Make no mistake, caving can be a safe adventure that helps you see the wonders of a hidden world right beneath your feet, but it can also be a dangerous endeavor that becomes the final resting place of many explorers who bit off more than they could chew.
Making mistakes while caving can lead to disastrous consequences, especially in an environment where one wrong step can send you tumbling off a cliff. This is not to discourage you from attempting to go caving if you are new, but to inform you of the potential danger that you will be facing should you choose to go through with this.
Now, caving doesn’t always have to be an activity that has you teetering between life or death for the thrill of exploration. In fact, many are satisfied with exploring the safer and well-trodden paths of simpler caves, where the worst injuries you might get on a trip is a bruise or a knock on the head for not watching where you’re going. Ideally, this is the starting point of rookie cavers as well, as this allows them to get the feel of the activity itself before they think about whether or not they want to delve deeper into the experience.
But even in a simple caving exploration as that, mistakes can be made, and it is better that you make a mistake in a relatively safe environment than when your deep underground. Let’s walk you through some common mistakes that people new to the caving scene make, and what you should avoid if you ever decide to get serious about it.
Not wearing enough safety gear
This is a big one. Helmets are practically essential when you’re caving, as your head is unprotected without one. This isn’t a good idea when you’re surrounded on all sides by solid rock, of which they may be in odd and unpredictable formations. Bumping your head into a rock wall that you didn’t see isn’t uncommon, and the impact would mostly be absorbed by your helmet. If your head takes the blow, it can be very painful, and might even cause bleeding.
Head injuries from accidentally bumping into rocks aren’t the only thing that you should be worried about. Things like rocks falling from above, for instance, are usually things you don’t get warning from, and only find out after they strike you. Again, if you’re wearing a helmet, it becomes a minor nuisance, but if you aren’t, it can potentially lead to a concussion. Make sure to always have a helmet.
Not bringing enough light sources (or one at all)
Never enter a cave without bringing at least one light source. Never go deep into a cave without at least three.
If you understand the layout of a cave, then you probably also know that it can get really dark in such a place. There are no light sources other than the ones you have, so you can only rely on yourself to light the way to safety.
If you don’t aim to go deep and only hang around familiar territory that is easy to get out of, ideally one where the light still reaches, you can make do with one light source, though it is still advised to pack extra.
Any deeper though, and you’re required to bring a light source, an extra, and an extra for that extra. You don’t ever want to find yourself in a situation where you don’t know how to get back to the entrance because you got in too deep, but your only light source ran out of batteries or got destroyed. It makes any movement at all very dangerous.
With all that said, that doubly means that you should never enter a cave without a light source, ever. Even if you are confident in your memorization of the paths you’ve taken, and think that you won’t go in too deep, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Not bringing extra batteries
As mentioned above, you’re going to be relying on your light sources a lot, which means you should be adequately prepared for each trip.
Make sure that your light sources are fully charged, and that you have extra batteries just in case you run out of power, even if you expect a cave trip to be short. If it does turn out to be short, that means that the batteries you saved can be used another day.
Not researching about a cave beforehand
Knowledge is power. In this case, knowledge may literally save your life. Whether you’re new to the scene or a caver who knows his way around a couple of caves, you always want to make sure that you have as much knowledge as possible gathered before venturing out to explore.
Getting information about the layout and what to expect can immensely help you determine safe and potentially dangerous routes to take, and whether or not the cave is even possible to take in the first place with your skill level. This is especially important if you’re new and trying out caving for the first time, as you especially have no experience to speak of.
Going caving alone
No matter how skilled you may think you are because of how much experience you’ve gotten over time, never ever go caving alone. Experience only reduces the chance of an accident, but it will never completely eliminate it, and all it takes is one bad slip to send you tumbling down.
When that happens, you’ll likely be incapacitated and need help from other people to help pull you out and send you to proper medical care, but if you’re caving alone, no help will be coming to you, and you’ll need to somehow crawl out of the position you found yourself in by your lonesome.
It can get extremely dangerous, especially when your injuries may be severe. Avoid this kind of possibility and always bring a friend or three to watch your back. Plus, caving is always fun with company.