The biggest underwater cave in Russia

Cave diving is very fascinating, but it is also a most dangerous passion to have. The advances in underwater cave exploration have always been determined by the state of the available equipment. In Russia, the first underwater cave exploration took place in 1963 when a group of enthusiasts managed to get past the first sump (a section of completely flooded cave passage) in the cave system of Ayan on the Crimean Peninsula.

It is only four hours by plane from Moscow to Abakan, capital of Khakassia. The above freezing temperatures, sunshine and the absence of snowdrifts contradict the traditional idea regarding the severe climate of Central Siberia. Together with the Novokuznetsk cave diver’s team, we drove up through the foothills of Kuznetsk Alatau and the picturesque valley of the Small Sya River to the mining town of Tuim.