Caves are amazing places to explore. They are dark, cold and damp, with water dripping from the walls and ceilings. Some caves have underground streams and rivers. Most caves are filled with beautiful, delicate formations that look like stone coral. Some of the best cave exploring in the world is in Kentucky, where I live. The Mammoth Cave system has been called a super-cave because it is so big. For comparison, Mammoth Cave is longer than the entire New York City subway system! There are more than 300 miles of cave passages within the cave system. Thousands of people enjoy exploring Mammoth Cave each year. However there are certain rules to follow.
Safety Tips
If you are the kind of person who is interested in exploring caves, one of your main concerns may be the safety and protection of yourself and your team members. In order to explore caves safely, it is important to stay on high alert at all times. You need to be mindful of what is going on around you and ensure that you are safe while exploring. Here are some safety tips.
Take a Tour
Tour in a cave must be organized by a professional tour guide/company. Because they can make safety tours. And they have knowledge of the cave and all of its treasurers. And they care about you and your life. Tour guides can tell you statistics or facts about the cave’s history, geology, and natural formations (and probably hundreds of other useless things). They also know how to guide you through the dark passages (safety first!) The visitors have to have a knowledge of the whole cave to explore safely. Because there are many dark, narrow and low places that should be avoided for their own safety; this type of exploration needs someone who can guide them to their destination.
Never Go Alone
Do not go alone… Unless you are exploring a well-traveled cave, never go without a partner you can count on. Your life may depend on it someday. Never explore in darkness. When you must go deeper into the cave, have a plan to return to the light using a schedule of your expected arrival time and order point, or some other means. Always have extra sources of light and batteries readily accessible. Never use open flames… Any kind of storage battery will discharge toxic gasses when charging or dead short.
Must Have Things
Cave exploration can be an ‘incredible experience’ to the beginner and experienced speleologist alike. However, it is the enthusiastic and inexperienced cave explorer who is most likely to encounter difficulties. The best way to avoid injuries is to go prepared. Cave exploration should not be undertaken without proper equipment and things like helmet, gloves, lights, elbow pads, cave pack, food and water.
A helmet and headlamp are necessary while cave exploring. No one should go into a cave without a helmet or flash light because you will not be able to see walls or holes in the floor. It is also very possible that you may fall down a hole, so being equipped with a helmet will help to prevent injury and protect your head if this happens.
Take First Aid Kit
Taking a tour in a cave is always fun but there are many problems that you can experience once you get in. The space is limited so it is easy to get stuck. Many people found themselves trapped when the doors were already closed and they couldn’t move from a certain area anymore. The temperature inside would be lesser than other places and could lead to hypothermia. Moreover, there are slippery surfaces that you might encounter, and it might cause accidents that could put you in poor condition. So prepare and take a first aid kit with you.
Due to adventure tourism, many people acquire some experience in caving. With the increased popularity of caving, participants and organizers of such tours should be aware of the risks involved and be properly prepared in case things go wrong.
Learn the Rules and Follow the Guides
You can be in any place and get injured. You may lose your way in a cave. So, it happens often that cavers lose the most important sense – sense of direction. That is why you should put a unique symbol of your passage as a memory signal which could be found later by your fellow cavers or rescuers. These symbols are called survey stations symbols and usually are made with stones, chalk or paint on the wall or even using pieces of glass etc. The Survey Station Symbols formed the basis for cave survey and have been used since the very beginning of organized map making to provide accurate bearings in caves by cavers for other cavers not shown on the map.
Finally, it’s the right choice to wear footwear or sports shoes that are well adapted to some extent. The bottom of the cave is made the most rough rocks, stalactites and stalagmites, which prevents walking in hiking shoes or boots are not used.
Conclusion
There are many things we need to do to protect ourselves, we need to respect the cave, the natural landscape and yourself. If you follow these rules you will have a good experience and remember it for life.