Spelunking, also known as caving, is a recreational sport done by people to explore wild caves.
You never really know what to expect when exploring one of these caves. Depending on the cave, you may explore an intense cavern that puts all of your physical skills to the test by forcing you to climb on rocky walls, swim through dark water, rappel from a high place, and wriggle and squeeze your way through tight and claustrophobic spaces, among other things.
Or you may have all of your important caving gear prepared for your venture only to find out that your cave exploration only involves a lot of walking before you finally reach a dead end.
Such is the nature of spelunking. As there are a lot of undiscovered caves, one that you are visiting for the first time can range from being the most dangerous place on earth to being a literal walk in a (rocky) park.
This means that proper attention to safety must always be considered before venturing out into the depths of any cave to ensure that your adventure remains as safe as how thrilling it is. Here are some tips that you should keep in mind:
Never go spelunking alone
Caves, especially ones that have not been explored yet, can be extremely dangerous. This isn’t like hiking on a mountain or a forest where you can be spotted more easily. In the dark and damp caves, not only is it easy to get lost if you are careless, but it can also be difficult for your would-be rescuers to find you.
Having multiple companions is paramount if you wish to continue exploring. If something bad happens to you deep in the cave and no one is around to help you, you may end up dead.
Keep yourself fit if you want to go deep.
As mentioned above, caves may involve a lot of physical activities, especially if you want to explore as much of the cave as you can. If you want to stick to the more relatively safe parts where you don’t travel too far inside, you don’t need an intense training regimen, especially since that likely just involves you walking around a lot.
If you wish to explore the deeper depths and go as far as the caves will allow you, however, then you will need to keep yourself fit and exercise to ensure that you have the strength and endurance to take you to and from the caves.
Mark the paths that you take.
Unexplored caves have not been mapped out yet, and even the ones that do may have a hidden path or two that other people missed. This is well and all for exploration until you have to go back and find out that you don’t know which direction to go because of how dark and same-y everything looks.
In this case, mark your path with something. A light source like glow sticks, rocks pointing at a direction, notes, anything that points you in the direction of the exit. It makes getting out of the cave later on much easier once you see those familiar landmarks.
To add on to that, it helps you out as well if something bad happens to you while in the caves; your friends and/or rescuers will be able to use the landmarks that you plopped down to find out which direction and paths you took.
Properly prepare and test your ropes.
Ropes are one of the most important things that you will be using in certain caves, especially if you are doing something like rappelling. This means that you always need to ensure that the rope you have is tough and unwilling to break under your weight.
You really don’t want it to snap while you are hanging from inside a cave and have a really long drop to a rock bed below. Make sure that you check this out before you leave to go caving.
Have a first aid kit prepared.
Anything can happen while you are inside a cave. Have a first aid kit on hand for any possible accidents. With how tight and cramped everything is, it is quite easy to get into an accident from a misstep.
Do not explore caves while raining.
Rainy days are not the time you should be exploring caves. These places are like giant drains that take all the water from outside. As a result, they can flood very, very easily, and you absolutely do not want to get caught up in that. This can be a concern during the rainy season, so make sure you plan your trips accordingly.
Take the easiest route, not the fastest.
Caves can branch out into multiple paths and have different ways to get you from one place to another. However, you are not there to show off, you are there to explore and get out in one piece.
When given a choice, choose the easier path. It is much better to take the long way around a cave path than to risk slipping as you jump over a deep hole and land on the opposing platform. Give it the same attitude you would while driving.
Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
Caves are far from the cleanest places on earth. In fact, with all the rocks and dirt combined with your sweat while you explore, your clothes are going to be as dirty as they have never been, so make sure that the clothes you are using are ones you don’t mind getting very dirty, and not your best fashion statements.