Spelunking/Caving

The sport of exploring various caves, known as caving, can also be referred to as spelunking. Every caving experience can vary drastically depending on the type of cave being visited. It can involve highly technical maneuvering, crawling, climbing, and wriggling. Ropes and additional equipment can also be required when descending and ascending from various caves, and depending on the scope, can also be requires while submerged in the cave itself. Caves can be found in all regions of the globe but are more prevalent in regions with more porous and soft rock. Areas of the Yucatan actually provide vast caving and cave diving experiences due to the years of erosion in a sandstone and limestone environment. Before you decide to go on a caving trip, you must not only understand the sport and what is involved, but know everything about your caving destination. The equipment involved with caving can vary from site to site, but usually consist of a helmet, climbing equipment, LED flashlights and backup flashlights, and proper waterproof breathable clothing. Once you decide on a caving location and have all of the proper caving equipment, you have to make sure you understand all of the risks and potential dangers. While submerged on a caving adventure, potential dangers can range from flash flooding, falling and injury, hypothermia, disorientation and exhaustion. To add to these caving dangers, any rescue attempt usually requires additional training, experience, and resources to perform. This translates into additional time and additional danger. Caving should never be embarked upon alone, and should usually have a minimum of 3-4 people per trip. Having the proper equipment can help to reduce your exposure to such dangers. For example, having a helmet with a headlamp mounted on it will keep your hands free for the more technical aspects of your trip. Making sure you have a long lasting LED flashlight and backup will ensure you do not run out of power while you continue underground. Proper rope and climbing equipment will come in handy for ascents or descents that arise on your adventure. All of these things will help to make your caving trip not only more enjoyable, but safer. The number one guideline and safety precaution is, and will remain, knowledge. Caving knowledge can save your life so before your trip you should try to acquire as much of it as possible. AdventureDrop gives you the knowledge you need to fully research and understand each caving path before you make your way to the entrance. Real caving user opinions and reviews will help to ensure the unexpected does not happen. Go through our reviews before you decide on a cave that is right for you. Browse through technical trips and leisure adventures with guides and see what others thought of those trips as well. If you do happen to go on an underground adventure, make sure you tell us about it! We want to uncover as many caving trips as possible and share them with the rest of the community so all can benefit from increased caving knowledge.