laura (06/11/82)
The latin word for caving is something close to "spelunkin" -- i only know this because yesterday i was drilling my brother who had a grade nine latin exam today, and the word stuck to mind....maybe someone with a latin dictionary (my brother turned his in at the exam today) could look the word up. (or i could get off my behind and look it up myself in the library). Anybody know if the restriction Castro has placed on Americans entering Cuba (has been is going to be) lifted? As a Canadian, I dont have the problem, but one of the most impressive caves I have ever been inside is "Bellamar Caves" in Cuba (about 25 miles out of Veradero, which is where they put the tourists as a rule). It was all tour, and no caving, alas -- but I would love to get a chance to explore the "no permitte los touristas" part. It is a huge underground riverbed/cave full of gorgeous stalactities and stalagmites. Even escorted, it was the nicest thing about my Cuban vacation (besides seeing sun and no snow for a few days.) any visitors to cuba might, however, want to send me a line -- i tell all on what to bring, what to expect, what not to expect --- et cetera. Why the restriciton against giving out the location of a cave? laura creighton decvax!utzoo!laura
jj (06/11/82)
This article is really to follow up the question "Why not publish the locations of caves?" To clarify the point. Publication of commercial caves is up to the individual. If you enjoyed your trip, feel free. I don't, as a rule, like comercial caves, but that's only my opinion. Commercial caves are regulated by the owner, have guards (called guides) and are generally excused from the usual cave vandal by their locked and supervised condition. Publication of the location of a WILD cave should be absolutely avoided. I personally have seen several wild caves that were completely ruined after their location was made generally known. In the case of a wild cave, general public knowlege of the location of a cave results in that cave being visited by people who are inexperienced, both in safety and conservation principles, people who deliberately do not obey either of the principles just mentioned, people who want to party, etc. The result of such visits is susally the destruction of all the speleothems in the parts of the cave that are easier to access, the covering of the walls with graffitti, paint, etc, litter on the floor, damage to the cave structure(in several cases), accidents involving people who are 1)lost 2)lost long enough to die of hypothermia 3)fall and are injured and a)make it our b)die of hypothermia c)die of the injuries received in the fall 4)caught without light, and subject to 1,2,3 as a result 5)panic and 1,2,3 6) get drunk(yes, it has happened, but not (as far as I know) among experienced cavers) and 1,2, or 3. The results of these events is usually the cave's either being blasted shut by an angry landowner, being shut and guarded by law enforcement officials (It doesn't take much, you can't as a rule hide your cars, etc), or being gated. In any case, the cave is lost to active exploring for the time being, and in some cases forever. I should point out that damage to speleothems is NOT repaired in times on the order of the human lifetime, and that the soda straw, or stalactite that you break today will be observed as broken by cavers in the 30th century(if any). In many caves, that have been faulted or uplifted so that they are above the water table by a significant amount, the damage will in fact never be fixed. Before everyone who reads this sends me mail telling me that they wouldn't do such a thing, I know that all but maybe one or two of you certainly wouldn't. It only takes one.