Artur Kozłowski

Artur (Conrad) Kozłowski (17 October 1977, Poznan, Poland – 5 September 2011) was a Polish cave diver who spent his last years in Ireland.^[1]

Introduction to cave diving

Artur Kozłowski first came to Ireland in 2006 with just 13 warm open water dives under his belt. Shortly after arriving in Ireland he became interested in underwater cave exploration, and began learning cave diving with the Welsh cave diving instructor Martyn Farr in 2007.^[2]

He began diving in the Hell Complex, part of the Green Holes group of underwater sea caves off Doolin, County Clare and initially used the area as a training ground for his newly acquired skills.^[3] He soon began exploring and mapping undiscovered passage, and by July 2007 he had made his first significant breakthrough, making the first traverse between Hell's Kitchen and Robertson's Cave in the nearby Reef Complex.^[3]

Exploration

Kozłowski was responsible for many extensions to cave systems in both Spain and Ireland, the most notable being the extension to the Marble Arch Caves system. In 2009 and 2010 diving connections were made to nearby cave systems by Kozłowski, firstly to Prod's Pot – Cascades Rising, doubling the total length of the system from 4.5 to 9 km (5.6 mi),^[4] and subsequently to newly established Monastir Sink – Upper Cradle system,^[5] extending the wider system further to 11.5 km (7.1 mi).^[6] The discoveries make this the longest cave in Northern Ireland.^[7]

He holds the record for the deepest cave dive in Ireland and the UK at a depth of 103 m (338 ft) in Pollatoomary, near Cong, Mayo, Ireland.^[8][9] Perhaps his most notable achievement was the exploration of over 10 km of underwater passage in the notoriously unforgiving cave passages of the Gort region, including the discovery and exploration of Pollindre, 1 km in length and the third deepest sump in the British Isles at 82 m.^[10]

Blogging and public speaking

Kozłowski was a passionate advocate of exploration and diving; his blog^[11] recounted in detail his underwater adventures.

He was an engaging public speaker; his January 2011 talk at NUIG/GMIT sub aqua club^[12] was well received. His recent discoveries filled the pages of the journal Irish Speleology.^[2]

Death

Kozłowski died during a cave dive in the Gort lowlands on 5 September 2011.^[13] His body was successfully recovered on 10 September 2011 after an extensive recovery effort. The cave in which he died is called Pollonora 10 in the townland of Kiltartan, Gort, County Galway, Ireland and his body was found at the known limits of the cave, at a depth of −52 m (−170.6 ft) and approximately 810 m (2,660 ft) from the entrance.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "UK team asked to assist Galway cave recovery". RTÉ News. 7 September 2011. http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0907/galway.html. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Artur Kozłowski, RIP". Speleological Union of Ireland. 7 September 2011. http://www.caving.ie/2011/09/artur-Kozlowski-rip/. Retrieved 10 September 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Kozłowski, A. (2009). "Siren Song: Doolin's Green Holes revisited". Irish Speleology (Speleological Union of Ireland) 18: 17–20. ISSN 0332-4907. 
4. ^ Report from connection between Marble Arch and Prod's Pot/Cascades systems 2009. Hell&High Water
5. ^ Monastir Sink - Upper Cradle connection 2010. Hell&High Water
6. ^ Report from connection between Marble Arch and Upper Cradle 2010. Hell&High Water
7. ^ "N Ireland – Longest caves". UK Caves Database. http://www.ukcaves.co.uk/country-nireland-longest. Retrieved 10 September 2011. 
8. ^ Kozłowski, A. (2009). "Dark Rising: the exploration of an underground river in County Mayo, Ireland". Irish Speleology (Speleological Union of Ireland) 18: 69–70. ISSN 0332-4907. 
9. ^ Gallagher, Emer (16 July 2008). "Explorer plunges to new depths in Mayo". Mayo News. http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&id=4721. Retrieved 21 September 2011. 
10. ^ Report from New deep underwater cave discovered in Gort 2010. Hell&High Water
11. ^ Kozłowski, Artur. "Hell and High water Blog". blog. http://www.hellandhighwater.eu/. Retrieved 10 September 2011. 
12. ^ NUIG/GMIT sub Aqua. "NUIG/GMIT sub Aqua club talk, January 2011". http://vimeo.com/18925954. 
13. ^ "Top cave diver perishes". Diver Magazine. 7 September 2011. http://www.divernet.com/home_diving_news/1045881/top_caver_diver_perishes.html. Retrieved 10 September 2011. 

External links

• Official Website

Persondata
Name	Koz%C5%82owski, Artur
Alternative names	Conrad, Artur; Koslowski, Afrtur
Short description	cave diver
Date of birth	17 October 1977
Place of birth	Poznan, Poland
Date of death	September 5, 2011
Place of death	Kiltartan, Gort, Galway, Ireland