Cova Dolça de Maricel
A 29-metre-long spring in Sitges, beneath the Maricel Museum, with a flooded gallery 1 metre high, 0.8 metres wide and 7 metres long, and a vertical drop of 7.5 metres.
EspeleoWorld
Cova Dolça de Maricel
A 29-metre-long spring in Sitges, beneath the Maricel Museum, with a flooded gallery 1 metre high, 0.8 metres wide and 7 metres long, and a vertical drop of 7.5 metres.
Sitges · Garraf
Length: 29 m · Depth: 7 m
Updated record
https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/cova-dolca-de-maricel
Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.
A 29-metre-long spring in Sitges, beneath the Maricel Museum, with a flooded gallery 1 metre high, 0.8 metres wide and 7 metres long, and a vertical drop of 7.5 metres.
Topographic
Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.
Photos
Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.
Description
Morphology
We will dive and go directly in as far as the Sala de les Sirenes, passing through a narrow flooded gallery one metre high, 0.80 metres wide and 7 metres long. If the sea state is good and the tide is quite low, we will already be able to put our heads out to breathe at the end of the gallery; otherwise we will have to turn left and continue for a couple more metres.
Just in front of where this gallery ends, a short ramp leads to a completely impenetrable passage where we can see the fresh water gushing out. On the other side the cavity continues with dimensions that are no longer so narrow.
In the Sala de les Sirenes, the lowest part of the walls is covered with small anemolites (limestone formations shaped like cauliflowers), and in the South-West sector we will find a small chamber with a completely inaccessible continuation. If we climb in opposition up to the ceiling of this room, we will find ourselves only 1 metre from what would be the floor of the Maricel Museum, about 3 metres from the neighbouring Museu del Cau Ferrat, and a very short distance from passing beneath the Recó de la Calma (a historic small square in the old town of Sitges). The vertical drop is 7.5 metres.
Speleothems
In the Sala de les Sirenes, the lowest part of the walls is covered with small anemolites (limestone formations shaped like cauliflowers).
Hydrology
We will have more or less good visibility in the entrance gallery depending on the amount of fresh water gushing out through the cave, since there are times of the year when the fresh water input is considerable, and at others the input is minimal.
Just in front of where this gallery ends, a short ramp leads to a completely impenetrable passage where we can see the fresh water gushing out.
Progression
We will need to be well weighted so that we can dive completely hugging the floor of the gallery, since it is the widest and most comfortable part to get through.
In this cavity we will have to take the greatest possible precautions and only go there when the sea state is extremely good, as happens with its neighbouring cova submarina del Baluard.
History
Rafa Fraguas, from a very young age and while fishing in the area, had always been surprised by the outflow of fresh water through the entrance of the cave; during the month of May 2020 he tried to enter it on two occasions without success, but observing that inside it became larger. One morning with a calm sea and a very low tide, on the third attempt he managed to reach the bottom of the cavity. On 30 May 2020 he went in again to photograph and survey the cavity.
Bio
We can find there a large quantity of rock crabs, as well as some small scorpionfish and rock goby.
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Bibliography
- Totes les dades, coordenades, topografia i fotografies han estat facilitades per Rafa Fraguas.
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Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/