General information INTRODUCTION Polish cave divers are not pampered by their homeland. Poland offers to them no great resurgences and only a limited number of sumps hidden deep in the caves. In fact, sump diving is the only form of cave diving available in Poland. Caves suitable for diving are to be found practically only in the Tatra mountains in the south of the country. All the best known sump caves are to be found on the territory of Tatrzański Park Narodowy (Tatra National Park). These are the following caves: Kasprowa Niżnia, Śnieżna Studnia, Wielka Śnieżna, Zimna, Dudnica, Miętusia, Jaskinia Bystrej. Although there are a few more places in Poland where water sumps are to be found, there are limited or none possibilities of diving in them. Water temperature in the caves i s about 3-4°C. Diving actions are mainly organized in winter, when the water in ground freezes and some sections of the cave get dry. Only then it is possible to reach the sumps themselves. SPECIFICITY OF TATRA CAVE DIVING Diving actions in the Polish caves begin with putting up the guide-lines, that is ropes necessary for the diver to get through the vertical dry passages, such as thresholds, domes or pits. These guide-lines are usually to be found already there in the supms that have been explored before. In the case of predominantly vertical caves, such as, for example, Wielka Studnia and Snieżna Studnia, it is necessary to put up as much as several hundred metres of rope! The next stage of the preparation for the diving action is the transport of equipment from the opening to the place where the diving itself begins. For the majority of Polish caves, this distance is not small: the opening is to be found relatively far from the first sump. As a consequence, each diving action involves a number of people whose help is necessary for the transportation of all the tackle. The equipment is carried in so-called tackle bags, especially designed bags made of a very strong and resistant material. Each such bag can hold over ten kilograms of tackle. In some cases it is necessary to repeat the transportation process several times before the diving action can be started. All the equipment used for cave diving must be easy for transportation both to the place of diving and in the dry passages between the sumps. Also, it cannot create an inconvenience for the diver while crossing the tight underwater passages to be found in the Polish caves. The diving itself is usually done by single divers, or in a group of independent divers. Experience proves this diving method to be the safest one for diving in closed spaces. Under such circumstances, the partner`s help in the case of emergency is not only inefficient but also creates a serious danger to the safety of the rescuer himself/herself. While the diver is underwater, the accompanying team usually camps near the sump in order to help with the tackle transportation after his/her the re-emergence. The action is considered completed when all the equipment has been taken out of the cave and the ropes taken off the dry passages. PERMISSIONS To dive in a Tatra cave, it is necessary to obtain an official permission. Tatrzański Park Narodowy is the only organization authorised to issue permissions for entering the caves. Permissions are issued to cavers in possession of the Tatra Mountaineer Card, associated in clubs registered with Komisja Taternictwa Jaskiniowego Polskiego Związku Alpinizmu (Caving Commision of the Polish Mountaneering Association). Diving is allowed in all the caves with the notable exception of Jaskinia Bystrej, closed for public since the year 1987, when a tragic diving accident happened there. BACK