We present the results of experimental study of a Couette–Taylor system with superimposed axial flow and an upper free surface, in the high Taylor number regime. At large Taylor numbers, when the rotational speed of the inner cylinder increases, bubbles created near the free surface are distributed throughout the test section and permit the study of the spatial and temporal properties of turbulent flows using visualization techniques. In addition to classic travelling Taylor vortices, intermittent pulses of vortices with higher phase velocities are also observed. These patterns are described in terms of the rotational speed and the intensity of the throughflow.