Œil de la Doue
A spring north of Martel issuing from a horizontal bedding plane at the foot of a 15 m cliff, reached by a 600 m footpath. In drought a 30 m lake leads to a sandy gallery and the first sump (195 m at -6.5 m in high water). Sump 2 is 354 m long (-16 m) and sump 3 runs 1,380 m with a low point at -52 m, followed by further sumps; the system is about 3 km long.
Facts
- Region: France – Lot cave springs
- Area: Dordogne & Ouysse (Rocamadour)
- Depth: 0–52 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: low
- Type: cave
- Coordinates: 44.96515, 1.58757
- Highlights: porch 8.5 m wide at the foot of a 15 m cliff, about 3,000 m of passage, sump 2 354 m / -16 m, sump 3 1,380 m long, low point -52 m, canyon-like dry galleries between sumps
- Tips: Carry gear 600 m along the footpath from the parking area by the wooden barrier. Full Cave certification (TDI/IANTD/GUE/PSAI/CMAS Full Cave or FFESSM Plongeur Souterrain 3 equivalent) required; without it only as a student with a cave instructor.