Cave Dive World · country catalogue · integrated
Austria's cave-diving history extends across Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg and Styria. Divers have investigated deep karst springs, terminal sumps, intermittent water caves and Alpine systems where the dive is only one stage of a larger speleological expedition.
approved research integrated · v0.2
Expanded professional catalogue v0.2 — September 2026
country contents
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Austria · research catalogue
Austrian cave diving developed primarily as a tool of cave exploration, hydrology and rescue. Many important dives pre-date today’s formal cave-diving curricula. Modern training is therefore presented here as the current skills-development layer, not as the origin of Austrian cave diving.
Austria · research catalogue
The Austrian record spans Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg and Styria. Historic published values are retained where later exploration has not been formally published; they are research metrics, not an access list.
Region: Upper Austria / Warscheneck
Type: Karst spring / multi-sump cave
Scale: Dry cave 1,461 m excluding underwater sections; S1 ~200 m / -80 m; S2 ~120 m / -40 m
Status: DIVING PROHIBITED / PROTECTED
Exploration: First dives 1962; Jochen Hasenmayer S1; Robert Seebacher S2
KCore note: One of Austria’s largest karst springs; underwater parts only partly explored.
Region: Salzburg
Type: Deep karst resurgence
Scale: Historic ~230 m / -76 m
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: Michael Meyberg
KCore note: One of Austria’s deepest spring-diving records.
Region: Upper Austria / Dachstein
Type: Narrow intermittent spring
Scale: ~110–120 m; historic -72 m, later ~-80 m reported
Status: RESEARCH / EXTREME
Exploration: T. Behrend and later teams
KCore note: Very tight vertical phreatic geometry and continuing frontier.
Region: Styria / Gesäuse
Type: Large variable karst spring
Scale: Historic ~170 m / -71 m
Status: RESEARCH / EXTREME
Exploration: R. Kritz / M. Göksu
KCore note: Strong current and rapid discharge changes define the site.
Region: Salzburg / Tennengebirge
Type: Major internal siphon
Scale: ~340 m / -65 m
Status: RESEARCH / EXPEDITION
Exploration: F. Poggia
KCore note: Major Salzburg submerged cave record.
Region: Upper Austria / Dachstein
Type: Internal expedition sump
Scale: ~460 m / -64 m
Status: EXPEDITION / PERMIT
Exploration: J. Encev and earlier teams
KCore note: One of Austria’s longest published siphons inside the 113 km-class Hirlatzhöhle.
Region: Upper Austria / Dachstein
Type: Internal long sump
Scale: ~345 m / -35 m
Status: EXPEDITION / PERMIT
Exploration: Michael Meyberg
KCore note: Opened major new cave beyond the submerged section.
Region: Upper Austria / Dachstein
Type: Show cave + research sump system
Scale: ~4.5 km system; Krakensiphon ~200 m/-20 m; Bläsersiphon ~155 m/-42 m; Schräger Otto ~135 m/-30 m
Status: SHOW CAVE + RESEARCH SECTORS
Exploration: Hasenmayer, Meyberg and later teams
KCore note: Multiple historically important siphons in a major Dachstein water cave.
Region: Styria
Type: Submerged continuation
Scale: ~147 m / -59 m
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: M. Schafheutle
KCore note: Significant Styrian submerged cave.
Region: Lower Austria
Type: Deep spring
Scale: ~120 m / -58 m
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: M. Schafheutle
KCore note: Deep source in the Lower Austrian limestone Alps.
Region: Lower Austria
Type: Karst resurgence
Scale: ~180 m / -57 m
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: M. Schafheutle
KCore note: One of Lower Austria’s major deep spring dives.
Region: Lower Austria / Hollenstein-Ybbs
Type: Karst spring
Scale: ~150 m / -31 m historic
Status: CLOSED/RESTRICTED - VERIFY
Exploration: F. Galle / W. Halada / O. Schuch
KCore note: Two divers died here on 15 April 1984; accident history is treated respectfully.
Region: Lower Austria
Type: Underwater cave
Scale: Historic published underwater penetration ~160 m; later work underrepresented in summaries
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: S. Kucsko / M. Fischer / P. Böhm
KCore note: One of the longest historic Lower Austrian siphon records.
Region: Lower Austria
Type: Episodic water cave
Scale: 306+ m total; Fenstersiphon ~20 m and Teimersiphon ~15 m
Status: NATURAL MONUMENT / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: Multiple local teams
KCore note: Water-filled continuation remains; source of Mirabach/Myrafälle.
Region: Lower Austria / Pielach
Type: Internal sump
Scale: ~130 m / -26 m
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: R. Bernstein
KCore note: Hydrological pair with Nasses Loch.
Region: Lower Austria / Pielach
Type: Active water cave
Scale: Site-specific
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: Regional cave teams
KCore note: Hydrological counterpart to Trockenes Loch.
Region: Styria / Hochschwab
Type: Spring cave with permanent entrance sump
Scale: 1,084 m total (2014); entrance sump ~186 m / -27 m
Status: PRIVATE / RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: Aquarius project from 1995; F. Schierl / M. Luks
KCore note: One of Austria’s longest caves behind a permanent sump.
Region: Upper Austria / Sengsengebirge
Type: Flood-prone water cave
Scale: ~1.2 km historic survey; second siphon ~90 m
Status: PROTECTED / RESEARCH
Exploration: Robert Seebacher and teams
KCore note: Highly flood-reactive cave with hydrology and rescue relevance.
Region: Upper Austria
Type: Spring cave
Scale: First sump 91 m; crossed in 2008
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: Robert Seebacher
KCore note: Short submerged section unlocked flowing dry canyon beyond.
Region: Upper Austria / Salzkammergut
Type: Spring cave
Scale: 75 m submerged; ~-14 m in 2007 report
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: Robert Seebacher
KCore note: Measured submerged spring passage.
Region: Upper Austria
Type: Spring cave with post-sump continuation
Scale: 69 m dive / 249.7 m total after 2007; ~-4.9 m
Status: RESEARCH / ACCESS VERIFY
Exploration: Robert Seebacher
KCore note: Modest depth but important post-sump discovery.
Region: Upper Austria
Type: Alpine cave / submerged route
Scale: ~300 m main-line penetration and ~40 m depth in 2009 project; 5°C water
Status: PERMIT / SPECIALIST
Exploration: GUE-associated project
KCore note: Alpine carry logistics are central: ~200 vertical m mountain approach.
Region: Salzburg
Type: Large Alpine cave / flood-prone show section
Scale: Large system; water hazards at low entrance
Status: SHOW CAVE + RESEARCH
Exploration: Multiple generations
KCore note: 1991 rescue involved a 17-person team including two divers; recurrent flood entrapments remain instructive.
Region: Styria
Type: Major water cave / show cave
Scale: ~10 km system
Status: SHOW CAVE + RESEARCH
Exploration: Historic and modern speleological teams
KCore note: 1894 flood rescue involved more than 1,000 helpers and a diver from Trieste.
Austria · research catalogue
Austria · research catalogue
Region: Lower Austria
Type: FLOODED MINE / ARTIFICIAL OVERHEAD
Character: Large flooded gypsum-mine environment; public tourism by boat
Status: NOT VERIFIED AS CURRENT PUBLIC SCUBA SITE
KCore note: Historically important flooded mine; do not imply scuba access without operator permission.
Region: Austria-wide
Type: ICE OVERHEAD
Status: TRAINING / LOCAL RULES
KCore note: Seasonal overhead, clearly separated from cave diving.
Region: Various
Type: INDUSTRIAL OVERHEAD POTENTIAL
Status: VERIFY INDIVIDUALLY
KCore note: Add only where a current owner/operator or club confirms legitimate access.
Austria · research catalogue
Current TSVÖ/CMAS cave programmes use three progressive levels and include line work, zero-visibility procedures, gas management, navigation and emergency skills. Austrian TDI/SSI/GUE-affiliated instructors and clubs also offer cave/cavern training, often combining domestic skill work with established training caves abroad.
Austria · research catalogue
Potential: Human-passable connection, large post-sump cave and better understanding of Dachstein drainage.
Discovery year: 20?? — ten hours underground before the dive even starts.
Potential: New submerged connectors and links among Kessel, Hirschbrunn, Waldbachursprung and high cave sectors.
Discovery year: 20?? — hydrology is known better than the human route.
Potential: Further upstream flooded passage and possible large post-sump cave, if access policy ever allows.
Discovery year: 20??
Potential: Longer upstream galleries, side inlets and hydrological connections into Hochschwab.
Discovery year: 20??
Potential: Re-evaluation of historic endpoints, new post-sump air spaces and improved surveys where legal access exists.
Discovery year: 20?? — old lines do not necessarily mean finished caves.
Potential: Terminal sumps, resurgence links and new passages behind short submerged barriers.
Discovery year: 20??
Potential: Connections between plateau systems, terminal sumps and valley springs.
Discovery year: 20??
Austria · research catalogue
