Sport Caving and Safety Tips

Always let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back. Also, we usually leave a note just inside the windshield of the car with information including time into cave, time plan to be out and who to notify if late.

Always carry three independent sources of light at all times. Usually this is a hard hat light, plus a small flashlight and candle with matches. Be sure to have extra batteries and bulbs.

Know your limits. Don’t trust luck to get you out. Do not go down into a hole until you are sure you can get back out safely. This includes the limits of your equipment, like the length of a rope and the time your lights will keep burning.

Spotting is so important on the entire venture. It is the act of being ready to catch a person that may be falling or just to give a boost to help them over an obstacle.

ALWAYS be in voice contact with someone. This allows exploring without getting separated from the group.
Try to maintain the “3 points of climbing” on the mountains or in the caves. This could be two hands and the seat or….

Every caver has difficult obstacles. Do not be embarrassed to ask for more spotting or some assistance of any kind.
Follow good conservation practices. While the ravages of a forest fire can be covered up in two or three years by new growth, a cave that has be vandalized will take hundreds of years to restore the formations. Even if you find a formation on the ground accidentally knocked off, leave it- it may be the nucleus of a new stalagmite and if you bring it out, people will think they can bring them out, too, and there goes a beautiful cave.
Take nothing but pictures; Leave nothing but footprints; Kill nothing but time.