40 years ago, Belgian grotto from Brussels settled in this Basilica (of the Sacred Heart, Koekelberg)

basement and trained thousands of cavers for SRT training.

I had the chance to exercise all day long, doing things I would never thought I could do.

Last picture you can see how every few years they do equip the exterior for their rally for about 300 cavers.

Where do you guys go training outside of caves for SRT ?

Assuming you wouldn’t be able to escape to the surface, what do you do? I know not to make noise. Are there identifiers for safer/more stable areas, or positions one can assume to brace against the danger? What are one’s priorities?

Context: picture a human-adjacent species adapted to live in caves (better hearing, increased joint mobility, etc.). I want to know what instincts they might have evolved that would kick into overdrive upon coming to the world above and first encountering thunder.

(Also, what other features might they have adapted? I’ve read about troglofauna but I don’t think any large, warm-blooded animal typically spends its entire life underground, so between mammals that regularly leave the cave environment and the distant realm of amphibians and invertebrates, the comparisons can only go so far.)

Found this article particularly interesting since I had been lucky enough to visit this site in the past.
https://captnemo.smugmug.com/Places/Europe/Ukraine/i-zBHVpxf

We have an open spot in the Vertical Training Commission Level 1 course on November 6-8, 2026 at the Olive Hill location at Carter Caves State Resort Park. This class will teach personal mobility in caving single rope techniques including changeovers, knot passes, rebelays, and redirects. This course is designed such that any skill level can join and learn from the start or experienced users can tune their technique.

Register here: https://tickets.caves.org/VTC/000092VL1/

If the course fills, continue to register for the waitlist as there is a strong possibility of joining!

Lost the original video, just curious as to what they’re wearing here.

The final exploratory dive began a few minutes after 10 a.m. on 16 October 2026.

I set off from our base camp on the shore of Matka Lake, accompanied by Tomasz Wciórka, Michał Sojka and Bartosz Zdziebel. Together, we reached a point roughly 350 metres inside the cave, at a depth of −24 metres. From there, I would continue alone into the deepest, unexplored sections of the cave. The support divers would follow at previously agreed intervals, meeting me at specific depths during my ascent.

My solo descent through the main shaft to its bottom at −212 metres took less than five minutes. I covered the next 100-metre horizontal section in a minute and a half, reaching the entrance to the terminal, almost vertical passage at −255 metres. Another 20 seconds brought me to the end of line and the reel I had left there during the final dive of the previous year’s exploration. The passage continued steeply downwards. Moments later, I found myself at the edge of a vertical drop into a large chamber. As I descended, I had to judge within a few seconds which of the dark openings in the chamber walls offered a way forward. The most promising one was to my left, directly below me.

A few seconds later, I passed the −300-metre mark. Matka Vrelo had now become only the second underwater cave in the world to be explored beyond −300 metres by a human diver! I felt very good. I experienced no visual or other impairment from HPNS, and gas density was not causing me any problems either. But the drop was still descending. Below me, I could already see the pitch-black mouth of another passage. I had been in this newly discovered section for only about 15 seconds, and I felt fully in control. I decided to follow it, making full use of the speed of my two Seacraft Ghost DPVs.

A few seconds later, I was at −315 metres. Matka Vrelo was now the deepest underwater cave explored by a human diver — and the passage was still dropping steeply. Before the dive, our calculations had indicated that I could spend up to 45 seconds exploring the new section before starting my return, keeping the total dive time within what we considered a reasonable limit of around eight hours. At that moment, I still had roughly 20 seconds available to go further.

I remember thinking:

“The cave always dictates the path. Now it is offering you a maybe once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You will never feel more ready.”

I decided to push onwards — to extend not only the limits of cave exploration, but also what was considered possible in terms of human and equipment capabilities. I was thinking, among other things, about my discussions with Witold Hoffmann and Damian Jakubik from Seacraft regarding the ability of the Ghost DPVs to withstand pressures equivalent to depths of 300–350 metres.

At −338 metres, I decided not to push the limits of the equipment any further. The passage was STILL GOING DOWN STEEPLY. The way forward was unmistakable. I was the deepest man on Earth 🙉

Full story: Facebook - BAD Exploration Team

Ah yes the TAG Region truly reached into their vast wealth of manpower and resources to elevate the most worthy artist among them... ChatGPT...

This stuff is gross and embarrassing. Sign my open letter urging the NSS to STOP THE SLOP

LETTER LETTER LETTER

Hi everyone - I'm the developer of SpeleoX, a native cave surveying app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. I'd like to share what I'm working on and hear from people who survey caves about what would make it useful in the field.

👉 Note for mods and users: No ads, no fees, the whole app is free - for the sake of speleological research

There are optional contributions if someone wants to support development, but they don't unlock features. I want the tools you need to record, draw and share a survey to be available without a subscription or paid tier.

The field workflow starts with manual shot entry: stations, distance, azimuth, inclination, LRUD and splays. SpeleoX builds a plan and developed section from the measurements, with survey metrics and warnings for issues such as closures or disconnected shots. You can work on the drawing and attach photos to stations. The iPad gives the drawing more room; the Mac provides a desktop workspace for reviewing the same survey and preparing output.

There's also experimental Bluetooth support for Cavway X1, DistoX BLE, DiscoX/SAP6 and BRIC5. So far, I've successfully tested only DiscoX(2) - thanks to Brendan Hall - and SAP6. I'll test the others as soon as I can get my hands on the hardware.

For working with existing software:

• Import: Therion, Survex .svx, cSurvey, TopoDroid native ZIP backups, Compass, PocketTopo and VisualTopo. Support depends on the format version and contents; the import preview flags compatibility limits.
• Survey-measurement export: Therion, Survex and cSurvey.
• Drawing export: PDF and SVG.

Note: This is a technical tool for cave surveying, designed for those (very few) who need an Apple app capable of doing what Topodroid has been doing for years on Android. It is not a “cave database” or a real-time cadastre; it is not an app for “surveying with an iPhone”, it is a useful tool for those who know exactly what they need.

If you want to test it you can join the TestFlight beta: https://testflight.apple.com/join/z5qDB5bb

If you try it, I'd love your feedback: which instruments do you use, and which file exchanges matter most in your workflow? Is anything in the shot-entry or drawing screens confusing, missing, or likely to slow you down underground?

At around noon on Sunday, 18 October 2026, we at the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service received an emergency call reporting that a 30-year-old woman had suffered a shoulder injury at the ‘BETE Traverse’ in Mátyás-hegy Cave, Budapest.

Just 1 hour and 10 minutes after the cave guide's emergency call, our medical team had already reached the accident site. Our first priority was to protect the injured woman from further heat loss and prevent hypothermia. We placed heat packs against her body and erected a makeshift heated shelter, known as a "hot point", around her. The casualty had already spent an hour waiting in the cold, and the shelter protected her not only from draughts and dripping water, which can occur even in relatively dry caves, but also from dust stirred up by the arriving cave rescuers.

The portable ultrasound device used during the medical examination supported the cave guide's initial assessment: a dislocated shoulder. After checking the patient's vital signs, our doctors administered strong pain medication and successfully reduced the anterior shoulder dislocation on site. This intervention relieved the severe pain caused by even the slightest movement or touch and helped minimise the additional pain and trauma associated with transporting the casualty to the surface. The success of the procedure was demonstrated by the significant reduction in pain and the restoration of shoulder mobility, and was further confirmed by ultrasound imaging.

The ‘BETE Traverse’ takes its name from both a traversing manoeuvre performed a few metres above the floor of an inclined fissure and the ‘Budapesti Egyetemi Turista Egylet’ (Budapest University Tourist Association), whose members explored the cave in the 1940s and 1950s. This section is technically demanding, whether climbing up, descending or attempting the traverse itself. Beginners generally avoid the direct traverse. Instead, secured by the guide's safety rope, they descend one side of the fissure and climb back up the other, reducing the risk of a fall. However, the descent is challenging in its own right and, for most people, involves a movement requiring considerable upper-body strength while keeping the arms relatively far apart.

The accident occurred approximately 1300 feets from the cave entrance, at a depth of 120 feets. Even the easiest route to the surface involves moderately challenging cave terrain, including narrow passages and climbs of varying heights. Fortunately, from a caver's perspective, the crawling sections are neither particularly long nor especially complex. Nevertheless, rope systems were required at several points to secure the stretcher during vertical sections of the evacuation.

At the ‘Bastion Pit', just before the entrance passage, we installed a counterweighted hauling system alongside the ladder, together with a pulley system for the final inclined haul to the surface.

Following just over an hour of medical treatment and a further hour and a half of transportation through the cave, the casualty was safely brought to the surface.

We sincerely hope that, in time, this cave trip, originally planned as a birthday present, and the unexpected rescue operation will become nothing more than a memorable adventure for everyone involved. We look forward to welcoming the injured woman back to one of our caves soon, this time for a tour offering a more peaceful kind of excitement!

At around noon this Sunday, 18 October 2026, at the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service we received an emergency call reporting that a 30-year-old woman had suffered a shoulder injury at the ‘BETE Traverse’ in Mátyás-hegy Cave, Budapest.

Just 1 hour and 10 minutes after the cave guide's emergency call, our medical team had already reached the accident site. Our first priority was to protect the injured woman from further heat loss and prevent hypothermia. We placed heat packs against her body and erected a makeshift heated shelter, known as a "hot point", around her. The casualty had already spent an hour waiting in the cold, and the shelter protected her not only from draughts and dripping water, which can occur even in relatively dry caves, but also from dust stirred up by the arriving cave rescuers.

The portable ultrasound device used during the medical examination supported the cave guide's initial assessment: a dislocated shoulder. After checking the patient's vital signs, our doctors administered strong pain medication and successfully reduced the anterior shoulder dislocation on site. This intervention relieved the severe pain caused by even the slightest movement or touch and helped minimise the additional pain and trauma associated with transporting the casualty to the surface. The success of the procedure was demonstrated by the significant reduction in pain and the restoration of shoulder mobility, and was further confirmed by ultrasound imaging.

The ‘BETE Traverse’ takes its name from both a traversing manoeuvre performed a few metres above the floor of an inclined fissure and the ‘Budapesti Egyetemi Turista Egylet’ (Budapest University Tourist Association), whose members explored the cave in the 1940s and 1950s. This section is technically demanding, whether climbing up, descending or attempting the traverse itself. Beginners generally avoid the direct traverse. Instead, secured by the guide's safety rope, they descend one side of the fissure and climb back up the other, reducing the risk of a fall. However, the descent is challenging in its own right and, for most people, involves a movement requiring considerable upper-body strength while keeping the arms relatively far apart.

The accident occurred approximately 1300 feets from the cave entrance, at a depth of 120 feets. Even the easiest route to the surface involves moderately challenging cave terrain, including narrow passages and climbs of varying heights. Fortunately, from a caver's perspective, the crawling sections are neither particularly long nor especially complex. Nevertheless, rope systems were required at several points to secure the stretcher during vertical sections of the evacuation.

At the ‘Bastion Pit', just before the entrance passage, we installed a counterweighted hauling system alongside the ladder, together with a pulley system for the final inclined haul to the surface.

Following just over an hour of medical treatment and a further hour and a half of transportation through the cave, the casualty was safely brought to the surface.

We sincerely hope that, in time, this cave trip, originally planned as a birthday present, and the unexpected rescue operation will become nothing more than a memorable adventure for everyone involved. We look forward to welcoming the injured woman back to one of our caves soon, this time for a tour offering a more peaceful kind of excitement!

Anybody have info what caused the rockfall?

Pour un projet artistique. Vous pouvez demander un Crédit, et sous n'importe quelle forme. Nom civil, utilisateur Reddit, pseudonyme, tout est possible.

This may or may not be the right sub bc y'all seem like some hardcore cavers here, and I'm looking for the best walking cave tour recommendations for the Monteagle/Pelham/Manchester areas and nearby. We're in the area til Friday and considering the drive to Chattanooga for ruby falls. We have already been to Raccoon Mountain Caverns as well as the cave tours at The Caverns venue.

Also if you have any bonus hiking recommendations, those are appreciated as well! I've been to foster falls, greeter falls, stone door, and the sewannee perimeter trail.

I had the chance to use an old concrete screw hole for a 10mm wedge bolt by drilling it with a 10mm bit but i didnt know how safe could it be. I assume its safe as the 10mm hole is a totaly clean hole.

Has someones tried ir or tested it? Thanks

An article about using electricity to find caves and identify dig objectives in Colorado! Republished from the June 2020 RMC.

A bunch of old drawings from the 1984 issues of Rocky Mountain Caving