Scuba diving in France is not only possible on the coasts, whether in the rough Atlantic Ocean or the sunny Cote d’Azur. The country is famous for a number of fresh water diving opportunities within its borders, such as lakes, caves and underwater passages.

The Dordogne / Lot region hides a lot of exciting cave diving options for more or less experienced tech divers coming not only from the region, but also from other countries, especially the UK. The crystal-clear waters, together with impressive depths and wider, open passages typical of this area make the experience really unique and different from traditional cave diving.

Divers can easily explore the belly of these caves with double tanks, stage tanks, rebreathers and decompression equipment. Green hills and mountains surround these water holes where visibility can be exceptionally clear, normally ranging from 10 to 30 meters.

Among the most famous dive sites in the area, divers should not miss these:

• Fontain de Saint Georges: One of the very first penetration cave diving sites in France, reaching a depth of over 70 meters, with a few narrow passages at first.
• Emergence du Russel: A large cave splitting into two main passages that rejoin before taking you to an impressive drop that touches 45 meters of depth and sinks down to 77 meters after a quite long swim that requires extensive planning and equipment availability.
• Trou Madame: A series of shallow caves and tunnels of various length, with overhead air pockets and excellent photography opportunities.