Nascimiento Del Rio Sonador is a spring located in the mountains behind Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. The spring actually consists of two separate sources, which are only about 50 meters apart and flow together into the same place, forming the Rio Sonador river. This river, flowing through a deep limestone canyon, is a local tourist attraction, popular for its crystal-clear waters and extraordinary surroundings.

The springs are located in the middle of the jungle, and although they are only a few kilometers in a straight line from the nearest road, getting to them requires several hours of hiking in difficult mountain terrain and transporting equipment on horses with the help of local people. During the journey, an unusual but real threat turned out to be… aggressive cows.

It is surprising that the outflows are completely independent and not interconnected. This had long been suspected, but it was not confirmed until exploratory dives by the team. It turns out that the water flowing from one spring can be completely turbid and unsuitable for diving, while the waters in the cave from which the second spring flows are crystal clear.

The attempt to reach the bottom of the spring was risky due to the possibility of failure, as both the size of the water flow and its clarity are strongly dependent on local rainfall. Conditions can change from ideal to very poor within a few minutes.

The team was lucky, as upon arrival, the water clarity was excellent. Therefore, after promptly preparing the equipment, Patrick Widmann began diving using a CCR configuration.

Access to the deep part of the cave turned out to be somewhat complicated. The spring behind the smaller opening reaches a depth of 22 meters and ends with a dry section, at the end of which there is a waterfall. Crossing a several-meter threshold in full diving gear is a real challenge, as all the water from this flow-through cave pours with full force of the waterfall directly onto the head. Further ahead lay a several hundred-meter siphon, which suddenly opened into a fissure, and then an epic canyon dropping over 100 meters.

At the end of the canyon, at a depth of about 100 meters, the ceiling drops sharply and disappears under a rock shelf. However, the canyon itself continues further and deeper, opening into a huge void. The plan was to dive to a depth of 100 meters, so after reaching it, despite the incredible space ahead, Patrick began the return, which went with the current and without major problems.

Currently, the guideline and the explored part of the cave end at a depth of -101 meters in a place so vast that neither the bottom nor the walls are visible. This assures further discoveries in this place. However, this cave is unpredictable and can fiercely guard its secrets. Therefore, any future dives, due to the anticipated depth of over 150 meters, will require even greater preparation and more meticulous planning. Despite this, every exploration project in this place will be a kind of lottery as conditions can change without warning.