Higher Education

It was a long way, it took a long time … but they simply had to learn what was at the top of the climb!

Twenty-five Years of Rescues

It was a long way, it took a long time … but they simply had to learn what was at the top of the climb.

The Descent Caption Competition
King Pharaoh’s Caves

The Descent Caption Competition returns with a superb prize from Petzl: a Boreo Caving helmet and a high-end Duo S headlight.

Don’t Misuse Your Kit!

There’s right and there’s wrong and … there are techniques that have come into common use. However, there could be consequences.

Return to Pakistan

After more than a decade, exploration in Pakistan picks up again.

Calling Free-divers

Would you have qualified for free CDG membership … seventy years ago?

Exploring Morvah’s Cliffs

The Carbis Bay Crew believe that solid research has led the team to a Cornish shaft that hasn’t been entered for over a hundred years.

Write it Down!
Digging the Depths

Mr Bat might just point the way to go …

Cover: Rainer Straub in the Graveyard, Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico. Photo: Max Wisshak

Back cover: Jörg Haussmann in the Graveyard, Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico. Photo: Max Wisshak

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Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Obtaining caving expedition insurance has been an increasingly difficult thing to arrange, but at last the BCA has a scheme in place.

An Unusual Bio-filament

Peek into a pool and what do you see? In this case, an unusual formation that demands further study.

Another Big Hole in Europe

The 3D Caves Project is still working away, scanning the world’s largest chambers, and the European listing has changed again.

Cave Ahoy … it’s Cutthroat Caverns

Discovering a new cave is exciting enough, but in this case it is not only new, it’s a significant find.

Exploration … for All

In a much-appreciated move, northern cavers have gathered together to exchange ideas and talk about that wonder word: exploration.

Cover: Yana Bilynets in the recently discovered Velika Rutarjeva, Slovenia. Photo: Peter Gedei

Back cover: Tony Radmall in Racer Cave, Mulu, one of the 2019 expedition targets. Photo: Chris Howes

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Shannon Cave in Ireland has seen over a kilometre of passage added to its length since 2017, so it is time to catch up with the latest finds.

The Buda Success

Dave Gill has worked for seventeen years to protect the limestones of Gunung Buda in Malaysia, and can now finally announce success: a new national park is in the offing.

Down the Tube

The Atlantida Tunnel in the Canary Islands is an incredibly long, flooded lava tube extending beneath the ocean. Access permission is rare, but Martyn Farr was able to take part in a photographic survey.

Gear Review

Ptarmigan Boots

Kevin Dixon, in a search for new caving footwear, considered and dismissed one boot after another before settling on a pair of Grub’s Ptarmigans.

Below the Rhizome

Not every dig leads to a massive breakthrough, but Frank Pearson shows that a winter dig in Marble Steps Pot was still worthwhile.

Cave Rescue ’17

The rescue statistics for 2017 are here, complete with comparison tables covering the past decade of incidents..

Rigging Quaking

A descent of Quaking Pot is not undertaken lightly, but this useful description of the challenges involved should help, following the installation of new anchors.

Northumberland Revealed

A new caving region? Sort of – at least, it is an area that was previously undocumented, but now sports a new guidebook. Here is how it was researched by Chris Scaife.

Cover: Jane Allen at the deviation on the second pitch in Heron Pot. Photo: Mark Burkey

Back cover: Lisa Wooton ascending the entrance shaft of Eldon Hole. Photo: Clive Westlake

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Cave photographers have held another international meeting, the fourth in the series, this time beneath the mountains and deserts of New Mexico.

Gaining Gold

Descent has attained its golden anniversary of presenting stories to entertain and producing a record of exploration for posterity. Join us in our celebrations.

Finding Wadiland

The decades-long search for a connection between two major Austrian caves has been successful. Tom Foord concludes his story of how the final link was achieved.

Extensions in Sludge

Descriptively naming a cave Sludge Pit does not encourage visits, but three years of digging have revealed several extensions.

Cave Rescue ’16

As the newly released data shows, 2016 was one of the better years for UK caving.

The Thai Accolades

The cave rescue in Thailand in July 2018 continues to generate news, the latest being the highly anticipated accolades bestowed on the British divers.

Cover: Cottonwood Cave, New Mexico. Photo: Chris Howes

Back cover: Annie Guiraud in the Second Parallel in Cottonwood Cave, New Mexico, a photograph taken during the 2018 International Meeting of Cave Photographers. Photo: Philippe Crochet

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Cave Science

A British Cave Monitoring Centre

Developing a science-based centre inside a cave is a project that has been discussed for years, and now it has finally been achieved.

A Day of Science

In October cavers gathered for a science session, the latest in BCRA’s series.

Cavers Rescuing Cavers

Despite everyone trying hard, things can go wrong underground, we get that. So, read what happened to others and learn from their mistakes.

In Search of Wadiland

That link between two caves was soooo elusive! How many times have we heard that – but for one team in the Dachstein it looks promising.

At the Mercy of the River

Digging a drain might not seem very attractive, but Town Drain has seen an extension.

Big!

Scanning a sea cave in Scotland has revealed just how massive it is, in the concluding part of our article that started in Descent (264).

The Thai Continuum

The story of the cave rescue in Thailand simply runs and runs …

Business as Usual

Cavers have enjoyed another major conference in the form of Hidden Earth 2018.

Frost and Ice at Hallowe’en

Hallowe’en Rift on Mendip contains the remnants of an unusual past.

The Descent Competition

Mine to Mountain

Did you attempt our short quiz in Descent (264)? Did you win? Check the results to find out.

Cover: The winning colour print at Hidden Earth: Nicky Bayley at Marble Showers, Ogof Ffynnon Ddu. Photo: Mark Burkey

Back cover: Winning images from Hidden Earth 2018: Laura Appleby and Jane Allen in Poetic Justice, Ease Gill Caverns, by Mark Burkey (delegate print award), and Mike Haworth with a pump in Knotlow Cavern by Bill Nix (digital image first place)

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

For fifty years cavers have been digging on northern moors, seeking the lost river of Ingleborough.

The Continuing Mission

A massive cave rescue in Thailand was reported in Descent (263) and we went to print just as the operation concluded. Now we can continue our coverage of this incredible achievement.

Scanning on a Swell

Sea caves are often overlooked as sites to explore in the UK, but there’s some pretty big ones out there simply demanding that they be measured!

So Let Me Get This Straight …

The quartzite caves in the mountains of eastern Zimbabwe are remote and difficult to arrange access for, without throwing in a requirement for armed guards.

Twin Peaks

Two major caving events were held this summer: the EuroSpeleo Forum in Austria and the NSS Convention in Montana.

Write it down!

The Bear Necessities

Clive Keen describes what caving is like in the Canadian Rockies. That’s cold with bears and all … but there’s plenty of limestone.

The Descent Competition

Mine to Mountain

Could this be a challenge for you? Descend to the lowest publicly accessible point deep underground in the UK, then climb to the top of a mountain in one day – and you can win two tickets for the trip.

Cover: The Sunflower in Grotte de Saint Marcel in France, the winning EuroSpeleo image. Photo: Philippe Crochet

Back cover: Rhosydd Slate Quarry in North Wales. Photo: Phil Wolstenholme

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

British cavers have long been exploring the caves of Tresviso in Spain, pushing downwards and, sometimes, upwards. The team is heading into the Death Race.

Underground in the Forest

NAMHO has held another successful national conference; Peter Jackson reports.

The Descent Competition

Protecting Diggers

Check the answers to our competition: did you win a pair of goggles?

Mission Impossible

In July the world held its collective breath as a search was made for a dozen children and their football coach, trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. With British cave divers fully involved, a complex and protracted rescue operation ensued. As the seriousness of the situation unfolded, Descent constructed a timeline of events.

The Skeleton in the Chamber

Another successful Bradford PC Gaping Gill winch meet has concluded, with plenty of caving going on.

Write it down!

Good Morning!

Resting in a cave feels so good … but it can also give someone a shock!

Saying Goodbye to the Forty

It’s fifty years since an immense flood on Mendip changed caving’s landscape for ever.

Where Water Flows Uphill

Join Martyn Farr cave diving on Kefalonia, an island with a remarkably strange hydrology.

Cover: Paul Fairman in Manor Farm Swallet, a winning entry in the Mendip cave photography competition. Photo: Bill Nix

Back cover: Aleksandra Ciesielka and Mike Thomas at the Bridge in G.B. Cave, a runner-up in the Mendip Cave Photography Competition. Photo: Dave Watts

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Protecting Diggers

Try your hand at our competition; it’s easy enough, with five prizes to win.

Cave Science

Passages

Passages … So many forms, so many types – but what’s the difference?

Hot Dog Days

Being invited to join Project Morpheus, cave diving in Croatia, is one thing – but having to learn to dive first is another!

Caverns of the Mind

Frank Pearson is undertaking cave exploration of a different nature: in the mists of history, how did caves figure in literature and imagination?

A Foot in Both Camps

We know the media understands caving poorly, creating a story where none exist. Was it always so? Sid Perou thinks so.

Beneath the Hollow Mountain

Imperial College cavers have been pushing hard in Slovenia’s Sistem Migovec. It’s time for a five-year round-up of the results.

Chasing the Zawn Lead Lode

The Carbis Bay Crew show that discoveries can still be made in abandoned and forgotten Cornish mines.

A Return to Lechuguilla

After twelve years, Tim Fogg has returned to Lechuguilla Cave to help make another film.

Write it down!

A Well-earned Rest

It’s unwise to make assumptions in caving – to do so, thinking you might have an easy time of things, can lead to a seriously long trip.

Cover: Lucy Greenwood in Bluewater Cave, the Philippines. Stu Gardiner

Back cover: Alex Anderson in Hagg Gill Pot in the Yorkshire Dales, a cave found 30 years ago. Photo: Bill Nix

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

The Riesending in Germany was the site of a major cave rescue in 2014. The media reported on it widely with many inaccurate descriptions – so what is the cave actually like both to descend and to push?

Finding the Unexpected

Seeking to restore access to one of Mendip’s renowned sites, the team discovered more than they expected.

There’s Something Down There …

Dig, dig, dig and you will (sometimes) find what lies beyond.

Cave Science

Cave Archaeology in Ireland

Marion Dowd presents us with a superb résumé of Ireland’s archaeological remains and what they tell us of the island’s past.

A Landowner’s Descent

When a landowner requests a trip down his cave it places caving in a good light.

The Son of Longcliffe

Busy working at one mine, the restoration team discovered another …

A Golden Weekend

British caving has achieved so much over the past fifty years, it seemed time to celebrate both the science and exploration.

Write it down!

Shafted by the Law

The lure of the unknown is ever prevalent – but could there be hidden booty?

Cover: Roxanne Ramsay in Heron Pot, Kingsdale. Photo: Paul Swire

Back cover: Descending into the huge flooded chamber of Gradisnica, Slovenia. Photo: Peter Gedei

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

That first time descending a shaft on SRT – it’s an unforgettable thrill..

It’s Mega: 25:468

In 25 years, 468km of cave has been explored in Meghalaya, firmly establishing it as a destination offering world-class caving.

Finding the Wonder Cave

The full story can finally be told about how extensions to Treak Cliff Cavern were discovered.

The Churchill Affair

For 2017, cavers again descended on Mendip for the annual Hidden Earth conference.

Viewpoint

Draenen Recollections

Ogof Draenen continues to dominate the news, though sadly with dissent between cavers.

Bumbling in the Dark

We must say farewell to Scoff, one of Britain’s most respected cave divers.

Gear Review

CS Mudlark

An appreciation of a decades-old oversuit, still going strong.

Cover: Marcel Dikstra in Krem Sakwa, Meghalaya, India. Photo: Chris Howes

Back cover: Dave Brock with formations in Ogof Capel in the Clydach Gorge, South Wales. Photo: Clive Westlake

Price shown includes postage within the UK. For customers outside the UK, postage will be added on at checkout.

VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders to the EU are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.