar, Kristjan Mezgec and
France Šušteršič.
There are not many photos, the time, even while waiting in front of the siphon,
the dive through which was the goal of the expedition, was short, there was no underwater camera
and flashes. An ordinary SLR camera with two lenses, two flashes and a trigger were placed in
a waterproof 5-liter bag, stored in a waterproof transport bag. On the way to the siphon they endured,
on return the packing into the bags was fast and therefore less tight, the tumbling in the water was
also much more intense, and they both gave up. The outer one more, the inside one less, the camera was
also wrapped in a scarf. Everything survived, it was more luck than judgement. Two AA batteries
in one of the flashes came into undesired contact, and at the opening of the flash cover they were
warm, if not hot. One still had 0.24 volts (instead of 1.6), the other 0.97. If such photo shoot ever
happens again, the whole lot will be kept in a suitable waterproof and more impact resistant round
plastic container.
Most of the photos in the riverbed were made with a phone, which the author kept under
the chin while wading and swimming in the water in a dry diving suit (Russian сухой гидрокостюм =
dry hydrosuit, made by a craftsman from Ufa, Bashkortostan)
in front, between the two collarbones, just under the face opening in the rubber skin.
The suit is made out of half a millimeter thick rubber and has four openings - one for the face,
a large one with 40 cm long extension on the stomach, the extension is folded together when
the suit is on, and completely sealed with a special rubber band, and two openings on the wrists,
which have a watertight fit. Vladimir lent the author a diving suit (Oleg gave him his spare one),
and the boots number 44 (instead of the usual 42) were lent by France. For most of the time,
Vladimir carried the photographer's transport bag, supported him while climbing
and pulled him over difficult places. With great patience, without the author having to ask him
for anything, without unnecessary words.
The page, texts and photos copyright (c) Primož Jakopin - Klok 2022, except for the VL9 photo which was taken by Vladimir; it is published with his permission.
51637. Simon ...
51641. ... and Oleg ...
51642. ... during preparation for the dive. A click on each of the three images above will show it on Wikimedia Commons.
51643. Oleg dived into the siphon first, ...
51644. ... followed by Simon.
51645. Oleg's lights on the way back, under water
51647. Oleg and Simon talking after the return: The dive started at 11:40 a.m., ended at 12:00 p.m., the water was too muddy from the rain a few days ago, the passage through a 100-meter-long siphon, which was last dived 20 years ago, with the partially torn safety lines, was not yet possible. There was no point to continue the search. The dive will have to be repeated, after a longer drought.
51649. Divers on the shore
51648. The tuneel in front of the siphon is almost completely closed by the collapse, which ends with this flowstone cascade. Crossing below, through the water stream, is not possible, but climbing ...
51650. ... between the rocks to the top of the collapse and then down again to the stream will do the job. In the photo, Simon and Vladimir (on the right, not in the picture) illuminated the passage at the bottom of the collapse, above the siphon.
51652. Approximately halfway down the water tunnel there is a drop of about ten meters, they called it waterfall. Here the stream descends over a concretion-covered slope. The author asked Vladimir to reach into the breast pocket of his undersuit and pull out his phone, despite the risk of tearing the rubber suit above the chin of his face. It worked and this and a few following photos could be made. The picture shows the waterfall with Simon and Oleg on the way up.
51653. A meter high passage in the rock with concretion-covered stream bed below
51655. The tunnel is mostly high enough to allows walking where the water is not deep, with some swimming. In several places, the ceiling drops almost to the water and one has to either swim breaststroke style, with good front visibility, yet the head with the helmet is quite high above the water and therefore tends to get stuck, or to float on your back and move forward with your hands on the grips of the ceiling. Which is easier because you're lower, you just have to be careful not to miss the highest part of the ceiling. In the photo: Vladimir at the end of a tight water passage, accompanied by three transport bags.
51657. Vladimir is sitting on the sand by the stream - the photo is illuminated by both headlamps.
VL9. The author on the sandy beach, he illuminated the background with the helmet in his hand.
51659. Dark calcite curtains, one and only managed to keep the white edge.
51660. View from the cave towards the bottom of the entrance shaft with Vladimir on the trail
51661. View from the bottom of the entrance shaft towards the surface - the path is winding up along the walls.
51662. Group photo, taken with the phone put on the roof of Simon's car: Simon, Klok, Matjaž, Samo, Aleš, Kristjan, Oleg and Vladimir. The four, the left two and the right two, went into the cave already in the morning, and the others reached the siphon around one o'clock in the afternoon and carried back a significant part of the heavy gear, mainly scuba tanks. Another support team helped carry Oleg and Simon's equipment on the first, preparatory visit the day before, on Friday afternoon.
Related posts:
Veliko okence, September 4
A few sources at the River of Seven Names, September 28 and 29, October 1
This page, text and photos by Primož Jakopin,
member of the Ljubljana Cave Exploration Society (DZRJL), except where stated otherwise.
Send inquiries and comments to primoz jakopin guest arnes si
(insert dots and at sign as appropriate).
Page initiated on October 4 and last changed November 7, 2022.
URL: https://www.jakopin.net/primoz/slike/pj2022/PJ20220924_en.php
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