The Water Cave from Firei Valley is the second longest cave in the country and certainly, very soon will it will the first one, displacing the Wind Cave. It consists of two units, The Grand Cave from Firei Valley and the Pothole from the Meadow (Avenul din Poienita) known as Humpleu System . The cave is located in the upper basin of the Somesul Cald River, between Firei Valley and Ponor Valley, in Cluj county.
In September 1984, Angelo Bulboacă from Cluj was led by the ranger Avram Cus at a small opening in a debris cone, located in the right side of the Firei Valley (Humpleu Hill). Together with I. Pop and M. Almasan, two months later, he entered The Grand Cave from Firei Valley discovering the Entry Hall, the Collapsed Dome Hall, False Lakes Gallery and Rol Gallery. From the competition of two teams it resulted a exceptional discovery: 40 km from the cave in 10 years, compared to the Wind Cave where the cavers explored 40 km in 40 years.
The Grand Cave from Firei Valley is a cave complex that includes almost all the karst elements. The cavity is arranged on two levels: the upper level, fossil, consisting of a succession of large rooms rich in concretions and an inferior level, active, located 30-50meters below the fossil, broad and rich in concretions with an average flow underground river. The fossil comprises: Entrance Hall, respectively Ondine Hall, which has a length of 365 meters, width between 25-30 meters and heights of 10-15 meters. The fossil continues with The Dance Hall (304/77/55 meters), Pocket Hall (55/78/10 meters), Suspended Hall (108/42/12 meters), Club Room (100/54/22 meters), Dan Coman Room (242/73/23 meters), Wonders Hall (230 / 40 / 30 meters), Gabor Halasi Room (490/103/35 meters), Charonte Rooms, Grenoble Rooms, “A” Rooms, Bivuacului Hall, the High Room (80/75/80 meters), Giants Hall (750 / 111 / 35 meters), Pagodas Room (50/40/20 meters), Hall “89″(110/30/22 meters), Helictitelor Room (75/50/22 meters), the Hall with Windows (40/30/18 meters), the Final Hall, Amphitheatre Hall and Bingo Hall. These rooms are separated by sectors of galleries full of calcite leaks or collapses.
The cave is closed and can be accessed only with the approval ISERE Cluj Napoca in well-trained teams.
