I’m going to say this as a woman in caving.

I enjoy r/caving because of the variety of cave topics. I really don’t need to see posts from 14 year old boys. One was normal, we are now up to four. Enough already.

There are sooooo many more topics that are way more interesting!

i dont cave but i wanna know why u guys do this i watch videos and see ppl get stuck in horrible ways and i dont see whats thrilling or fun about this please explain..!

I want to clarify that this cave expedition was meticulously planned. The group members had prior experience exploring this cave, which is well-known in the local area and frequently visited. Due to its layout, vertical gear was not necessary.

For anyone considering a similar adventure, I strongly recommend thorough planning. Always prioritize safety by taking all necessary precautions and wearing appropriate gear for your specific expedition.

Additionally, please note that the video does not disclose the exact location of the cave; it simply mentions that it is situated in Wales, UK.

Stay safe and enjoy your explorations!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lREiyDkmXP8&t

Okay, so I'm really fascinated by those "cave diving/spelunking incident" type videos and compilations on YouTube.

to preface this, I have no personal experience or expertise whatsoever when it comes to the subject. I'm assuming that not all caving emergencies are handled like this and that said compilations usually report on those that were especially dramatic/"sensational" - BUT. I gotta ask.

how come that in those videos you'll often hear sentences like "after 3 hours of failed rescue attempts one team member left the cave to call for professional help", more often than "person X left immediately to notify a rescue team"?

in one story of some guy named Scott, his fellow spelunkers tried to free him from a tight space he was stuck in for EIGHT! hours before one finally had the miraculous idea to maybe get out of the cave and get someone involved who's actually trained and equipped to deal with the situation. this man also suffered from epilepsy btw. he ended up dying and I can't help but wonder whether the outcome would have been different, had his colleagues not wasted those precious e i g h t hours.

would you say this "approach" is as common in the "Day to Day" of caving? like, when emergencies do arise on a mission, is the "average" spelunker more likely to call for external help immediately or is it somewhat of a normal thing to try to solve the problem themselves first for at least an hour?

this is honestly driving me a bit insane because I feel like so many of these tragedies could have been prevented had the people present reacted more quickly or well, simply turned around at the first sign of imminent danger.

EDIT: big thank you to everyone who took the time to provide an answer to my question above - I definitely have a much better understanding on how/why this approach is taken in many or even most cases now. all of you raised a number of important points and factors playing a crucial part in the overall decision making during a caving emergency and I learned a lot reading through all of them.

although I still think all of you are absolutely INSANE for doing what yall are doing (for FUN??) as a Certified Scaredy-Cat who wouldn't be caught dead in a non-walkable cave™️, I am also insanely impressed by yalls ability to stay so cool, calm and collected - not just while crawling around in tiny crevices surrounded by nothing but unpredictable rock formations - but also in crises situations like the ones I referenced here. 😁

the world wouldn't be as exciting and most certainly far less explored without people like you, so thank you for the selfless act of putting yourselves in crazy situations, so normies like me can get a glimpse into spaces that would have remained unseen otherwise.

and lastly, my dear thrill hunters, please stay stafe out there on your caving trips! I do NOT want to stumble upon any of you in the next "THE 10 MOST HORRIFIC CAVE DEATHS IN HISTORY 🤯" video I watch! 😠😁

A question for American cavers: is the American community as toxic as it seems? Is it true that people try to hide where entrances are, and get angry when people publish locations? That entire attitude seems completely insane to me and would never fly in the UK. In general the American caving community seems incredibly unfriendly and rude, but maybe I'm wrong? Am I? What are your thoughts, Americans?

Hello Everyone,

I am a SoCal resident in the Los Angeles, CA area and I am looking for some beginner-level caves and have found it incredibly difficult to locate any caves online. I see everyone suggesting joining a Grotto which I am hesitant to do.

I'm not looking for a guided tour or something extremely easy and simple that you can walk in and walk out without lights. NOT THE LAVA TUBE... NOT THE VANALDEN CAVES... NOT SOMETHING SIMPLE like these beach caves that you walk in and out... I want something that is challenging but I am also not looking for anything that has EXTREME restrictions that require long segments or crawling and squeezing.

It seems like no matter how hard I search these caves are GATEKEPT by people that think they are kings or something. I'd be willing to pay someone to take me on an adventure if you're not willing to just simply give out the location but I want something fun that is challenging. Please someone reach out to me and help me out. I am a rock climber, backpacker, catch and cooker, and outdoors person with years of rope experience. I understand caving is not like climbing but I am willing to learn and try. I don't want to do any rapping in caves until I am ready and have a large group of people to go with me.

Someone hit me up and give me some guidance.

Thanks

It seems that once in a while a caver gets stuck in a tight passage. Can this be prevented by wearing clothes made of dissolvable materials? When someone got stuck, his or her companion can poor a form of liquid that can dissolve the caver's clothes without hurting the skin and make room?

Writing a book trying to incorporate a somewhat tight and claustrophobic cave system, it would be nice to know what's the limit for most people.

Hiii, so I love researching about people exploring caves and stuff especially hell hole, I have watched many videos but not seen anyone go into the pool room. Anyone have pictures or links to videos?

Been making cave videos for about a year my best vid has just under 2k fews but the rest are sub 1k, any tips to increase view engagement for some of the more "boring" videos?

I would love to know.

Im wanting to get into the more claustrophobic extreme cave crawling type of thing. Nit seriously but just to see if i might enjoy it. The problem is all the videos i can find are the scary or exiting moments. Is there anywhere i could find full uncut videos?

I was watching this YouTube video by the action adventure twins, https://youtu.be/Yn9TfQTB31E?si=G0b4TvPfHuGNYZPO

During their exploration one stays behind, they end up losing each other, and he tries to call out to his partner, But it's dead silent. even when they do find each other I could barely hear the other one until they turn the corner literally looking at each other.

Why is this? Caves seem like they'd be really good at reverberating echos throughout the whole system. But here it seems most of the sound is absorbed. Is it because of the uneven cave walls?

Hi spelunkers!

I bet that there is high chance that at least a few of you are not only cave enthusiasts but also readers (or movie watchers).

and if you have an imagination and curiosity as strong as mine, some of you might have felt curious about exploring some fictional caves, knowing what is beyond. Like, imagine all the corridors, nooks, and crannies hiding there. Also, let's not forget about Shelob's lair.

I want to hear about any fictional caves that make you go "man, I want to know more about it".

Buddy and I are planning to go on a 5 day road trip from MS to TN, NC, and then SC and back. Caves in NC and SC welcome to be shared too. We are newbies also so relatively safe as well.

Hey guys I just started a YouTube channel and really want to check out these caves everyone is talking about.

I'm located in Kansas City Missouri but I can travel if it's not super super crazy.

Please let me know if you guys would be down having someone with!