Krška jama – Krka spring sump
Krška jama opens just above the karst spring of the Krka river, where water from the Račna karst field resurfaces. After about 210 m of dry passage the cave ends in a 30 m long sump lake that continues into flooded tunnels; underwater exploration began in 1994, and on 14 October 1995 Samo Morel and Pavle Košir explored the siphon. The first sump has been passed to a dry chamber, and the explored length is about 490 m. Over 30 animal species live here, including olms.
Facts
- Region: Slovenia – Lakes, Rivers & Caves
- Area: Dolenjska & Bela krajina (Krka, Kolpa, Kočevje)
- Level: advanced
- Current: moderate
- Type: cave
- Coordinates: 45.8900249, 14.771199
- Highlights: occasional spring cave of the Krka river, dry part ~210 m, ending in a 30 m long sump lake, total explored length 490 m including underwater passages, sump dived since 1994; explored by Samo Morel and Pavle Košir in 1995, dry chamber found beyond the first sump, olms among 30+ cave species
- Permit: Show tours are run by Turistično društvo Krka (per showcaves.com); under ZVPJ the custodian must be notified in advance. Under the Cave Protection Act (ZVPJ) every cave, including water-filled ones, is state-owned and protected. Only persons certified for independent caving (certificate checked by the Speleological Association of Slovenia, JZS) may explore caves, and they must notify the cave's custodian, concessionaire or protected-area manager in advance (Art. 14); closed caves can be entered only for scientific/archaeological work with a permit from the ministry responsible for nature conservation (Art. 17). There is no visitor dive permit: in practice diving here happens only as a member of the caving/cave-diving team that runs the exploration.
- Issuer / contact: Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning – Nature Conservation Sector
- Phone: +38614787335
- Email: gp.mop@gov.si
- Website: https://www.gov.si/teme/podzemne-jame/
- Unverified: Sump depth not published in the sources checked (only its length: 30 m lake per Wikipedia, ~100 m per showcaves.com).
- Tips: Research-only for diving, not available to visiting divers. The dry part is locked and shown only on announced guided tours in the warm season; it floods in heavy rain (the Krka bursts out through the entrance).