Primož Jakopin, photo diary

Zelške jame
Southern Tunnel

April 12, 2026, 24 pictures

          Most images are approximately 768 x 1024 pixels in size. Numbers in front of picture descriptions are serial numbers of the original photo files. During the field trip, the author received valuable assistance from Vladimir Levašov, Mihail Tertyčnyj, and Sandi Rutar; Stane Kraševec from Zelše also made a significant contribution. Once again, most of the photographs—though not all, of course—were taken handheld, without a tripod. The names of the cave sections are, in some cases, the author’s own.
          The main purpose of the excursion was to test the new boat: whether it could carry two cavers or just one, and how well its dark brown color would blend into the cave environment, making it less eye-catching. The other obvious task, of course, was photography of cave features that escaped the photographer on previous trips to these caves.

          Page, text and photos copyright (c) Primož Jakopin - Klok 2026, except for the photos VL96, VL97, VL98 and VL99, which were made by Vladimir Levašov and are published with his permission.

 
56838. Vladimir and Miha in the larger of the two small boats below the Rapids (Brzice). A closer look at the photo reveals Stane's contribution.

 
56839. The author in the new dark chocolate-colored boat (color "Cappuccino"; suggested names for the boat are "Čokočoln" and "Klokočoln") in the Silver Hall (Srebrna dvorana). It turned out that two people can ride in it; this time it was Sandi and the author — total weight was about 135 kg with their luggage, and the boat also blended well in Zelške jame scene.

 
56842. Opposite the Harbor (Pristan) in the Silver Hall, on the northern shore, there is a large flowstone heap, topped with beautiful small rimstone pools with cauliflower-like calcite buds.

 
VL96. Even more interesting, however, is the ceiling above the heap; the author had never bothered to look at it before, but today Miha immediately found a strange stalactite there, the likes of which we had never seen before. This is how Vladimir recorded it.

 
56841. The stalactite is round, hollow, little less than a meter long, and at the end ...

 
56840. ... it opens up like a trumpet. The diameter at the end is approximately 15 cm.

 
VL98. The passage to Pristan on the south side of the Silver Hall runs close to the western bank over the submerged rocks in water that is not particularly shallow, and one has to bend down quite a bit due to the low ceiling. Therefore, Miha and Vladimir looked for other options along the western bank. Close by is a low chamber with water on the floor, where karst scientists once, perhaps years ago, installed this setup made of plastic pipes and bottles.

 
56843. The dry path to Pristan led first uphill, where the trail then descends to the small hall shown in photo VL97. It features this interesting stalactite formation in one of the corners. In ballet terminology, we would call it "Pas de trois".

 
VL97. View of how the previous image was taken, from the top of the slope on the other side of the hall

 
56844. A low passage leads from this hall, a short distance past the ballet sculpture, to a room with low ceiling, too, where a former strong draft has caused the formation of several quite twisted stalactites.

 
56845. The most picturesque of these is the one shaped like a snake’s head striking, with its fangs extended.

 
56858. The path continues through the South Tunnel along water-filled passages with fairly flat muddy ground; only at the very edge is the water shallow enough to allow passage in standard rubber boots (here with Vladimir). Passages are interrupted by ...

 
56848. ... fairly steep ascents (the photo shows Miha), which require quite a bit of climbing. Vladimir and Miha helped the author here, as his climbing skills are, to put it mildly, outdated.

 
VL99. When we reached the Hall with the Lock, we split up. The author decided to take a more elaborate photo of the hall, a task which usually takes an hour or more, while the other three went to check out the end of the South Tunnel. This photo was taken from the bottom of the cave collapse which leads toward the Brlog collapse doline, which has an artificial entrance secured by a metal gate.

 
56851. The author took several photos of the Hall with the lock (on the left on the ceiling), and he liked this one with nine light sources the best. Seven were small floodlights; the ceiling above the lock was additionally illuminated by a narrow-beam lamp from the floor, while the continuation of the cave to the south of the hall was lit by the author’s headlamp at full power.

 
56854. Reflection of the ceiling in a puddle on the hall floor

 
56855. Continuation of the tunnel on the south side of the hall, left toward the end of the cave, right into a side tunnel.

 
56856. In the meantime the three explorers returned, and this group photo was taken in the middle of the previous scene: Klok, Miha, Sandi, and Vladimir.

 
56859. A Velvety stalagmite in the hall south of Pristan, Vladimir

 
56860. Reflection of the ceiling in the surface of the Rak river at the end of the Silver Hall, Vladimir

 
56861. Sandi washing his muddy boots so they wouldn’t be too slippery in the boat.

 
56862. Miha, Vladimir, and Sandi heading downstream toward the Rapids

 
56863. Boating on Lake Hugo, Miha and Vladimir

 
56865. Final scene before disembarking on the shore at the northern end of Lake Hugo, with a small boat at the side

Related pages:

• This page in Russian and
• in Slovenian language

  From Rakitna to Ljubljana and the Sea, April 4 to 11, 2026     At the Gradišnica Abyss, April 17, 2026   -->

This page, text and photos by Primož Jakopin, member of the Ljubljana Cave Exploration Society (DZRJL). Send inquiries and comments to primoz jakopin guest arnes si (insert dots and at sign as appropriate). The page was made on April 15, 2026; date of the last change: April 20, 2026.

URL: https://www.jakopin.net/primoz/slike/2026/PJ20260412_en.php     64