Artur "Conrad" Kozłowski (17 October 1977 – 5 September 2011) was a Polish

cave diver Cave-diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the search for and recovery of divers or, as in the 2018 Thai cave rescue, other ...

who spent his last years in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Amongst other achievements in cave exploration, he set the record for the deepest cave dive in Great Britain and Ireland at a depth of .

Biography

Career

Kozłowski came to Ireland from

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

, in Poland, in 2006 and worked as a quantity surveyor. His projects included the

Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium (also known as Lansdowne Road) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and r ...

and Heuston Square developments in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. He would later play an important role in compiling maps for

Galway County Council Galway County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe) is the authority responsible for local government in County Galway, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housin ...

and the

National Roads Authority The National Roads Authority (NRA) ( ga, An tÚdarás um Bóithre Náisiúnta) was a state body in Ireland, responsible for the national road network. The NRA was established as part of the Roads Act 1993 and commenced operations on 23 December ...

for the design and development of the N18 road (Now the

M18 motorway This is a list of roads designated M18. Road entries are sorted in the countries alphabetical order. * M-18 road (Bosnia and Herzegovina) a road connecting Sarajevo, Trnovo, Foča and Trebinje * M18 motorway (Great Britain), a road connecting Ro ...

Introduction to cave diving

When he moved to Ireland, Kozłowski was a qualified diver, with 13 warm open water dives under his belt. Shortly after his arrival he became interested in underwater

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

exploration, and began learning cave diving with the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

cave diving instructor

Martyn Farr Martyn Farr (born Crickhowell, Wales, March 3, 1951) is a leading exploratory cave diver and caver, known for his record-breaking cave dives and the exploration of many miles of previously undiscovered underground passages (e.g. in Ogof y Daren C ...

in 2007. He began diving in the Hell Complex, part of the Green Holes group of underwater

sea cave A sea cave, also known as a littoral cave, is a type of cave formed primarily by the wave action of the sea. The primary process involved is erosion. Sea caves are found throughout the world, actively forming along present coastlines and as relic ...

s off

Doolin Doolin () is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland, on the Atlantic coast. It is southwest of the spa town of Lisdoonvarna and 4 miles from the Cliffs of Moher. It is a noted centre of traditional Irish music, which is played nightly in i ...

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

and initially used the area as a training ground for his newly acquired skills. 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.

Exploration

Kozłowski was responsible for many extensions to cave systems in both Ireland and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, the most notable being the extension to the

Marble Arch Caves The Marble Arch Caves are a series of natural limestone caves located near the village of Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The caves are named after the nearby Marble Arch, a natural limestone arch at the upstream end of Cl ...

system in

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...

. 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 , and subsequently to newly established Monastir Sink – Upper Cradle system, extending the wider system further to . The discoveries make this the longest cave in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. In 2008 he set the record for the deepest cave dive in Great Britain and Ireland at a depth of in

Pollatoomary Pollatoomary is the deepest explored underwater cave in Ireland. It has been explored to an underwater depth of . The explored limit of Pollatoomary is also deeper underwater than that of the terminal Sump (cave), sump in Wookey Hole Caves in So ...

, near

Killavally Killawalla or Killavally () is a village located in County Mayo, Ireland, seven miles (10 km) from Westport on the R330 road to Ballinrobe. Saint Patrick is alleged to have passed this way en route to Croagh Patrick, and accordingly the lo ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

, Ireland. Perhaps his most notable achievement was the exploration of over of underwater passage in the notoriously unforgiving cave passages of the

Gort Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, wh ...

region, including the discovery and exploration of Pollindre, 1 km in length and the third deepest

sump A sump is a low space that collects often undesirable liquids such as water or chemicals. A sump can also be an infiltration basin used to manage surface runoff water and recharge underground aquifers. Sump can also refer to an area in a cave ...

in Great Britain and Ireland at . In March 2011 Kozłowski received the Kolosy award for cave exploration at the annual Polish travelling and outdoor sports conference, held in

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and ...

Writing and public speaking

Kozłowski was a passionate advocate of exploration and diving; his blog recounted in detail his underwater adventures. His latest discoveries filled the pages of the journal ''

Irish Speleology The Speleological Union of Ireland (SUI) is the official representative body of cavers in Ireland, both in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland. It is affiliated with the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation. History The SUI was founded a ...

'' and ''

Descent Descent may refer to: As a noun Genealogy and inheritance * Common descent, concept in evolutionary biology * Kinship, one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology **Pedigree chart or family tree ** Ancestry ** Lineal descendant **Heritag ...

'' magazine. He was also an engaging public speaker; his January 2011 talk at NUIG/ GMIT Sub Aqua Club was well received.

Death and legacy

Kozłowski died during a cave dive in the Gort lowlands on 5 September 2011. His body was successfully recovered on 10 September 2011 after an extensive recovery effort over several days by a team including

Rick Stanton Richard William Stanton, (born 1961) is a British civilian cave diver who specialises in rescues through the Cave Rescue Organisation and the British Cave Rescue Council. He has been called "one of the world's most accomplished cave-divers", "t ...

and

John Volanthen John Paul Volanthen, (born June 1971) is a British cave diver who undertakes cave rescues through the Cave Rescue Organisation, South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue, and the British Caving Association. In 2018, he played a leading role in the Tham L ...

. The cave in which he died is called Pollonora 10, in

Kiltartan Kiltartan is a barony and civil parish in County Galway, Ireland. The southern portion of this barony was formerly known as Cenél Áeda na hEchtge or O'Shaughnessy's Country, the northern portion was called Coill Ua bhFiachrach (the territory ...

, County Galway, Ireland, and his body was found at the then known limits of the cave, at a depth of and approximately from the entrance. On 15 September, Kozłowski was buried in the nearby cemetery after a service at St Attracta's church, attended by gardaí, divers and members of the

Irish Cave Rescue Organisation The Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO) is a voluntary body responsible for cave and abandoned mine rescues within the island of Ireland. The organisation attends, manages and carries out rescues at the request of the in the Republic of Irela ...

, friends, family and members of the local community. In August 2012, in recognition of his contribution to Irish

speleology Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). ...

, the

Speleological Union of Ireland The Speleological Union of Ireland (SUI) is the official representative body of Caving, cavers in Ireland, both in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland. It is affiliated with the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation. History The SUI was fo ...

set up the Kozłowski Fund to support original cave exploration in Ireland. In 2013, a fundraising page was set up in order to pay for a headstone for Kozłowski 's grave in Kiltartan, and for a plaque to be erected at the entrance to Pollonora 10. The plaque and headstone were engraved by a

-based stonemason and on 6 September 2014, marking the third anniversary of Kozłowski's death, the gravestone and plaque were unveiled to a gathering of friends and family.

References

External links

Official Website
* (in Polish with English subtitles) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kozlowski, Artur 1977 births 2011 deaths Cave diving explorers Polish explorers Polish underwater divers Speleologists Underwater diving deaths Sportspeople from Greater Poland Voivodeship Sportspeople from Poznań Pioneering technical divers