Caving Expeditions Manual

Expedition Advisory Centre of the Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers) 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR Tel: 0207 591 3030 fax: 0207 591 3031 email: [email protected] website: www.rgs.org RGS-IBG Expedition Advisory Centre The Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers) is the UK's main organisation for screening and funding small independent research expeditions. These assist in furthering geographical knowledge and the encouragement of life-long learning, leadership and team skills. The Society's internationally acclaimed Expedition Advisory Centre provides information, training and advice to anyone planning an expedition overseas through a range of training seminars and workshops, publications and information resources. Details of these can be found on the EAC website: www.rgs.org/eac The Expedition Advisory Centre receives core support from Shell International Limited. Shell has provided sponsorship for over a decade so that the Centre can maintain and improve its services to schools, universities and the scientific and academic communities in general, and so promote interest in, and research into, geographical and environmental concerns worldwide. Further information on the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies and their oil, natural gas, chemical and renewable energy businesses, can be found on the Shell website: www.shell.com CAVING EXPEDITIONS Edited by Dick Willis Published by the Expedition Advisory Centre of the Royal Geographical Society, in association with the British Cave Research Association 3rd Edition, December 1993 ISBN 0-907649-62-9 1st Edition - April 1986 2nd Edition - June 1989 Published by the RGS-IBG Expedition Advisory Centre Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers) 1 Kensington Gore London SW7 2AR Tel: 020 7591 3030 Fax: 020 7591 3031 [email protected] www.rgs.org/eac Cover photograph by Simon Fowler Acknowledgements Like many a project, this handbook began as a labour of love and, as deadlines grew close, became something else. No doubt each individual contributor has felt the same way at some point in the preparation of his or her section. Even so all were produced although not all were on time. However, the late contributions came from individuals who had themselves only recently returned from expeditions and were busy on the production of their expedition reports. There can be no better excuse and so their lateness is forgiven and my thanks are due to all for their considerable efforts. My thanks are also due to the staff of the Expedition Advisory Centre for their good humoured tolerance and ready advice and in particular, to Fay Hercod and Deborah Boys for preparing this edition. Although not directly concerned with the Handbook, Julie Wooldridge deserves considerable gratitude for organising the catering at the Caving Expeditions Seminar - the event which was the catalyst for the production of this book. Caves are fragile environments; please remember, Leave nothing but footsteps, Take nothing but photographs, Kill nothing but time. Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this publication is accurate, the reader is advised to check the latest position. The Expedition Advisory Centre cannot accept responsibility for any inaccuracies. Contents FOREWORD Ben Lyon INTRODUCTION Dick Willis 1. SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR CAVERS Christine Bonner, Shane Winser Primary sources 1 Secondary sources 2 Useful organisations 4 Collections of caving materials 5 Further reading 5 2. PERMISSION AND ACCESS Dave Checkley 7 Introduction 7 Sources of information 8 The initial contacts 8 On arrival 9 Follow-up 9 References 10 3. PERSONNEL Andy Eavis 13 4. CONTRACTS Andy Eavis 15 Introduction 15 Informal contracts 15 Formal contracts 16 An example memorandum of agreement 17 5. FINANCE Howard Jones 19 Budgets 19 Budget headings 19 Points to remember 20 Sources of finance 21 References 22 6. IMAGE Dick Willis 23 Introduction 23 Before you leave 23 During the expedition 26 After the expedition 26 7. SPONSORSHIP Dick Willis 27 Introduction 27 What do you want? 27 How much, when, why and where? 28 What do they get? 29 The scrounge 30 During the expedition 32 After the expedition 32 A final word 33 8. HANDLING THE MEDIA Dick Willis 35 Introduction 35 Newspapers 36 TV and Radio 39 Article writing 40 Lecturing 40 References 41 9. FOOD Dave Checkley 43 Introduction 43 Expedition types 46 European caving expeditions 46 European expeditions with underground and remote camps 46 Packaging for underground camps 47 Essential considerations 48 Lightweight expeditions to distant countries 48 Heavyweight expeditions to distant countries 48 References 50 10. EXPEDITION TRANSPORTATION Dave Gill 51 Introduction 51 Outgoing transportion of personnel 51 Outgoing transportion of equipment 53 Internal transportion of personnel 55 Internal transportion of equipment 58 References 60 11. INSURANCE FOR EXPEDITIONS Geoff Wells and Sam Moore 61 What insurance is required? 61 How much insurance is required? 61 How do you obtain insurance? 64 What about claims? 65 Avoidance of claims 65 12. EXPEDITION REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS Tony Waltham 67 Introduction 67 The main report 67 The publication problem 69 Report illustrations 72 13. EQUIPMENT, TECHNIQUES AND TRAINING Tim Fogg 75 Introduction 75 Equipment 75 Techniques 79 Training 80 References 81 14. CAVE SURVEY ON EXPEDITIONS Tony White 83 Why survey? 83 What type of survey? 83 Methods of survey 84 Methods of plotting 89 What is required? 89 Satellite navigation 92 Future developments 93 References 93 Appendix 94 15. SCIENTIFIC WORK ON CAVING EXPEDITIONS Dr P.L. Smart 99 Why do science? 99 What can be done? 102 Who should do it? 102 How to make science work 103 16. HYDROLOGY, GEOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY Dr P.L. Smart 105 Hydrology 105 Geology 107 Geomorphology 107 References 108 17. CAVE BIOLOGY ON EXPEDITIONS Philip Chapman 111 Introduction 111 Why take an expedition biologist? 112 How not to do it 112 Pre-expedition preparation 113 Collecting and publishing data and the need for conservation 113 Killing and preserving specimens 114 Getting names for your animals 114 If you do not take a biologist 115 References 115 18. EXPEDITION ARCHAEOLOGY Charlotte Roberts 117 Definitions 117 Archaeological deposits in caves 117 Types of archaeological cave sites 118 The expedition: preparation, discovery and procedures 119 Concluding remarks 120 Bibliography 121 Appendix: Museums 122 19. STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY ON EXPEDITIONS Jerry Wooldridge 127 Photographic needs of an expedition 127 Film stock 127 Film speed 128 Sponsor photographs 128 Camera equipment 128 Care of equipment 129 Airports 130 Lighting 130 Field processing 132 Sponsorship 132 References 132 20. CAVE CINEMATOGRAPHY ON EXPEDITIONS Sid Perou 133 Introduction 133 Why make a film? 133 Advantages of a film 133 Disadvantages of a film 134 Television sponsorship 134 Making a film or video without prior sponsorship 135 Film or video 136 Equipment consideratins 137 16mm Cameras 137 Sound with film 137 Video cameras 138 Sound on video 140 Lighting 140 Care of equipment 142 Film stock 142 The film 143 21. CAVE DIVING Robert Palmer 145 Introduction 145 Approach 145 Diving 146 Equipment 147 Diving medicine 150 Decompression 150 Diving science 151 Conservation 151 Politics 151 On return 152 References 152 22. SMALL-TEAM AND SELF-RESCUE Paul Ramsden 153 Expedition requirements 153 The caving group considerations 153 The rescue 154 References 156 23. EXPLORATION MEDICINE Dr Jon Buchan 159 Introduction 159 Preparation 161 In the field 166 Specific conditions 166 References 168 FOREWORD Favoured indeed is the cave explorer of today. Unlike the mountaineer, polar explorer or yachtsman, now forced into ever more circumscribed challenges in the search for new pastures, the speleologist has expanding horizons all around. In our own small islands, caves are still being discovered and extended after nearly a century of ever-increasing effort. A simple extrapolation from the size and number of caves to be found in Britain's small and glacially scoured Karst areas indicates the almost limitless possibilities in the bigger and deeper limestone formations of the World. (Not to mention the lava, sandstone and ice-caves!) Actual exploration in the last decade have shown that this is far from a pipe-dream. Caves are indeed a much more important component of the Earth's crust than could have been imagined. British cavers and cave scientists are in the vanguard - both at home and abroad. Back home, all the easy entrances were ferreted out years ago, but digging and diving, aided by an increasingly sophisticated knowledge of where and how caves form have produced generations of cavers ever better equipped to discover obscure, blocked, flooded and difficult underground byways. Armed with lightweigt equipment which allows the smallest team to tackle the deepest and longest cave, the best of British cavers are capable of meeting the challenge of caves anywhere in the World. The annual odyssey takes different forms. Most accessible, and favoured by University teams, are the Karsts of Europe, where long-term projects involving detailed and painstaking exploration and recording of a small area over a number of years has produced internationally recognised results - particularly in Northern Spain. Time and time again such expeditions have confounded the law of diminishing returns, and as a result of the groundwork of previous years' work they have made ever bigger and more significant breakthroughs. Further afield, British expeditions have now visited many parts of South-East Asia, Australasia, South America, Africa, Mexico, Canada and elsewhere. In a number of cases the first visit to an area has led to the start of more intensive and detailed work, as in New Guinea, Sarawak, and Canada. Discoveries made have ranged from the largest caves in the world to underground water sources vital to the local population. Some expeditions have been mammoth affairs, others very small. The fact is that there is scope for all.

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