• Jim, up in the rifts above the line for uninspiring sump

  • Wild Mare entrance looking out at the hot weather

  • Wild Mare entrance in the dry

Matienzo July/August 2013, Pt 1

After not achieving what we wanted on our last visit the two of us are back for more, firm in our belief that we will make progress, hopefully. With unusually hot weather in the UK we are a bit worried about how hot it will get here, in fact we have already seen our first bush fire. It was a small fire but such things can turn into big fires.

Wild Mare entrance in the dry
Wild Mare entrance in the dry

Having arrived at midday on Sunday we went around saying hello to various people and somehow ended up in the same bar that served us such interesting soup at the end of our last visit. We didn’t eat.

Wild Mare entrance looking out at the hot weather
Wild Mare entrance looking out at the hot weather

Today we shifted all the dive kit into Wild Mare cave. Water levels are unsurprising low, both out and in the cave, so we are able to use the far dive base. Diving through sump of the wild eels in clear viz was a pleasure. Spread across the floor of the sump, on top of the silt layer, was some sort of growth pattern with small tendrils standing up between 5 and 10 mm high. After surfacing and clambering around in the rifts the ladder was rigged down through the breakthrough window. We recovered the kit that had been left behind last time and all was well. We then went on to look at the water in AGM bypass. It was clear, crystal clear. Prospects look good for tomorrow.

Jim, up in the rifts above the line for uninspiring sump
Jim, up in the rifts above the line for uninspiring sump

Series - Matienzo Caving

  1. Exploring Spain
  2. The rain in Spain…
  3. Using the back entrance
  4. A Wild Mare kicks out
  5. Whitworth Upstream
  6. (Not Really) Making New Ground
  7. Return to the Dam Bypass
  8. The Dam Water
  9. Matienzo epilogue
  10. Matienzo July/August 2013, Pt 1
  11. Matienzo July/August 2013, Pt 2
  12. Matienzo July/August 2013, Pt 3

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