Travel - August 18-29, 2027 - Cave Diving France - Caves & Culture

UNDER THE JUNGLE & PARAGON DIVE GROUP - CAVES AND CULTURE: FRENCH CAVE DIVING.

8 Guided Diving Days

Must be Full Cave Certified. Both Open Circuit divers and Closed Circuit Rebreather divers are welcome!

Cost:

$5950 USD Per Person

Payment Schedule:

To Reserve Spot - $1000
Balance Due 6 months in advance of trip date

A TYPICAL DAY ON OUR FRENCH ADVENTURE

Wake up at the private house and snack on French pastries or cook your own desired breakfast. The house has a full kitchen for our use, and supermarkets are nearby. On diving days, tanks and gear are loaded into vans and brought to the house.

We will conduct an orientation and site briefing at the dive site. Water temperatures are typically around 13 °C, and depths range from a maximum of 7 meters at shallow sites like Font de Truff to depths requiring trimix such as far down the mainline in Ressel.

With these conditions, it’s best to aim for one good dive a day, although doing two dives is possible and optional. Divers who are stage/deco/ rebreather/scooter certified will have the option to apply their skills to appropriate caves.

Some days will include shorter diving days and cultural excursions, and we have scheduled two full days off with visits to local sites of interest. Use evenings to explore the cute towns of Gramat and Rocamadour, visit restaurants, or relax and cook dinner at the house.

CERTIFICATION, EQUIPMENT AND CONSIDERATIONS

Minimum certification level: The Lot has a wide variety of caves. The minimum certification level for this trip is Full Cave, and we can accommodate trimix dives, rebreather support, and DPV rental.

Drysuits: While a few intrepid French divers use wetsuits, we really would recommend drysuits. You’ll want a thick undergarment and potentially a heating system. The water is 12-13 degrees Celsius. Make sure you have at least some experience in the drysuit before France!

Sidemount vs Backmount: Some sites are accessible only in sidemount configuration, namely Marchepied. Font de Truff is tight in backmount. There are plenty of sites that are backmountable. However, you will not be able to dive Marchepied and Font de Truff in backmount. We have multiple guides and plenty of sites, so you will still dive every day. Don’t stress!

Conversely, for the deeper sites, a backmount rebreather is far simpler than any other option, although we can also accommodate sidemount and chest-mounted rebreathers.

Those bringing backmount rebreathers may want to consider tossing a sidemount harness in their rebreather case. This gets you the best of both worlds.

Cylinders: Both aluminum 80s (12 L) cylinders and steel cylinders in various sizes are available, as well as onboard cylinders for rebreathers. Our support center has a limited number of tanks of each type, so the key is to decide what you want and reserve them early! With advanced planning, we can get you the tanks that you want. Keep in mind that fills and cylinder rental are the diver’s responsibility. We are providing guiding and logistical services.

Visibility: The visibility is wildly unpredictable. We will dive in high (20+ m) and low (2m) vis. As long as you want to go diving and the conditions are safe, we are happy to take you.

Keep in mind that some sites on the selected list may or may not be a great idea, depending on the conditions.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE SOUTH OF FRANCE

Village time: We are staying near the small town of Gramat, which is not a touristy destination. We will also be fairly close to the town of Rocamadour, which is touristy. However, in both of these areas, people are not particularly concerned with accommodating visitors.

Restaurants have rigid hours, nothing is open at all on Sundays (not even supermarkets and convenience stores), and you absolutely cannot have what you want when you want it. It’s a relaxed vibe. We will help you plan ahead, but this is a real consideration.

Food/Vegetarians: This area of France loves to eat duck, and the duck is very good. However, other than pastries and salads that are 85% cheese, there are not a lot of vegetarian options. We made it work with the supermarket and so forth last time, but be warned that this is not the most vegetarian-friendly place on the planet.

Cost of dinner: For the quality of the food, the prices are very reasonable. You will spend about 25-30 euros per person on dinner at a restaurant.

Supermarkets: We are staying within a 10-minute drive of a large and well-stocked supermarket. It opens around 9 am and closes at 7 pm, and on Sundays.

Spare dive gear: Our support center is The Cave to Be. The owner is fantastic, but there are limited spares and so forth available. I’d recommend bringing spare rebreather cells, etc. The caves are not complex. You can leave primary reels and jumps at home, and you really only need a few markers. We will have a few jump spools with us if required. Bring spare seals, and if you have it, bring a spare base layer.

The Beer Fund: Alcohol is not included in our pricing. Given that some people don’t drink, some people are happy with cheap local beer, and some prefer fancy wine, the best way we found to deal with this was to create a beer fund. We collect a preset amount of cash from each diver who wants in, and keep you in delicious, low-cost beer. When the money runs out, everyone contributes again. It works well.

Car rentals/freedom of movement: There is zero public transportation, and we will have several car-go vans to transport gear. However, divers will be trapped at the house without at least a few personal vehicles, even though we will do everything we can to accommodate you. We strongly recommend renting a car with your buddies so that you can move freely around in the evenings. Similarly, before and after the trip, we highly recommend touring the countryside and taking some side trips. The area is incredible.

Flights: Fly into and out of Toulouse Blagnac Airport. When you choose your flights, we recommend avoiding a layover at Charles deGalle/ Paris. That airport is a horror show.

Toulouse: The house becomes available on Wednesday. We strongly recommend flying in a few days early and spending time in the town of Toulouse. It is absolutely beautiful and there is plenty to do for a few days of eating and relaxing :)

Included:

8 guided diving days, including detailed briefings and orientations.
Local expertise and logistics.
All cultural experiences
Morning Pastries
Picnic lunches on diving days
11 nights at a house near Gramat
Garden, grill, washer, and an okay but not great dryer are available. 

Not Included:

Airfare
Tank rentals, fills, DPV rentals, sorb
Private transportation to the house in Gramat
Divers should coordinate to rent vehicles to move around to avoid being trapped at the house. We are happy to pair people up so that you can share rentals. 
Dinner. Most nights divers will enjoy choosing their own restaurants in nearby towns, or eating with the group. It is also possible to cook at the house.
Private rooms, private guiding, additional guiding days, and non-diver pricing are available upon request.  

Note:

PLEASE DO NOT USE SHOP PAY FOR ANY TRIP PAYMENTS.  SHOP PAY CHARGES THE INCURRED INTEREST TO US AND WITH TRIPS BEING LOW MARGIN ITEMS, THE INTEREST PAYMENTS CREATE FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO USE A PAYMENT PLAN TO MAKE DEPOSITS AND/OR FOLLOW-UP PAYMENTS, PLEASE REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO BEN OR STEVE AT BEN@PARAGONDIVE.COM OR STEVE@PARAGONDIVE.COM.  WE WILL WORK WITH YOU TO CREATE A PAYMENT PLAN THAT FITS INTO YOUR BUDGET WHILE MAKING SURE YOU HIT THE PAYMENT MILESTONES REQUIRED OF THE TRIP. 

PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU DO USE SHOP PAY, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCEPT THE ORDER. 

FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS.

If there are any questions or concerns please reach out to me directly with the information below and I am happy to help and clarify.

Ben Lair:  Ben@paragondive.com or 520-260-9940