Pollatoomary facts for kids
Pollatoomary is the deepest underwater cave ever explored in Ireland. Brave divers have gone down to an amazing depth of 113 metres (371 ft) (about 371 feet) inside it! This makes it even deeper than the famous Wookey Hole Caves in England. Wookey Hole used to hold the record for the deepest underwater cave in Britain and Ireland.
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Where is Pollatoomary Cave?
Pollatoomary Cave is found in the Partry Mountains in County Mayo, Ireland. It's near a small place called Bellaburke, close to Westport. This cave is special because it's where the Aille River comes back to the surface. The river actually flows underground for about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) (2.5 miles) before reaching Pollatoomary. The entrance to the cave is on private land.
Exploring the Deepest Cave
People have been interested in Pollatoomary for a long time. In 1965, a book called The Caves of Ireland mentioned it. It said that the water in the cave comes up through cracks in the rock.
Early Dives in Pollatoomary
The first person to explore Pollatoomary underwater was a cave diver named Martyn Farr. He dived into the cave in 1978. Martyn Farr reached a depth of 33 metres (108 ft) (about 108 feet). At that time, this was the deepest underwater cave section, called a sump, known in Ireland. Even by 1985, it was still the second deepest.
Breaking New Records
About 30 years after Martyn Farr's dive, one of his students, Artur Kozłowski, started exploring the cave. Artur focused a lot of his time on Pollatoomary. In May 2008, Artur Kozłowski explored the cave to an underwater depth of 86 metres (282 ft) (about 282 feet). Just a few months later, in July 2008, he went even deeper. Artur reached an incredible 103 metres (338 ft) (about 338 feet) underwater. This dive made Pollatoomary the deepest sump in Ireland by a lot. It also broke the record for the deepest cave dive in Britain and Ireland.
The Current Deepest Dive
On June 9, 2018, another diver named Michał Marek entered Pollatoomary. He explored the cave to its current record depth. Michał Marek reached 113 metres (371 ft) (about 371 feet) underwater. This is the deepest point explored in Pollatoomary so far.
