Photo story

Planina Cave: Technical Work, No Time to Pose

13 August 2026 Planinska jama, Slovenia Cave diving

Four boats, two divers and no time to pose.

The work in Planinska jama began two days earlier. On Tuesday, 11 August, Blaž Kogovšek and I carried several boats from the entrance to Rudolfovo pristanišče. It was the advance trip for Thursday’s much longer journey to the far end of Rakov rokav.

Three boats spread through a vast blue-green chamber in Rakov rokav, dwarfed by layered walls and a low rock arch. — Boats on the way through Rakov rokav.

A plan of Planinska jama traces the underground rivers from the entrance to Rakov rokav, with Skrivnostno jezero marked by a red circle. — The red circle marks Skrivnostno jezero at the end of Rakov rokav; the route began at the entrance and continued via Rudolfovo pristanišče.

From the entrance to Skrivnostno jezero

On Thursday, 13 August, there were eight of us. The professional divers were Sebastjan Gantar and Simon Burja. The team hauling equipment and helping with the work was Blaž Kogovšek, Žan Kafol, Franci Gabrovšek, Marko Matičič, Matej Jelovčan and Cyril Mayaud.

Before we even reached the water, every piece of equipment had to cross the fallen rock. Each air tank weighed about 15 kilograms, and there were additional transport bags for tools, diving equipment and my camera pack. The route repeatedly climbed and descended piles of fallen rock, so none of the load was light or easy to handle.

Three small boats cross a broad flooded passage in Planinska jama, with helmet lamps and paddles reflected beneath a high limestone ceiling.

A caver in a white helmet paddles a green boat toward two teammates in the dark, clear water of Rakov rokav.

Two cavers in separate boats approach a mound of collapsed limestone while a beam of light catches mist above the underground river.

Three cavers paddle away through a dark chamber, their headlamps tracing bright points across the still black water.

Seen over a caver's shoulder, a green paddle dips into transparent cave water beside pale blocks of fallen rock.

Two distant boats pass through a tall narrow view of the flooded passage, surrounded by dark rock and turquoise reflections.

At Rudolfovo pristanišče we loaded four boats and set off across a long water section of Rakov rokav. Then the boats had to come out again, be carried over a small hill of fallen rock and be relaunched on the other side. One final boat journey took us to Skrivnostno jezero.

No time to pose

Photographing the day was almost the opposite of conventional cave photography. Those images usually need time to position lights, choose where people stand and repeat a scene. Here, nobody waited. Everyone wanted to reach the work site quickly, finish the job and avoid extending the time underground for photographs.

I was carrying heavy, cumbersome equipment as well. I could steal only a few minutes for photographs while people entered or left the boats, paddled or worked. None of the images inside the cave was planned or posed; I recorded the operation as it moved.

Two cave divers in black dry suits confer at water level beneath a bright lamp, with breathing equipment and gauges in the foreground.

A caver on the rocky bank assists two fully equipped divers as they enter the green water at Skrivnostno jezero.

Two divers swim across luminous turquoise water while a yellow boat and red route markers wait beneath the dark cave wall.

A diver follows a yellow boat across deep green water as helmet lights reveal the layered limestone wall behind them.

Two cave divers move through cloudy green water, their powerful lamps revealing submerged rocks and suspended sediment.

Two divers appear as dark silhouettes in an isolated pool of green light beneath the black ceiling of Planinska jama.

Thirty years underwater

At Skrivnostno jezero, the main task was to remove a roughly 30-year-old pump that had been installed to pump water from a borehole. At depths of about 30 to 40 metres, the divers helped dismantle and remove the pump, hoses and several installed data loggers.

The work continued on the rocky edge of the lake, where sections of the old metal equipment had to be cut apart and prepared for the journey out. The photographs follow the same rhythm as the job: from water to tools and back again, without stopping to repeat a scene.

A caver uses an angle grinder on old metal equipment, sending orange sparks across wet rocks beneath a plume of pale smoke.

Bright sparks arc from an angle grinder as a helmeted caver cuts through a corroded metal section beside Skrivnostno jezero.

From a dark ledge, beams from divers and surface helpers pierce the water below and illuminate the submerged edge of the chamber.

A caver stands on a narrow rock shelf beside two divers, surrounded by ropes, equipment and green water lit from below.

Two divers float below a low black ceiling, each casting a bright cone of light into the clear turquoise pool.

A lone caver waits in a yellow boat near hanging ropes and red markers, surrounded by a wide circle of emerald water.

Three cavers inspect and handle metal pipe sections on the rocky shore, working closely under the beams of their helmet lamps.

Once the work was complete, the whole route had to be reversed: boats across the water, boats and equipment over the fallen rock, then everything carried back toward the entrance. Only outside, for the final group photograph, did everyone stand still for a moment.

A small yellow boat floats over luminous green water while the surrounding passage disappears into darkness above and behind it.

A caver in a yellow boat crosses a bright turquoise pool framed by a broad arch of black and orange limestone.

A diver shines a lamp underwater while one caver holds a red line from shore and another waits in a yellow boat.

Two cave divers rest at water level beside a yellow boat, their wet suits and helmets lit against the surrounding darkness.

A single boat passes under a low limestone arch toward a darker passage, leaving a narrow reflection on the calm water.

The eight-person Planinska jama team stands outside in muddy cave suits behind transport bags, helmets, ropes and a white air tank.

The result is not a conventional, carefully lit cave portfolio. It is a record of a technical day at its real pace: paddling, carrying, diving, cutting and working in a place where simply moving the equipment is a substantial part of the job.

Planinska jama, Slovenia, 13 August 2026.