Potholing - anyone done it?

[alluvial]

^^^^WAS.

There's lots of ogofs.

And they extend for many miles underground.


Considering the amount of rain we get around here, it can get quite exciting down there at times.

ISTR that they recovered some unfortunate's body the other year which had been stuck down there for 40 or so years.

Could have been Roger Solari who died whilst pushing the terminal sump with Martyn Farr in the 70's. I seem to recall something about a recent body recovery but can't remember where I heard it. I shall have to do a bit of googling.

Cave diving is the really dangerous one, and not something I've done, not because I didn't want to but because I have a family and the odds really aren't that good.
Interestingly, Porth yr Ogof has the largest entrance in Wales, is relatively short but has had the highest number of fatalities. Usually due to people ignoring the "If you go past this point you will die" sign by the resurgence. Great cave though.

[alluvial]

^^^^WAS.

There's lots of ogofs.

And they extend for many miles underground.


Considering the amount of rain we get around here, it can get quite exciting down there at times.

ISTR that they recovered some unfortunate's body the other year which had been stuck down there for 40 or so years.

Found it.
took a bit of detective work though.

IIRC, Martyn Farr describes in one of his books how, whilst diving in one of Florida's blue holes, how he came across the body of a diver who'd got lost on the way out and died when his air ran out. Just a skeleton held together by his wetsuit apparently.

[Pondlife]

IIRC, Martyn Farr describes in one of his books how, whilst diving in one of Florida's blue holes, how he came across the body of a diver who'd got lost on the way out and died when his air ran out. Just a skeleton held together by his wetsuit apparently.

When in Mexico I met someone who does cave diving in Florida. Her regulator hose was about 3m long to facilitate taking her gear off and passing though some tiny hole before climbing in after it.

That's just mental!

[darmstadt]

I went a few times in South Wales when I was younger and found it fantastic, quite possibly one of the best experiences I ever had when wet and cold. I remember us all sitting in a small cavern when the leader told everyone to turn off their lights and keep quiet. Not that was pitch black, you could put your hand directly in front of your face and not see anything, unbelievable. Next up was abseiling which was just as much fun and abseiling into a pothole was just the business, however I think if I did it now, nearly 40 years on I would probably tulip myself...

I have been to some touristy caves which are all well and nice but one of the best was the Sterkfontein caves in South Africa. Two things stick out, one was putting your finger into a hole in the wall which was actually the fossilised remains of one of our ancestors (unless you're a Creationist) fingers and the second was hearing a lot of singing and when we walked around the corner there was a large underground lake where people were holding some form of religious service with the baptisms being held in the lake.




(* I did manage to get my foot stuck in one part which was called the Virgin's Crack!)

[psychocandy]

If that's your bag, then the upper Neath & Swansea valleys are the places to go.

Potholes & old iron & silica mines abound.

I wouldn't fecking go down any of them.

Ystradfellte. Been potholing there!

[alluvial]

Ystradfellte. Been potholing there!

That's where Porth yr Ogof is.

Another good one near there is Little Neath River Cave. You go in via an entrance at river level that takes a sizable stream and so washes you down the entrance series quite nicely. Further in you go down The Canal which is a long wide section with a low roof and so you float down there pulling yourself along, brilliant cave. First time I went in there, I was wearing a boiler suit and old clothes, pretty near hypothermic when I came out.