Pustá jaskyňa – Sifón rešpektu (Žikešov dóm)

Pustá jaskyňa belongs to the Demänová cave system in the Low Tatras. The inflow sump of its Žikeš Dome was first dived by Ivan Matocha in March 2004; after a crisis in which a regulator froze and the diver got tangled in the guide line, it was named the 'Sump of Respect'. On 22 January 2011 the Moravian diver Radek Husák passed it solo, reporting clear water and a fairly strong current; with Daniel Hutňan he then pushed on beyond the inflow sump. Earlier attempts (1997) to pass the inflow sump in the Agate Dome had failed.

Facts

Region: Slovakia – Caves, Sumps & Karst Springs
Area: Low Tatras (Demänová & Jánska dolina)
Level: advanced
Current: low
Type: cave
Coordinates: 48.99, 19.58 (approximate)
Highlights: inflow sump of the Žikeš Dome in the Demänová system, first dived by Ivan Matocha in March 2004, named after a near-accident (frozen regulator, line entanglement), passed solo by Radek Husák on 22 January 2011, clear water with a fairly strong current
Permit: In Slovakia every cave is a natural monument (Nature Protection Act 543/2002, §24(3)); entering or penetrating a cave that is not open to the public is prohibited (§24(4)a), exploration and research need the consent of the nature-protection authority (§24(5)a), and research may only be done by a qualified authorised person notified to the State Nature Conservancy 7 days ahead (§56). In practice consent comes from the district office's environment department (e.g. Okresný úrad Prešov, 2015); the cave custodian is the Slovak Caves Administration (SSJ). There is no tourist or commercial cave diving – only permitted expeditions of caving clubs, with Full Cave / sump-diver qualification.
Issuer / contact: State Nature Conservancy of the SR – Slovak Caves Administration (Správa slovenských jaskýň, cave custodian); consent is issued by the nature-protection authority (district office, environment department)
- Phone: +421445536411
- Email: caves@ssj.sk
- Website: https://www.ssj.sk/sk/kontakty
Unverified: The exact entrance position was not found: the point is an estimate in the Demänová valley, for orientation only. The dive depth is not published.
Tips: Not a tourist site: dived only on permitted expeditions of caving clubs, with Full Cave / sump-diver qualification and in cooperation with Slovak cavers (SSS). The entrance is gated and the cave is a natural monument.

Pustá jaskyňa – Sifón rešpektu (Žikešov dóm)

Facts

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