Fresh Water caves give up more virgin passage

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In the beginning of November Mike and I made another short trip to the cave region in central Negros to explore a bit further and try to lay more line.

After loading my truck with excessive amounts of dive gear, we drove the 2 hours bumpy ride to the mountains and got ourselves settled down for the night at the small but friendly GRV. We popped in to the town centre and met up with Jeffrey our regular guide, and one of the most knowledgeable guys about dry caves in the region. Over the past year I have been working with Jeff and getting him to understand what we are looking for. Jeff tells us he has another couple of new leads which we should investigate, but my first priority is to get back to the Kangkwakdi pool where I had been twice before, to see if I could extend the line already laid there.

On my first visit to Kangkwakdi I was ecstatic to find proper going passage much like the ones I have dived in Florida. Unfortunately on my first return the silt in the bottom of the cave had moved and was blocking my entrance. I did however find a second pool, called Abonabonan, a short walk away which had good passage as well, although shallower, narrower, and turning me back due to a tight restriction. Initially I laid approximately 100m of line in each passage and vowed to return.

This trip I was determined to find out if I could pass that restriction, or if Kangkwakdi would have shifted sands again to allow me entrance.

The entrance pools are not easily accessible, and after driving for a few kilometers off the highway we then have to transfer all equipment to sleds pulled by cows, for the next 4km through the jungle to reach the water. This is a hot and humid walk through some beautiful countryside, and watching the locals in flip flops carrying all the gear is quite humbling.

At the poolside we cleared away the foliage to prep the gear, and with Mike vigilantly on surface support I slipped into the pool and located my line from the last visit.

Entering Kangkwakdi this time I was glad to be able to follow my line down the slope through the cave entrance at 6m, and past the various logs lying in the passage. At 12m the visibility improved and it seemed like I would be able to pass the restriction. However once I came to 15m my old line was still buried in the shifting silt, and it became clear that back-mounted doubles were not going to let me through. I tried in vain to scrape away some silt, but with a risk of ratcheting myself in between the rocky roof and sandy floor I decided to turn back and leave this cave for another day.

I am still very excited about the Kangkwakdi cave and the possible passage it may be able to provide, but the difficult logistics mean I cannot dedicate enough time to visit regularly as the water movement changes the passageways relief.

Hoping for better luck we shifted to the Abonabonan pool; only 10 minutes away through the thick undergrowth it seems likely that these two passageways are linked. With gentle springing flow in both, and the general direction being the same I was expecting that if I could pass the restriction which turned me back last time I might find myself in the main passage of Kangkwakdi which had tempted me before with wide open passages.

Dropping through the cave mouth just a meter below the pools surface I was greeted with milky water, but a clear view of my previously laid line. I staged my O2 on a big boulder at 6m in the optimistic hope of spending long enough exploring to need it.

Scooting along just above the bottom I made good ground and was at my arrow to the restriction after around 5minuntes. At this point the cave takes a sharp turn straight down from 11m to 18m where last time I had been turned back by a large pile of small rocks. On the previous trip I had moved a few rocks but decided I didnt have time[or the nerve] to really try and get through.

I approached the restriction this time in a different mood, ready to do whatever it took to see what lay beyond those annoying little stones! To my surprise the rocks seemed to have shifted in the 2 months I was away, and I could now slip through, as long as I sucked in my belly. I attached my trusty reel at the last tie-off point and moved onwards and downwards with the amazing buzz that comes from pushing into a place no human has ever been before. The cave structure seemed fairly similar to the entry section, but was quickly dipping down through 25m, and I knew I was below the passage in Kangkwakdi, which had been steady at 21m. The direction of the cave passage also changed and almost doubled back on itself, again, bad news if I was hoping to connect to Kangkwakdi.

Pushing down the slope another 40m or so I followed the right wall as the ceiling lowered towards me. Then the rock on the walls started to turn black, and soon the roof had closed right down above me, also in a smooth black, almost granite like style.

The biggest problem with black rock is that it reflects none of your light...so the usual glow bouncing around you from the fancy HID light strapped to your wirst becomes just a spot on the wall in front of you.

The erie black rock created a restriction in front of me at 32m, but I could see that it was wide, so I moved along until I found a spot where I could squeeze through. And ‘squeeze’ is what I did; passing to the other side I found myself engulfed in black, black roof, black walls and a smooth black floor. The floor was layered, as if great slabs that could be paving stones were piled atop of each other in no particular order. Absolutely no tie-off points around here.

After spending more than 5 minutes trying to find the widest part of this small room, and trying to find a way to continue on I reached turn pressure and had to turn back, disappointed by my lack ability to see, or to tie off around this black, black rock.

Having enjoyed the relaxed swim out I slowly went out up through 6m, collected my oxygen bottle and spent a few minutes contemplating the fact that I had not managed to lay much more line - but still enjoyed the dive enormously.

Around the head pool we packed up the gear in the sunlight and decided who would carry what back to the cows. One of the local helpers who seemed to have brought his daughter’s ‘hello kitty’ bag along for the day grabbed a set of double tanks and set off through the jungle in his flip flops. Mike remembers this part of the trip well “I was watching all of the guys loaded down with dive gear, telling myself that my rucksack was pretty damn heavy! I was striding along nicely in my Berghaus walking boots at a fair yomp, and feeling quite manly. Then I could sense someone behind me, I could sense impatience. Turned out to be a guy in his 60s, bare foot, carrying a set of doubles on his shoulder and wearing an expression on his face that said “Come on mate, speed it up. Haven’t got all day, I’ve got a field to plough when we get back”"

I have a feeling that when the rains ease off we will be back visiting some more...

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