Exploration is not always a case of prepare and launch an expedition and come home with the results. In many cases the final discoveries can be found through many years of exploration, research and planning. In fact there is a phrase often used that ‘we stand on the shoulders of giants’. In this case the belief and work from explorers of over 50 years set up the parameters for this project.

50 years ago one of the first explorers of Gospodska (Lords) cave, Branko Jalzic believed there was a deep connection to the legendary spring Cetina Glavas. Unfortunately the equipment and skill set needed to explore this concept was not available at that time. However, in 2021 an expedition led by Petra Kovac Konrad set out to discover if Branko’s ideas were indeed true.

Exploring, mapping and developing a deeper understanding of the connections between these caves, as well as a broader picture of the hydro geology was a significant challenge. Exploring flooded cave deeper than 100m introduces technical diving and logistics challenges of the most extreme type. Bringing her PhD in Karstology and substantial experience as a caver and cave diver, Petra was ideally placed to lead a team to meet these challenges.