Gouffre Jean-Bernard or Réseau Jean Bernard, sometimes known simply as Jean Bernard, is one of the deepest caves known in the world. It is in the Alps in Samoëns, France. The first entrance to the cave was found by the French caving group Groupe Vulcain in 1963. More entrances have been found over the years since, and currently at least thirteen are known. The highest entrance, known as C37, is at above sea level. The cave is named after Jean Dupont and Bernard Raffy, two Groupe Vulcain members who died in 1963 in an unrelated expedition. Exploration Exploration of the cave began shortly after discovery in 1963. By 1969, the cave had been explored to a depth of below the level of the highest entry point. At that point, further exploration was blocked by a water-filled tunnel. Subsequently, another entrance was discovered that had passages that bypassed the flooded tunnel. The cave was explored to before again becoming blocked, this time by fallen rocks. In 1976, these rocks were removed, allowing explorers to descend to ; that made it the second-deepest cave known at the time. More recent explorations have found it to be approximately deep and in july 2022 , making it the seventh deepest cave known in the world . See also List of caves Speleology List of deepest caves References Landforms of Haute-Savoie Jean-Bernard