Largest Underwater Cave 

» The Largest Underwater Cave on Earth : Russia\'s Orda Cave

The Largest Underwater Cave on Earth : Russia\'s Orda Cave

Russia’s Orda Cave is the deepest underwater cave in the world and many divers have lost their lives trying to explore its depths. 

The Orda Cave is located in the Russian Ural Mountains and is 14,435 feet long and 141 feet deep. Within the cave is the longest subterranean passage yet discovered being 3,067 feet long. To add to the wonder, there are smaller passages and caverns still being discovered within the cave.

Cave diver Bogdana Vashchenko explored the cave in 2005 for a book project called “

It was an incomparable delight, floating in zero gravity in giant rooms filled with absolutely clear water.” The first challenge is entering the cave. The temperature can be a bitter -20 degrees Celsius at the surface with the water itself being 5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the slippery steps and ladders make it difficult to navigate to the entrance.

However, once you brave the difficult entrance; you become enthralled in an aquatic wonderland. “

Orda Cave is very diverse and each passage is different,” says Vashchenko. “Therefore, swimming in it is never boring. Each dive is very different. Moreover, it is not completely explored and you can always find a place where nobody else has been. This inspires me for each new dive. It is a special feeling, I think it\'s the same feeling cosmonauts have on the Moon. You are hanging with no gravity in this strange, unusual world. You fly like a bird over its landscapes.”

An additional hazard within the cave is the gypsum rock. Due to its chalky color, the cave is also known to divers as the “white bride.” However, the rock is very fragile and a simple walk on the ceiling may cause it rain down upon you. Despite the risks, divers consider it well worth it once they view the beautiful pictures they captured of the scenery. “It’s hard, but we wanted to show people this beautiful cave so that they could share our admiration,” states Vashchenko.

Largest Underwater Cave, Nature facts, Underwater Cave