European Speleological Federation - Fédération Spéléologique Européenne

21/05/2025

𝟭𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗼 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 - 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘁𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆

The next 17th EuroSpeleo Forum – CapoVolta will be held in the north of Italy in Volta Mantovana in the Mantua Region (about 40km south-west of Verona). The meeting is organised by the APS Gruppo Lemuri and supported by the Società Speleologica Italiana ETS and will take place from 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

This location, situated in the heart of Europe, is well known for its Alpine karst systems and its dynamic speleological community. The event that every year attracts more than thousand of speleologists, enthusiasts and the curious from all over Italy and abroad. A real journey into the depths of the Earth, in a unique context where adventure meets science, discovery merges with friendship and passion becomes sharing.

Participating in CapoVolta 2025 means becoming part of a unique community and experiencing first-hand the most important event dedicated to speleology in Italy. Registering for the event is the first step to access a world of meetings, training, guided explorations and moments of sharing that will remain etched in your memory. Whether you are an expert in the sector, a novice enthusiast or simply curious, you will have the opportunity to choose the activities that interest you most and create your own tailor-made experience.

Pre-registration can be done directly online, quickly and easily, so that you can secure the bag with the gadgets and help support the organization of the event.
𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘁𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀… 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘁.

More information and pre-registration is on the event website: https://radunocapovolta.it/ where the program will be published in the near future.

24/04/2025

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗰 “𝗣𝗼𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗷𝗮” 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮

The 2024 Migovec expedition was a tremendous success, celebrating the 50th anniversary of exploration in Sistem Migovec (“Pol Stoletja” meaning “Half Century” in Slovene) and also marking 30 years since the Imperial College Caving Club joined the local JSPDT caving club in making it the longest cave in the whole of Slovenia. This year over a kilometre of new cave was added to the system, we left with more leads than we had started with, 6 cavers were introduced to alpine expeditionary caving for the first time and a fantastic anniversary celebration was had at the end, bringing together cavers from the past 50 years of the expedition to share photos and tales from the depths. A guest appearance from the British Embassy in Slovenia to mark the occasion made for an amazing end to an expedition of great discoveries, fine weather and high spirits. The expedition was joined by 30 cavers from 10 countries.

The 200m of Korda’s rope (https://sacidkordas.com/en/) was incredibly well received, with numerous comments on its superior quality to other ropes on the mountain, and the tackle sacks from Aventure Verticale (https://www.aventureverticale.com/) were much loved, providing a long overdue upgrade to the decrepit and well-used existing bags, many of which were immediately retired.

While there were a few minor setbacks, such as fewer than expected leaders in the first week and one of our three cavelinks breaking, the Pol Stoletja expedition exceeded its aims and left a multitude of exciting projects to return to next year. Most importantly, after the catastrophic storms and lack of underground camp in 2023 left the expedition feeling a little worse for wear, this year proved once again that our continued effort to train the next generation of leaders set us up for success when it matters. In particular, Chris Hayes and Ellie Pizey, both of whom first joined the expedition in 2022, each led multi-day underground camping trips and both made major discoveries.

You can read the full report here:https://www.eurospeleo.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ESP2024-06-Pol-Stoletja-Slovenia.pdf

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 (𝘌𝘚𝘗) 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘍𝘚𝘌 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘚𝘌 𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: https://www.eurospeleo.eu/eurospeleo-projects/
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝘀 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

08/04/2025

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝘀 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹

The EuroSpeleo Projcts (ESP) Fund supports internationally oriented speleological projects that are open to the participation of speleologists from all FSE members and lead to a multinational and multidisciplinary cooperation.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝘀 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

The fund supports activities, which sustainably enhance the knowledge about caves and karst in the categories “Exploration – Science – Protection” as the three main goals of Speleology, generally acknowledged by the International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK).”

EuroSpeleo Projects funds activities related to cave & karst research and exploration in Europe and worldwide locations. Examples are expeditions, congresses, caver meetings.

EuroSpeleo Projects funds every individual, club, local organization and national commission or federation who belong to a country being member of FSE. Please submit your application as soon as possible.

If you want to apply for a EuroSpeleo Project please visit this page for all information: https://www.eurospeleo.eu/eurospeleo-projects/

02/04/2025

𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗚𝗶𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱”

The Società Speleologica Italiana ETS (Italian Speleological Society, SSI ETS) and La Venta Geographical Exploration Association APS (La Venta APS), are proud to announce the call for applications for the 2nd edition of the “Giovanni Badino International Speleological Award”. This award aims to support advanced research projects in the field of speleology, focusing on the development and application of innovative techniques for the exploration, research, dissemination and documentation of natural cavities.

The Giovanni Badino International Speleological Award aims to commemorate the figure of one of the greatest Italian cavers and President of the SSI and La Venta, and to reward advanced speleological research projects, promoting innovation and excellence in the field of underground exploration. With this award, we intend to pay tribute to Giovanni’s work and passion in the field of scientific and technical research, spreading his influence throughout the world and contributing to the growth of knowledge in the field of speleology.

The award consists of an amount of 2.500,00 €. Projects may be submitted in Italian or English. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟲𝘁𝗵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. The date for awarding the prize is scheduled by July 27th, 2025 during the 19th International Congress of Speleology (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), subject to the number of projects submitted. Proposals must be sent to [email protected] in pdf format, attached to the application form.

You can find further information and how to apply on: https://speleo.it/site/premio-badino-2025/
The application form can be downloaded at: https://speleo.it/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Premio-Badino_ITA-ENG-v2.docx

Photo: Giovanni Badino at work in the Puerto Princesa Underground River Cave during an expedition with the La Venta association, spring 2011, Palawan, Philippines. (Photo: Natalino Russo/La Venta).

20/03/2025

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: 𝗔𝗿𝗶𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗼𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗮, 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻

Ario 24 was a two week long, 24 person expedition to the Western Massif of the Picos de Europa. Based at the Vega Ario, the expedition aimed to continue exploration of Pozu Jultayu via the newly connected Cave of the Singing Pasteur, as well as to investigate other ways into the same system potentially via Tras La Jayada, and search for ways into the gap between downstream Pozu Jultayu and the resurgence at Culiembro.

Underground camp was set up in Tapeworm Passage in Pozu Jultayu, and fixed aids from 24 years ago replaced or reinstalled to allow easy progress. A number of important leads were investigated and prioritised for the 2025 expedition. In addition, a new way on in the Cave of the Singing Pasteur was identified and exploration commenced, potentially offering a dry way to Sistema Verduellenga.

In Tras La Jayada, the 300m shaft was rebolted and resurveyed. At the bottom, a rift that had been missed by the explorers of the 1980s was pushed to new pitches that were descended and later found to be within 15m of the Holier than Thou inlet in Pozu Jultayu.

Enlargement of tight and draughting rifts was carried out in Cueva de la Rana and TR2 (Cave of the Old Men’s Dreams) in the hope of breaking into cave beyond downstream Pozu Jultayu. However, these rifts remained too tight and for too long despite significant effort.

We are extremely grateful to the Federacion de Espeleologia del Principado de Asturias (FESPA) and to the Picos de Europa National Park for granting permission for these expeditions to take place. We are also very grateful to the Ghar Parau Foundation and the European Speleological Federation (FSE) for their generous support for the trips, and to Korda’s ropes (https://sacidkordas.com/en/) for the equipment donation.

You can read the full report here:https://www.eurospeleo.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ESP_2024-05_Ario_Cave_Project_Spain.pdf

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 (𝘌𝘚𝘗) 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘍𝘚𝘌 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘚𝘌 𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: https://www.eurospeleo.eu/eurospeleo-projects/

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝘀 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

14/03/2025

𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗿. 𝟴4, 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮5 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱

Content:
• Editorial
• President’s Column
• William Ross ”Bill” Halliday (1926-2024), Nicola Barone and Paolo Forti
• Proceedings XXI Symposium on Vulcanospeleology
• A tribute to Bill Halliday, father of vulcanospeleology
• Short report on the observations on speleological potential in volcanic areas in Armenia
• Volcanic caves in the province of La Pampa, Central Argentina
• Members and countries

You can download the newsletter (pdf) from here:https://www.vulcanospeleology.org/newsletters/Vulcano84%20Feb%202025.pdf

05/03/2025

𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗕𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗭𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

The Karst and Cave Protection Commission of the International Union of Speleology (UIS) is pleased to announce the opening of the PRIX France HABE 2025.

The prize is named in memory and in honor of Dr. France HABE († 10/12/1999) from Slovenia (Yugoslavia), Past President of the Protection Department of the UIS (1973 -1997).
The purpose of this prize is to promote the protection of karst and caves. Their natural heritage is an increasingly rich source of proven information on the history of our planet and of humanity, allowing us to act in a more thoughtful, effective and sustainable way for the future of our environment.

You will find the complete regulations in French, English and Spanish on the UIS website by following this link: https://uis-speleo.org/index.php/karst-and-cave-protection-commission

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

From last year the amount of the prize was increased to € 300 by UIS and also supported in material by RESSEG. This year, the Prize will, in add, be supported by CYANSKY with head and flashlights.

Feel free to disseminate widely.

04/03/2025

You can download the full program here:https://www.vdhk.de/fileadmin/pdf/veranstaltung/2025/Program_Symposium_Speleology_in_Authoritarian_Regimes.pdf

In cooperation with UIS History of Speleology Commission
VdHK proudly presents: Online Symposium -Speleology in Authoritarian Regimes
Program and link: https://www.vdhk.de/en/events/vdhk-series-of-lectures

27/02/2025

𝟭𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱

The 18th European Cave Rescue Meeting is going to take place in Wojcieszow (Voy-che-shoov), Poland, September 25-28th 2025.

Pre ECRA Meeting: 24-25 September 2025.

This meeting is organized by the GOPR and GRJ on behalf of the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA).

During the Pre-Meeting you can enjoy caving, cave diving and visits to tourist destinations. We are preparing several interesting locations.

More information will be available soon. Please also visit our website www.caverescue.eu for last minute changes or send us an email on [email protected] in case of any questions.

Please note the date for the ECRA meeting in your diary!

We look forward to meeting you in Poland!

You can find more information on the meeting in the 1st Circular to be downloaded at:https://caverescue.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ECRM-2025-1st-Circular.pdf

The Organizing Committee

25/02/2025

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗷𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮

The international cave diving expedition Njemica 2024 was organised by Caving department of CMC St. Michael from Šibenik and Caving society Meandar from Tučepi and the Public Institution “Biokovo Nature Park”, GeoPark Biokovo-Imotska jezera (Croatia). Sponsors to the expedition were The Speleological Commission of the Croatian Mountaineering Association, Croatian Speleological Federation, The Union Internationale de Spéléologie, Fédération Spéléologique Européenne, Aventure Verticale, Scurion and SAC Ekstrem from Makarska. The leader of the biospeleological research is the Society for Research and Conservation of Croatian Natural Diversity ADIPA.

The expedition was held in period from August 4th to August 15th. During the 12 days of the expedition, over 60 cavers from eight countries of the world — Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Bulgaria, France, England, Uruguay, and Germany, gathered with the aim of reaching a depth of more than 1,000 meters, which would have made Njemica cave join the elite group of the five Croatian pits deeper than one thousand meters.

The expedtion could be devided in two main parts. The first part was the pre-expedtion where expedition leaders formed a diving team, transport team and base camp team. In the first part of the cave had to be equiped with ropes, anchor points, hot spots – bivouacs, enough stored food and the transport of more than 250 kilogram of diving equipment to a depth of -934 meters. The second part of the expedition started when the diving team entered the pit and lasted till the last part of the equipment was transported to the surface.

Despite not reaching the magical limit of 1,000 meters, the Njemica cave remains the deepest cave in Biokovo, a mountain that still wisely hides all it’s secrets. The new depth of Njemica is -982 meters.

You can read the full report here:https://www.eurospeleo.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ESP_2024-03_Njemica_Cave_Diving_Expedition.pdf

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 (𝘌𝘚𝘗) 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘍𝘚𝘌 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘚𝘌 𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: https://www.eurospeleo.eu/eurospeleo-projects/

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝘀 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

11/02/2025

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝘂𝗹𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆

The proceedings of the 21st International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology, held from 10th - 20th April 2024, have been published by the Organising Committee for the Commission on Volcanic Caves of the International Union of Speleology.

You can download the proceedings at:http://www.vulcanospeleology.org/sym21/ISV21_2024_Proceedings.pdf

07/02/2025

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗮𝘂 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮

The 2024 Cambridge University Caving Club CUCC Loser Plateau expedition brought together 39 cavers from 7 different countries to continue the ambitious goal of expanding the Schwarzmooskogel-Höhlensystem (SMK) and working towards a potential connection with the Schönberg Höhlensystem, which could ulti-mately create one of the largest cave systems in the world.

This year’s efforts were concentrated on two primary cave systems: Homecoming (Heimkommenhöhle) and Balcony (Balkonhöhle). Both caves presented significant opportunities, as well as challenges. Homecoming, located on the western edge of the plateau, remains a promising lead in the effort to connect the SMK to Schönberg. Balcony, while already an extensive system, presented the team with technical challenges, particularly in navigating the 140-meter deep Mongol Rally chamber.

Despite these difficulties, the 2024 expedition made remarkable progress. The Homecoming Cave was extended from 3,442 meters to 4,653 meters in length and increased in depth from 373 meters to 450 meters. The Balcony Cave, already substantial in size, expanded from 18,265 meters to 19,277 meters in length, while maintaining its depth of 581 meters.

Deep within Balcony, the team discovered a large, previously unknown chamber, along with intriguing hydrological shifts in the cave’s geology. Furthermore, speleothem formations— rare for the region — were found in several sections, adding scientific interest to the expedition’s findings. The 2024 CUCC expedition marks a significant chapter in the ongoing exploration of the Loser Plateau. The progress made in both Homecoming and Balcony caves, combined with the logistical upgrades and technological innovations, has paved the way for even more exciting discoveries in the coming years.

You can read the full report here:https://www.eurospeleo.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ESP_2024-02_CUCC_Expedition_Loser_Plateau_Austria.pdf

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 (𝘌𝘚𝘗) 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘍𝘚𝘌 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘚𝘌 𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: https://www.eurospeleo.eu/eurospeleo-projects/

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝘀 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.