Oxford University Cave Club

4th August 2002 - from Jonathon Cooper by email (after return to UK)

Hi

I've just got back from Spain having left Ario on Saturday morning. Tormenta has been surveyed to a depth of about 450m (80m from last year plus 370m so far from this year). The people out on Saturday morning surveyed another 50m or so of depth and had not quite reached the previous limit of exploration which is a 30m pitch with another pitch beyond. We have been quite diligent about keeping up with surveying but the previous trip lost their tape in a "bottomless" pool.

The cave goes something like this. Entrance shaft series to short grotty streamway. This leads to a large chamber "Area 4" where it is possible to spend much time shaft bashing. A number of leads go off from here to other large chambers and a number of alternative routes drop into the pretty Yorkshire style Tormenta streamway. This ends in a 60m pitch into "Bare Space", a very large chamber/passage about 200m long. Again their are a number of leads from this, but the main way on is a 96m pitch to an immature streamway that soon joins after some awkwardness to the main Tormenta streamway. This good sized stream has been followed down via cascades and short pitches for 500m or so to the current limit.

So far the cave is heading south-south east, though the last data we put in suggested a turn back to North east and it occupies a position between Xitu and the projected Muxa streamway. It has all the hall marks in terms of position and size of stream of being the 4th Streamway.

It is a fine cave.

JC