Safe Caving Basics

Series Summary

Caving is a popular recreational sport offering a close look at some of nature's most interesting geological formations. For many years "spelunking" was the favored term for describing those who explored caves with or without ropes and climbing equipment. Now, however, "cavers" are identified as experienced and knowledgeable cave explorers, while "spelunkers" are hobbyists who do not know as much about the dangers or techniques of caving. "Potholing" is a term catching on for using ropes to climb vertical caves or holes.

In this free video series, expert caver Laszlo Turi teaches you about safe caving. Safety is an important issue in caving, with many cavers specializing in rescue caving to help other local climbers. Laszlo covers safety equipment like boots, lights, gloves, helmets, and more. He goes over maps, when to eat before caving, how to handle getting lost or separated, and other things to know before jumping into a cave with friends.

Video Transcript

"Before you go in a cave, don't go alone and don't go without a guide, it's very very important, it's dangerous. This one is the second longest cave in Budapest, and its under the Yuba Hills. So under still the city part its very very strange. Since 1936, the people are keep going there and that mean that tour dates are very very popular cave because at weekends can be two hundred people in it. The parts in the cave are very long and deep and the deepest part on this one is about one hundred seven meters. On the very bottom of the cave is a little lake, but all cave is very very dry. It's not depends on the weather if you go or not in, because if it's a very very heavy rain on the surface it's very very dry, or there is a big snow melting it is also very dry. So at any time you can go in because there is always darkness and dry conditions. If you go in a cave which no open for the public you need overall, helmet and especially shoe because the bottom of the cave is very slippery. Of course all caves very dark, pitch dark. The part of the cave, where we are going now is there and the bottom of the mine is down in front."