Caving, potholing, claustrophobia, etc
Discussion
bigandclever said:
Ayahuasca said:
NiceCupOfTea said:
Even reading this thread I can feel the panic rising in me.
Absolutely no. Not even a milliseconds' thought required.
You and me both.Absolutely no. Not even a milliseconds' thought required.
A mate of mine does a bit of cave diving and he told me tale of him squeezing through a tunnel to meet some kind of shark coming the other way. Neither of them could turn, and the shark just got more and more agitated at the fat t
t in his way. I nearly passed out just hearing about it.WTF?
When I was training to be in the TA paras we were shown over various types of holes in the ground that had been dug by some Royal Egineers. There was one that was some kind of bunker that was a very long narrow passage that led to a small underground chamber.
The Directing Staff thought it would be a good laugh to see how many of us they could squeeze into it. Being full of youthful enthusiasm and stupidity I was the first into the shoulder wide, shoulder tall tunnel. I was followed by around thirty or forty blokes into a space big enough for maybe fifteen, squashed against the wall at the far end, and still they kept shoving men in because they couldn't see how squashed we were up front. My arms were pressed to my sides, there was no way of moving and it was hard to breathe. The sense of trying to control panic and knowing you are on the verge of screaming like a girl is not nice at all.
Still gives me the heeby-jeebies thinking about it.
The Directing Staff thought it would be a good laugh to see how many of us they could squeeze into it. Being full of youthful enthusiasm and stupidity I was the first into the shoulder wide, shoulder tall tunnel. I was followed by around thirty or forty blokes into a space big enough for maybe fifteen, squashed against the wall at the far end, and still they kept shoving men in because they couldn't see how squashed we were up front. My arms were pressed to my sides, there was no way of moving and it was hard to breathe. The sense of trying to control panic and knowing you are on the verge of screaming like a girl is not nice at all.
Still gives me the heeby-jeebies thinking about it.
Only thing like this I have done was to visit the Jenolan Caves north of Sydney - thought to be the oldest cave network or something like that.
Absolutely amazing to see, but I can only imagine what it would have been like back in the days of gas lamps, etc.
They have sporadic pieces of old equipment left lying around those caves and it looks very unsafe IMO!
Absolutely amazing to see, but I can only imagine what it would have been like back in the days of gas lamps, etc.
They have sporadic pieces of old equipment left lying around those caves and it looks very unsafe IMO!
The OP has done much, much more than I would ever be interested in.
I reckon one of the most horrible stories of diving/caving have come from Bushman's Hole. Lord knows where I came across this tale, but it sends horrible shivers down my spine.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/How-a-cave-...
Also I saw a programme on TV a short while ago, talking about bronze age copper mines (in Wales I think?). They could see gangs of people had been dug labrynths of tunnels, some absolutely tiny (meaning young kids were doing the work), digging with their hands and rudimentary stone tools, with no light to prevent the oxygen being used up. Poor feckers must have had horrendous lives...
I reckon one of the most horrible stories of diving/caving have come from Bushman's Hole. Lord knows where I came across this tale, but it sends horrible shivers down my spine.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/How-a-cave-...
Also I saw a programme on TV a short while ago, talking about bronze age copper mines (in Wales I think?). They could see gangs of people had been dug labrynths of tunnels, some absolutely tiny (meaning young kids were doing the work), digging with their hands and rudimentary stone tools, with no light to prevent the oxygen being used up. Poor feckers must have had horrendous lives...
Edited by prand on Friday 6th January 17:03
Ayahuasca said:
NiceCupOfTea said:
Even reading this thread I can feel the panic rising in me.
Absolutely no. Not even a milliseconds' thought required.
You and me both.Absolutely no. Not even a milliseconds' thought required.
IhateChristmas said:
There was a film last year about a guy buried in a coffin in Iraq. The whole film was done from inside the box. The first few minutes of that had me in a rising panic that reminded me of my pot-holing experience written earlier in this thread.
Buried 
I thought it was quite good.
I had a weird claustrophobia attack on a plane the other day - was in economy, in the window seat, for a six hour flight. Nothing special. I am pretty tall so a bit squeezed in, but the guy in the middle seat was a fkin man-mountain, not fat just massively built. I was overheating in a leather jacket that I couldn't get out of (no room) so it felt like a strait jacket. Suddenly I had an overwhelming urge to get out of there, it was like I was drowning and needed to fight my way to the surface. A new experience for me and not a pleasant one. Slightly concerning as my job requires me to fly every other week or so!
kin man-mountain, not fat just massively built. I was overheating in a leather jacket that I couldn't get out of (no room) so it felt like a strait jacket. Suddenly I had an overwhelming urge to get out of there, it was like I was drowning and needed to fight my way to the surface. A new experience for me and not a pleasant one. Slightly concerning as my job requires me to fly every other week or so!bigandclever said:
Famous Graham said:
"Some kind of shark"??
WTF?
Great White, Tiger or Pathetic, I dunno, he's the diver not me. It can't have been that big, it didn't eat him WTF?
At least he can't bite you because the mouth is well back.
I would have been more concerned at a giant moray eel.
We did a cave rescue ex a couple of years ago. The cave was in a cliff face and as a competent climber I was one of the first in. The scenario was a chap who'd had a heart attack within 'easy' access of the cave mouth. It was bloody horrible - trying to set up a rope system in a cave about 3ft high, which was damp, cold, and full of crawly things (I hate crawly things), and then having to haul gear in, strap the cas onto a bell stretcher. It was all the worse for me being 6'5"; I'm definitely an Eloi not a morlock
What put me off ever trying some proper caving was an article I read in the BSAC mag years ago about, coincidentally, a mate of a lad I used to work with. Two of them were out in South America somewhere exploring a new system and his mate appeared to become 'narced'. He tried valiantly to drag him back to the surface but got stuck at a choke point. He tried several times to swim through and then quickly turn around and drag his mate through; each time to no avail as his mate would sink back down. At this point he was well past the rule of thirds - third in, third out, third in reserve - and getting towards 50/50. It ended with one last effort and decision to leave his mate; his last view seeing his best mate sinking into the shadows. Horrible stuff. It was a harrowing article and starkly highlighted the dangers of the sport.
What put me off ever trying some proper caving was an article I read in the BSAC mag years ago about, coincidentally, a mate of a lad I used to work with. Two of them were out in South America somewhere exploring a new system and his mate appeared to become 'narced'. He tried valiantly to drag him back to the surface but got stuck at a choke point. He tried several times to swim through and then quickly turn around and drag his mate through; each time to no avail as his mate would sink back down. At this point he was well past the rule of thirds - third in, third out, third in reserve - and getting towards 50/50. It ended with one last effort and decision to leave his mate; his last view seeing his best mate sinking into the shadows. Horrible stuff. It was a harrowing article and starkly highlighted the dangers of the sport.
I used to love crawling into weird places in the woods etc, but then I watched some episode of 'SuperTed' when these two potholers became trapped and the water level started rising and one of them still had a rock on their foot. Simply cannot entertain the thought of doing that sort of thing now.
A couple of years back I was walking my girlfriend-at-the-time's dogs on the common with her and siblings, we found an old bunker thing with a doorway that had been blocked by landslide and a little chimney on top, the dogs squeezed in through the doorway and we were all curious to see what was going on, so her 6(I think) year old sister was picked up by the angles, and I stood over the chimney and lowered her in head first to see what was going on. I can't think of anything I'd like to have done less, but she was fine.
A couple of years back I was walking my girlfriend-at-the-time's dogs on the common with her and siblings, we found an old bunker thing with a doorway that had been blocked by landslide and a little chimney on top, the dogs squeezed in through the doorway and we were all curious to see what was going on, so her 6(I think) year old sister was picked up by the angles, and I stood over the chimney and lowered her in head first to see what was going on. I can't think of anything I'd like to have done less, but she was fine.
Steve H said:
I can understand the bit about wanting to do something even though (or maybe because) it scares the crap out of you.
I've done gliding, ballooning, three parachute jumps and and a few bungee jumps. I'm still scared of heights
I've been paragliding (Ie. leapt from a cliff) and I've stood on a rocky outcrop at the highest point in Europe, just shy of The Jungfrau's summit in the Swiss Alps staring down through the clouds and felt fine, travelled in countless cable cars and gondolas with friends rocking them wildly and I'm desperate to try a parachute jump, yet still I'm terrified of heights. How much does it take to get used to it?!I've done gliding, ballooning, three parachute jumps and and a few bungee jumps. I'm still scared of heights
Ayahuasca said:
When I was training to be in the TA paras we were shown over various types of holes in the ground that had been dug by some Royal Egineers. There was one that was some kind of bunker that was a very long narrow passage that led to a small underground chamber.
The Directing Staff thought it would be a good laugh to see how many of us they could squeeze into it. Being full of youthful enthusiasm and stupidity I was the first into the shoulder wide, shoulder tall tunnel. I was followed by around thirty or forty blokes into a space big enough for maybe fifteen, squashed against the wall at the far end, and still they kept shoving men in because they couldn't see how squashed we were up front. My arms were pressed to my sides, there was no way of moving and it was hard to breathe. The sense of trying to control panic and knowing you are on the verge of screaming like a girl is not nice at all.
Still gives me the heeby-jeebies thinking about it.
Completely totally and utterly f-ck that.The Directing Staff thought it would be a good laugh to see how many of us they could squeeze into it. Being full of youthful enthusiasm and stupidity I was the first into the shoulder wide, shoulder tall tunnel. I was followed by around thirty or forty blokes into a space big enough for maybe fifteen, squashed against the wall at the far end, and still they kept shoving men in because they couldn't see how squashed we were up front. My arms were pressed to my sides, there was no way of moving and it was hard to breathe. The sense of trying to control panic and knowing you are on the verge of screaming like a girl is not nice at all.
Still gives me the heeby-jeebies thinking about it.
Waugh-terfall said:
How much does it take to get used to it?!
You never do, you just become better at controlling your fear. I don't like heights - at all - yet used to climb some horrendously exposed stuff, have skydived, been in a Pitts-Special, Done the biggest bungie in the world, all in the name of conquering that fear. I've even had a climbing accident where my gear failed and led to a trip in an air ambulance with a suspected spinal fracture (fortunately not the case). Yet carried on.
It's all about small incremental steps. Start small, gradually get bigger. BUT there is always that little devil at the back of your mind, which, if you give enough attention to can seriously ruin your day.
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
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