Les exploracions subaquàtiques a les Coves del Drac (Manacor, Mallorca)

Underwater exploration of the lakes in Coves del Drac began with expeditions in 1990 and 1991 by British cave divers of the Cwmbran Caving Club. These revealed more than 600 m of previously undiscovered underwater galleries. In 2010 and 2011 cave divers of the Grup Nord de Mallorca (GNM) reassessed this work, concluding there was likely to be a continuation of the cave beyond the point reached by the British team some 20 years earlier. Between 2013 and 2019 the cave divers of the GNM, latterly incorporated into the Societat Espeleologica Balear (SEB), carried out a detailed topographical exploration of the many lakes and submerged passageways of the underwater cave system. A total of 145 days of diving were undertaken by 27 cave divers, 16 of whom were working almost constantly throughout this period. As a result of this concerted eff ort the known development of Coves del Drac was extended to 7,690 m, of which 5,260 m correspond to subaqueous extensions. The divers of the SEB had discovered 4,660 m of new underwater chambers and passageways, beyond the initial 600 m found by the British team. Thanks to this exploratory work, the Coves del Drac is now considered one of the largest cave systems in the Balearics. The new discoveries have further placed this cavity, from a size perspective, as the top show-cave in the Balearics. This notwithstanding, the work undertaken by the SEB has provided extensive evidence of hypogenic processes in the underwater passages, and a far greater understanding of the cave and its relationship with the sea