Pollonora Hole no 10
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Location
In Kiltartan, behind Corker House B&B. Situated in small, thickly overgrown doline on the right hand side of internal road, access to which is gained next to small pump house. Hand lines are installed to facilitate descend over slippery ground. From there small, newly created path leads to small grotto with shallow, crystal clear water. Inside to the right, spacious shaft descends to -8m.
Description
Cave has been found on 26.04.2008. Artur Kozlowski was poking around Kiltartan when he came across of series of small collapses/caves on the right hand side from Tom's Murray Sink. After a short while He realized they must have been Pollonora Holes 1-9 described in Caves of County Galway and Clare. The last one, no 9 marked on 6" map as Pollonora Holes is situated on left hand side of the road 300-400m from Kiltartan church. Apparently they have been created along collapsed cave passage that goes S-N which can be entered for short distances from various holes. When he came up from the last one and looked across the road he saw farmhouse and B&B. He went in and asked owner if he had any cave on his land by any chance. Farmer admitted to have one on his land, which moreover was filled with water. Next thing they were forcing thick bushes behind his house to get to two holes - obvious continuation of Pollonora holes. When Artur shone his torch through crystal clear water in the last one he saw some dark opening few meters below surface.
Entrance to Pollnora Hole no 10
Previous records
New Find. No previous records.
Notes
This is a site only for those who are well dived, proficient and comfortable with their Side mounted gear ( forget about any other configuration). This IS NOT training dive site though it may look like. This is a complex place and I don't want to even think what could happen if someone loose the line,get entangled or dislocate line as one of these problems for sure will be accompanied with reduction of visibility to 10cm at the best...There are far better places to master your side mounted skills/equipment configuration.
Recent dives
10.05.2008
Diver: Artur Kozlowski
Last week I did evening recce dive to evaluate prospects. At the bottom of flooded dry cave passage another passage went to -8m and then continued South West over clay bottom. I had only single cylinder with me, awkward bulky reel and no silt screws so I postponed further venture into the cave. Back to partially flooded dry cave passage I proceeded South and just before collapse I've spotted another side passage on the bottom, this one heading East. Things looked very promising although bottom composition was a bit discouraging - clay was severely reducing visibility every time I moved.
17.05.2008
Diver: Artur Kozlowski
Equipped with plenty of silt screws stowed along my 12's side mounted cylinders and 50m reel I venture into pale blue water with high hopes. If I thought that clay disturbance during belaying process would be a problem I was wrong - it was nightmare. For every belay point/silt screw inserted I was punished by clouds of impenetrable clay that reduced vis to none. At that point I already knew that return would be fun.. Moreover, I had two lengths of silt screws, 20cm and 30cm but both proved to be too short to stay firmly in the clay bottom - I had to remember not to pull the line under any circumstances. Passage was very low in many places and dislocation any of those screws plus no visibility on return could mean End of da Game. After 30m or so the possible way on started descending and I arrived to the junction with spacious passage 2m high and 3m wide going S-N. The clearance between roof and clay bottom allowed to maintain good visibility. I felt almost like in Florida I followed this passage in North direction reaching max depth -16m at the end of my 50m line. Passage continued. Promising, promising. Exit interesting as expected
18.05.2008
Diver: Jim Warny
After previous evening dive I had a quick chat with Jim on the phone and I must have sounded enthusiastic because his call woke me up me next day at 8.30am. He was waiting outside B&B... He grabbed my still almost full 12s ( 180 and 190 bar), I showed him the entrance, few remarks on line position and the bottom, asked him to do some quick survey on the way out and off he went. I returned to B&B to get my breakfast. One hour later I met him already changed and working on the survey. He was smiling and apparently he liked the place. He extended the line for further 30m during which passage turned West and back again North dropping to -22m. He arrived to some exposed rock formation and after belay was done vis was completely gone and he couldn't find the way on. But we both believe it should be obvious for the next diver who would arrive to this point in undisturbed conditions.
24.05.2008
Diver: Artur Kozlowski
Equipped with sidemounted 12's and 10 pieces of 50cm silt screws I headed into the cave enjoying incredible 5-6m visibility. After initial 30m of low section I was swimming in a big passage 2-3m high and 4-5 m wide. All the way over thick clay bottom. Longer silt screws performed flawlessly. Sticking to my thirds I explored 140m of new passage, depth at the end -35m. Water temperature 9 degree, EOL 240m, passage turned West.
25.05.2008
Divers: Jim Warny, Artur Kozlowski
We dived together, Jim following 10-15min after me with his sidemounted rebreather. I was diving sidemounted 10's pumped to 210Bar so I was in rush to get to EOL. Without violating thirds I added 50m of line on depth 30-35m, passage turned South at the end. I met Jim on my way out, he grabbed my unused silt screws and off he went. He managed to explore 75m of passage beyond previous limit. EOL at the end of weekend 365m. All in stunning visibility.
31.05.2008
Divers: Jim Warny, Artur Kozlowski
Planned as a double dive, Jim on sidemounted rebreather and me with three sidemounted 12's ( in reality two of them sidemounted and one hand held.
I reached EOL using 40% of my hand held stage so I could drop it and start further exploration with comfortable standard sidemounted rig. I was privileged to add 145m of new line in stunning 8m visibility. Size of the passage increased to 4x8m, depth at the end of the line -37.5m. Passage goes strongly West and South-West in long, straight runs. Around 400m in I've noticed big shaft in the roof going up, place marked on the line with snoopy loop, not explored. EOL 510m in. Exit extremely eventful in no visibility ( Full report: )
01.06.2008
Diver: Artur Kozlowski
Series of dives in Pollonore Hole #10 - retrieving ditched tank, repairing the line and excavating first 20m of low passage. Disappointingly bad visibility in whole sump, 1-1.5m max apparently due to heavy storms that rolled over Galway during last two days. Chances for Monday's next push seemed to be slim...
02.06.2008
Diver: Artur Kozlowski
When I entered sump in the morning to place my stage tank and oxygen visibility was barely 1m.. . Ambitious plans to add another 200m of line were only dreams now. Nevertheless I was there, fully kitted and equipped. Off I Went. First 50m vis was low, below 1m. In next few hundred meters it improved but still to no more then 2m. Things changed dramatically after I crossed 400m mark. Shining the torch on the line ahead I could easily see two red marks on it, each of them marking 5m intervals...That meant visibility WELL OVER 10m !!! Passage grown bigger to 10mx5m in places and leveled out on -40m. I inserted last silt screw and dropped more than half empty reel next to on -43m , 640m in, passage going West, South-West and West again.
7-8.06.2008
Diver: Artur Kozlowski
Most of the Saturday I spent placing stage tanks behind initial low section and surveying first 50m.
On Sunday I got to my previous limit of 640m in 40 min, depth -42.5. Visibility around 5-6m. Passage soon became wider ( maybe even 15m) but lower, around 2-3m. Depth increased to 47m, further drop in visibility. Suddenly I realized I was swimming through dark brown peat stained water, passage got strange smooth shapes on the wall and ceiling (for example long smooth features growing/hanging from the ceiling effectively dividing passage into few parallel ones, floor became more sandy than silty. As I approached any sensible limits of my PPO2 when I hit -49.5m of depth I made a belay, dropped my reel and started my way out. That was 740m from the entrance. It's getting more and more intriguing. Next time trimix a must as apparently I must have missed some big junction where the brown water comes in. Total dive time 167min, temperature in whole passage 10 degree.
21-22.06.2008
Diver:Artur Kozlowski
Support: Jim Warny, Wojtek and Shane O'Neill
Despite storm and heavy rains rolling over the whole country the final dive on Sunday took place without any disruptions or surprises. I added 70-80m of new line, cave at the end is low and labyrinth-like. EOL is around 810m in on the depth -52m. Possible Westward way on seems to be quite low, 0.5 high. Total dive time 3h 22min.
13/07/2008
Diver: Jim Warny
Support: Artur Kozlowski
After leaving 2 stage tanks with artur yesterday for him to stage past the restriction i made a dive to the EOL today. The visibility was good for the weather we’re getting. I got to the EOL in +/- 50 min going at a slow pace. There I found artur's reel and picked it up and went on for 5m, but had to stop in front of a low section of 0.5m height. The way on can be seen past that restriction as the passage gets bigger after only one meter. At that point i turned the dive and left my reel under one of the shafts going up for the next dive.
Total dive time 2h 44min Max depth 52m
19/07/08
Divers: Jim Warny, Mark Lakes
Jim proceeded in the first shaft (300m in) to pick up where Arthur left his reel.
The visibility in the shaft was good.
He surfaced inside an airbel (4m*10m by 2m height) with a ceiling composed of rocks and soil.
No day light was visible inside the airbel.
17/08/08
Diver: Jim Warny
Dive to second shaft (600m in) and started ascending. The shaft is a bit smaller than the first one but has the same shape. Diver ascended +/- 8m to find that it is still going up. He also noted a possible horizontal passage as well. A return is planed ASAP.
