Ottawa River cave near Arnprior?

[diverindeep]

Hi all!

I've heard rumours of a cave accessed from the Ottawa River around Arnprior somewhere. (this info was not from a very reliable source though??)

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about it?

 

[JamesP]

Stay clear dude,
There is zero visibility. Trained cave divers have no use for it. Please stay safe. I have not been to any of them. There are a number of them dotted around Ontario's rivers. We had a very experienced caver check out one of them. The general consensus is to KEEP OUT. I didn't pursue the matter farther. The warning is good enough for me.

 

[Mr Adams]

Hi

The Ottawa cave system has been dove and mapped extensively by Dr David Sawatsky at DCIM Toronto, he would be your best bet on advice about diving these caves, and like Jamesp has stated they are nothing that you would want to penetrate as they very dangerous.

Mr A

 

[diverindeep]

Thanks gentlemen

I will heed the warnings and stay clear. I'm just trying to expand my knowledge of the local sites. I now know quite a bit about it just from your advice. Have you guys ever dove the flooded graphite mine near Calabogie? Are there any local cave courses? Local being Eastern Ontario?

 

[d33ps1x]

Your best bet for Cave training is an NACD or GUE course in Florida.

This would BEGIN to get you up to snuff for diving in the caves found in Ontario. I have not been in any of them but I have video of them including the one you mentioned above. There is NOTHING in there and it is tight, low or zero vis, and creepy.

http://www.cancaver.ca/docs/longest.htm is a list of Caves both dry and wet in Ontario.
http://www.rockreations.net/about/forms.htm is a website for some dudes tht dive and explore both dry and wet caves.

http://www.gue.com is the name of the preferred cave training organization for myself

http://www.safecavediving.com/ Is teh NACD website for alternate training

Why do you say you are going to stay away and in the same breath ask where one can recieve cave training in Ontario?

Anyways...Have fun with it. Be smart and do the right thing.

 

[JamesP]

Thanks gentlemen

I will heed the warnings and stay clear. I'm just trying to expand my knowledge of the local sites. I now know quite a bit about it just from your advice. Have you guys ever dove the flooded graphite mine near Calabogie? Are there any local cave courses? Local being Eastern Ontario?

For training your best bet is to head south. The water is warmer and you can actually see for the most part. The caves available for diving are also properly line; thus reducing the chances of getting lost. There are a number of good instructors you can take cave training from. Cave training is some of the best scuba education that you can get. PM me if you would like some extra info. You can also get excellent training in Mexico where the water in even warmer and the sites are prettier. Look up DIRMexico. It is a great site. The team down there are true explorers. Danny and Chris after map some 60,000ft of cave thus far.

I am not sure of the quarry you have mentioned. I have heard tell of a quarry out that way but I have no specific details.

 

[Tom R]

There was an article in a cave mag during the 80's written by Dr Swatzski and John Recce about the cave system. It's comes off the Ottawa river and under an island in the Ottawa river. I have the maps, article and directions to the system, and after talking to others and seening the conditions we canned the dive before going.

There is several graphite/fieldspar mines that divers had have the opportunity to use in both the Ottawa and Kingston area, but access is very limited and kept close to the chest.

Training is the only option to even get you foot near the door, lots of advice on who, and where to get this done.

 

[deepdiver5by5]

To date there has not been a cave system in canada that could be used for training purpose. As all the above mentioned do no go in any of them and head south for training and after that in my opion you are still not ready for anything up here. Most of what I have been in is for small people and is side-mount. As mentioned Dr. Sawatsky is still someone who is exploring new systems in Canada and has some people that do it with him who he has been training for this style of diving. Also mentioned above Rockreations is a great place for dry cave training www.rockreations.net Most of the caves in Ontario are river feed and are low and are sumps. Marble Cave is a nice example of a river feed cave. A good reference is www.nature-exploration.com/longest.htm#10b for caves in canada. I agree with everyone else stay clear.
deepdiver5by5

 

[diverindeep]

Thanks for all the info...this is great stuff (it'll keep me in reading material for awhile) I aapreciate it!

(d33ps1x: I agreed to stay clear of the Ottawa River cave near Arnprior which I was warned about in the previous posts, but I'm still very interested in cave diving generally and was wondering if there were any other locations or training in Ontario. I now know that it is not worthwhile doing it here and will take it up down south instead. Thanks)

 

[d33ps1x]

Much relieved. You'll have a lot of fun with it.