Aphuca River Cave (Fin Mc Cool Cave)
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Access
Cave is 2 km north-north-west of Carrickmacross, beside the R180. Entrance is on private property.
Description
Small river from Lough Aphuca, 100 m south-west of entrance, sinks here.
Previous records
J C Coleman, The caves of Ireland, 1965. Provides description, plan and cross-sections.
Irish Sump Index, 1988. Dive recorded in 'main downstream sump' (21-03-1973), 21 m long, leading to further short canal passage and a second sump (undived).
Notes
Cave has been heavily polluted by castor oil, and significant quantities remain at downstream end of passage.
Location of 'main downstream sump' uncertain at present.
At the northern end of the 'Final Chamber' (c.f. Coleman) is an inlet sump (Frog Inlet), approximately 2.5 m wide by 0.3 m high. It is easily silted out, but when water is flowing in the sump a clear layer of water can be found just below the roof. This sump has been dived to Leprechaun Chamber through two small airbells and is heading north.
The Aphuca River is believed to rise through Quarry Rising North and/or Quarry Rising South.
Recent dives
January 2008 - diver Artur Kozlowski
28-12-2008 - diver Al Kennedy, support Paul Doig
Plan for both of us to dive the 'main downstream sump' reported in the Irish Sump Index was changed following two exhausting carries to get one set of dive equipment to the final chamber. After a rest, I kitted up in higher chamber just before sump pool and crawled to sump. I tied the line to my left elbow and entred the sump on base-fed line. The water was already silted up, reducing visibility to zero and making initial progress by feel alone. Passage was a low squeeze, but I noted it to be wider than my armspan. Advancing cautiously and uncertainly by wriggling, pulling with hands and pushing with feet, after a short distance I lifted my head into a layer of clear water just below the roof, about 10 cm deep. Visibility in this layer was very good, and there was a distinct boundary between it and the lower layer of heavily silted water. Some movements would cause the clear layer to silt out, but it always cleared. My helmet prevented me from getting my eyes fully into the layer, and oil smears on my mask further blurred vision. The roof was relatively flat, with thin roots dangling in the water. After a few metres of slow 'silt-ploughing' (regulators and tank shoulders dragging badly in the silt) I turned the dive, with a leaking regulator, no apparent prospect of larger passage or better visibility, feeling cold and concerned about slack in the base-fed line.
21-02-2009 - divers Al Kennedy, Paul Doig
Sump (Frog Inlet) at the north end of Coleman’s ‘Final’ Chamber was pushed along a low bedding plane in very poor to nil visibility through two airbells to Leprechaun Chamber. Distance to first airbell 7 m. To the beginning of a second sump in Leprechaun Chamber is 21 m. Passage heading north with a possible turn NNW in Leprechaun Chamber. The airbells and Leprechaun Chamber are thick with castor oil. Since this appears to be a tributary to the Aphuca River not a continuation of it (see dive 28-12-08), we named this passage Frog Inlet.
Water levels in the cave are very variable, and were even lower than on our previous two visits. On this visit Frog Inlet was static, and there was no water in the section of passage south of the 'Final' Chamber sump pool, just mud with some puddles.
