Cova dels Arquets

Interessant cova submarina d'uns 80 m de recorregut a l'Estartit

Torroella de Montgrí • Baix Empordà80m7m

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Cova dels Arquets

Interessant cova submarina d'uns 80 m de recorregut a l'Estartit

Torroella de Montgrí · Baix Empordà

Length: 80 m · Depth: 7 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/cova-dels-arquets

Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.

Topographic map of the main entrance — Main entrance · ICGC topographic map

An underwater cave about 80 m long at l'Estartit, with access from the Punta dels Arquets and an air bubble in the main chamber.

Characteristics

Type: Cave
Municipality: Torroella de Montgrí
Region: Baix Empordà
Unit: Montgrí, el
Length: 80 meters
Depth: 7 meters
Major Unit: Prepirineu
Lithology: Limestone
Last review: 2022-01-01

Location

From l'Estartit you can drive to the Plaça del Molinet (if the access is not closed with a barrier). From there you have to get into the water and swim in a N direction following the coastal wall. Once you reach the Punta dels Arquets you will have to begin the dive and continue forward about 50-60 m more, following the seabed until you find the entrance mouth.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Cova dels Arquets
Elevation: -7 m
42.058146, 3.212322
UTM 31T (ETRS89) 517568 4656254
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Topographic

Cova dels Arquets - Topography, Torroella de Montgrí, Baix Empordà

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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

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Photos

Cova dels Arquets - Photo, Torroella de Montgrí, Baix Empordà

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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

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Description

Morphology

The access is right at the underwater wall, touching the bottom at 7.3 m below sea level. The mouth is an opening of about 2.5 m that leads to an ascending conduit with a floor full of stones and that climbs up to -4 m. Then, through a point that narrows, you reach the main chamber. At its ceiling you reach the 0 m level and it has an air bubble about 3 m in diameter where you can breathe. Following the same direction of travel, the gallery narrows until it is closed off by very sharp stones with no type of erosion.

Hydrology

The main chamber has its entire floor covered with white-coloured silt.

Progression

The swim can be done in about 30 minutes, so it is worth being equipped with a scooter.

History

It seems that the cavity had long been known to some of the divers who make the coast of l'Estartit one of their most visited spots for their activities.

The first news about the cave hit the press in July 2014 when two divers became trapped in the air bubble of the final chamber and could not get out due to the zero visibility of the water. Despite the rapid intervention of specialists from the Guardia Civil, one of them lost his life.

Motivated by the lack of information about the cave, on 19 and 20 December 2021, Fabio Rueda and Joel Llebot made two entries into the cave, collecting the data that provide this record.