According to PBS Kids, spelunking, also known as caving, is the exploration of underground caves, and it incorporates rock climbing, hiking and camping, and can last anywhere from several hours to several days. Caving is a popular activity around the world, but special precautions need to be taken by spelunkers to ensure safety. The most significant risks associated with spelunking include: hypothermia, falling, flooding and physical exhaustion.
Make Caving a Group Activity
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an important safety rule for spelunkers is to travel in groups or teams, with preferably four or more group members present. If one group member becomes injured, one spelunker can stay with the injured person while the other two go for help. For safety reasons, a spelunking party should never separate, although occasionally one of your party members may go down a hole to see what's there. In this case, other team members should wait by the mouth of the hole until this person returns at an agreed upon time, which should not be longer than a few minutes. When you're traveling through caves in a group, it's important that the group leaders go slowly enough so that the people at the back of the pack don't lose touch with the group. A good general rule for spelunkers is to remain within earshot of the group members immediately ahead and behind. If you're a spelunker, it's also important that you notify friends or family about your expected return time, so that a search party can be mobilized, if required.
Know Your Location & Assess the Flood Risk
Knowing your location and the direction from which you have come is an important safety rule for spelunking. Because caves can appear different when viewed from different angles, it is easy to become disoriented and lost. To help you reduce your likelihood of becoming lost while spelunking, you should memorize or mark--using small rock stacks called cairns or other non-permanent markers--key cave landmarks that you pass. The responsibility of remembering the way out of the cave should be borne by all group members, not just one individual. It's also important to assess your cave's flood risk, so that you and your team don't get trapped by rising water. Possible signs of flood danger include: mud or other debris caked to the cave's walls or ceiling, a fast-flowing river nearby, and the lack of mud in a stream bed in which you're traveling--which may indicate the possibility of flash flooding. Note the low spots through which you passed on your way into the cave, and note the high spots as well.
Use Appropriate Equipment
According to the National Speleological Society, a national organization dedicated to the exploration, conservation and study of caves in the United States, possessing appropriate and reliable equipment is an important spelunking safety rule. An essential piece of spelunking safety equipment is a helmet with a mounted headlamp. A helmet-mounted light allows you to keep your hands free, which can help you maintain your balance if you stumble. You should always carry extra batteries for your headlamp. To ensure maximum safety, each member of your group should carry at least three independent light sources. Other important spelunking equipment includes appropriate clothing, protective gear (such as a helmet, knee and elbow pads and gloves) and a cave pack, which may include the following items: a first aid kit, water, food, extra clothing, a pee bottle and removable cave markers.
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