Team: Chris Jewell, Artur Kozlowski
15.04.2009
Divers: Chris Jewell and Artur Kozlowski
After having established voice and visual connection with the surface in Northern Way, Dave returned to Upper Cradle while Chris and I traversed underwater to Monastir Way, carried our gear through cascades, passed sump two and finally arrived to sump three ( first one , smaller one). 3 weeks ago I took a quick look into it laying the line to -4m along shingle and washed cobbles floor where rift closed ahead but flow was coming from low descending slit on right hand side.Tired, cold , with bulky 12s (actually I had only one 12l with me there..) and facing steep unstable cobblestone slope under low squeeze I was in no position to push it 3 weeks ago. This time was different. Steep unstable slope turned out to be rather imaginary but passing the slit proved to be committing enough. From there I followed strong current indication ( previous week was very wet in Fermanagh) in small passage which surfaced in 5m long rifty airbell. I belayed on a flake above the surface and from there current led me down through small 4m deep shaft.
There, at clean, gravel/cobblestone washed bottom I lost a flow for a second, only to regain it behind large flake that separated alcove from proper passage. Going up again I was able to surface in a tiny air space and dived again, through another tight squeeze. There I came across accumulation of some flood debris although washed ( mainly planks) by strong current which was still present. Upstream I could see open way on behind another squeeze but I thought that enough was done for one dive and returned to Chris. I added 52m of line so the sump 3 was now ~65m long heading S towards Monastir Cliff Sink. Chris dived next but he was unable to make any further progress. He spent 15min digging to get through first slit ( which now should be comfortably enlarged but what a pity, I enjoyed that, was very sporting) and after reaching first air bell he decided to turn as he was becoming progressively cold in a wetsuit.
On the way back we explored at least another 200m (in addition to 240m of main stream explored by Dave Morris in 70s) of higher level passages between sump 1 and 2, most of them beautifully decorated. Exit after 7h.
artur
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