Caving Stories: True Cave Rescue & Survival

Caving Stories
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Caving Stories is a true cave rescue and survival podcast: real accounts of cavers stuck, trapped and cut off underground, and of the rescuers, cave divers, firefighters and friends who tried to bring them out. Each episode retells real caving accidents from start to finish, with the place and the date on the record: tight squeezes, flooded passages, vertical drops, ropes inside a waterfall and a cave whose only way out caught fire. Season 1: the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand (the Wild Boars football team); Nutty Putty Cave, Utah (2009); three cavers held fast by the rock; two cavers against gravity; the Warm-Up Pit in Ellison's Cave, Georgia (2011); the Carnegie Cave fire, Pennsylvania (1967); the Robber Baron Cave rescue in San Antonio, Texas (2018); Black Cave, Arizona (1995); Skunk Cave, Iowa (2001); Parker's Pit Cave and the Z-Bend, Harrison County, Indiana (1986); a Black Hills cave in South Dakota (2022); Tongue River Cave, Wyoming (2002); and the Mossdale Caverns flood in the Yorkshire Dales, England (1967). The stories are adapted from the animated videos on the Caving Stories YouTube channel and retold for audio. Episode notes include chapter times, links to the sources (National Speleological Society accident reports, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, fire department and news reports), the animated video of the story and a full transcript. For anyone into caving and spelunking, cave diving, the outdoors and adventure, true survival stories and real rescues. Also in Spanish (Caving Stories en español) and Portuguese (Caving Stories em português). YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@caving_stories

Episodes

  1. Oct 21

    Mossdale Caverns, England: The Flood of 1967

    Mossdale Caverns, Yorkshire Dales, Saturday 24 June 1967: ten cavers go in on a fine summer day. Four turn back. Then the weather breaks, Mossdale Beck floods the entrance, and six men are cut off deep inside. Rescuers dig a trench and dam the beck to reach them. Told from published accounts of the tragedy. Content note: this story ends with six deaths. The case: Mossdale Caverns, Upper Wharfedale, Yorkshire Dales, England, 24 June 1967. On Saturday 24 June 1967, ten cavers entered Mossdale Caverns in Upper Wharfedale, in the Yorkshire Dales. Four turned back after about three hours. Heavy rain swelled Mossdale Beck and flooded the entrance and much of the cave. Rescuers diverted the beck with a trench and a dam; the bodies of five of the six cavers left inside were found in the Far Marathon Crawls, and the sixth later. The cave was sealed. Chapters 0:00 The entrance 0:29 Ten cavers 0:59 The beck 1:24 The dam 1:52 Far Marathon 2:22 Sealed 2:45 What the record says Sources Wikipedia, "Mossdale Caverns" (the 1967 tragedy, with its references) "Remembering Mossdale fifty years on", with John Conway's account, Darkness Below, 2017 Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep12.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Mossdale Caverns, England: The Flood of 1967

  2. Oct 17

    Tongue River Cave, Wyoming: The 300-Pound Boulder

    Tongue River Cave, Wyoming, June 2002: nine young cavers are exploring when a 300-pound boulder comes loose and falls, trapping two of them, Barry Blaha and Danna Herbert, in a small passage. Their friends run for help. Sheridan County rescuers work for hours and move the boulder with a winch. Told from the National Speleological Society's accident report, with the cave's earlier record. The case: Tongue River Cave, Sheridan County, Wyoming, June 2002. In June 2002, Barry Blaha, Danna Herbert and seven other young cavers were exploring Tongue River Cave, Wyoming, when a 300-pound boulder became dislodged and fell, trapping Blaha and Herbert in a small passage. Several companions went for help. After several hours of work, Sheridan County rescuers moved the boulder with a winch and other tools, and the two were freed at about 10:30 p.m. Chapters 0:00 Three hundred pounds 0:26 Nine young cavers 0:59 The boulder 1:19 For help 1:32 The winch 1:53 What the record says Sources NSS News, American Caving Accidents, August 2005, Part 2 (2002 incidents), p. 18: "Tongue River Cave, Wyoming, rockfall entrapment" NSS News, American Caving Accidents, June 2003, Part 2 (1999 incidents): Tongue River Cave, 26 September and 6 November 1999 Wikipedia, "Tongue River Cave" (location) Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep11.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Tongue River Cave, Wyoming: The 300-Pound Boulder

  3. Oct 17

    Black Hills, South Dakota: Eighteen Hours at the Bend

    A cave on private land in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 7 and 8 October 2022: a young caver squeezes around a 90-degree bend in a passage nine inches high, and cannot come back through it. Cavers of the Paha Sapa Grotto bring wired field phones, hammer drills and webbing, forty minutes of crawling from the entrance. Eighteen hours later, he crawls out on his own. Told from the press accounts of the rescue. The case: A cave on private land in the Black Hills, South Dakota, 7-8 October 2022. On 7 and 8 October 2022, a young caver exploring a cave on private property in the Black Hills of South Dakota became stuck at a 90-degree bend, in a space about nine inches high, some forty minutes of crawling from the entrance. Cavers of the Paha Sapa Grotto and rescuers from Custer and Pennington counties worked through the night with hammer drills. After eighteen hours, he pulled himself free with webbing and crawled out under his own power. Chapters 0:00 Nine inches 0:34 Private land 1:13 The call 1:54 A wire to the surface 2:21 The drills 2:53 The webbing 3:38 What the record says Sources Jason Ferguson, "Between a rock and a hard place", Custer County Chronicle, 20 October 2022 (Hill City Prevailer News) Patrick Springer, "Cave explorer rescued after 18 hours stuck underground in Black Hills", InForum, 13 October 2022 KOTA Territory News, "Paha Sapa Grotto team rescues man from cave", 12 October 2022 Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep10.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

  4. Oct 3

    Black Cave, Arizona: The Light He Had Left

    Black Cave, Arizona, April 1995: Thomas Edward Benning goes into a cave he knows, alone, with one electric lamp. Search teams go in several times and do not find him. Twenty months later, three cavers follow a trail of his things down a passage hidden behind a rock. Told from the National Speleological Society's accident report. Content note: this story ends in a death. The case: Black Cave, Arizona, April 1995 (found 14 December 1996). In April 1995, Thomas Edward Benning entered Black Cave, Arizona, on a solo trip, with no helmet and one electric miner's lamp. His wife reported him missing the next day. Search teams went into the cave several times. He was found on 14 December 1996 by three cavers: Bill Graff, Elizabeth Robb and Dale Green. Chapters 0:00 A book of matches 0:37 Alone 1:07 Behind the rock 1:36 Light failure 2:09 The search 2:50 Twenty months later 3:49 Three more trips 4:12 What the record says 4:44 With their map Sources NSS, American Caving Accidents 1994–1995 (NSS News, December 1997, pp. 428–429): "April, Black Cave, Arizona: solo caving, lost, light failure, fatality" Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep07.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Black Cave, Arizona: The Light He Had Left

  5. Oct 3

    Skunk Cave, Iowa: Twelve Hours in a Crevice

    Skunk Cave, north of Cresco, Iowa, Saturday 6 October 2001: an hour into a trip with his father and two friends, Andy Wernimont is wedged in a tight crevice. Rescue units from two states work on the rock with a hammer drill and a hydraulic pump. Twelve hours later, Minnesota cave explorer John Ackerman brings him out. Told from the press account of the rescue. The case: Skunk Cave, north of Cresco, Iowa, 6 October 2001. On Saturday 6 October 2001, Andy Wernimont of Byron, Minnesota, entered Skunk Cave, north of Cresco, Iowa, at 10 a.m. with his father and two friends. About an hour later he was wedged in a tight crevice. At 11:15 p.m., twelve hours after he became stuck, cave explorer John Ackerman escorted him to the surface. Chapters 0:00 Nothing is working 0:38 Ten in the morning 1:07 Two states 1:44 Forty-eight degrees 2:23 The message 3:01 11:15 p.m. 3:17 What the record says 4:03 The same spot Sources Press article on the rescue (reproduced on the Minnesota Cave Preserve website) Star Tribune (2018): "Cave explorer discusses dangers of hobby" Post Bulletin (Rochester, Minnesota), news report Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep08.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Skunk Cave, Iowa: Twelve Hours in a Crevice

  6. Oct 3

    Harrison County, Indiana: The Rock Slide and the Z-Bend

    Two short cases from the caves of Harrison County, Indiana, both from the National Speleological Society's accident reports. Near Ramsey, around 1975, a rock slide at a cave entrance shuts two young cavers inside, and a whole community turns out to open it. In Parker's Pit Cave, on 25 January 1986, a caver sticks in a passage called the Z-Bend. Nobody dies in this episode. The case: Harrison County, Indiana: a cave near Ramsey, 1975(?), and Parker's Pit Cave, 25 January 1986. Near Ramsey, Indiana: the rock slide at the entrance Three young cavers entered a cave near Ramsey, Indiana, at about 4:30 p.m. About two and a half hours later, as they were leaving, a rock slide trapped two of them in the entrance. By 10 p.m. rescue workers had pierced the wall and the two crawled to safety unharmed. The NSS report dates it "1975(?)". Parker's Pit Cave, Indiana: the Z-Bend On 25 January 1986, four cavers were in Parker's Pit Cave. One came down a 22-foot pit with his rappel device only half rigged and was not injured; on the same trip a caver became stuck in the Z-Bend and was helped through by the cavers ahead and behind. Chapters 0:00 Two sides of a wall 0:37 Half past four 1:10 The slide 1:28 Everyone who came 1:56 Not enough care 2:30 Parker's Pit 2:52 Whoosh 3:15 The Z-Bend 3:41 What the record says Sources NSS, American Caving Accidents 1975, pp. 31–32: "Indiana, unidentified cave, 1975(?)" NSS, American Caving Accidents 1986 (NSS News, November 1987, p. 394): "Parker's Pit Cave, Indiana, 1-25-86" Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep09.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Harrison County, Indiana: The Rock Slide and the Z-Bend

  7. Oct 3

    Ellison's Cave: Two Ropes in a Waterfall

    Ellison's Cave, Georgia, 12 February 2011: a backpack falls into the Warm-Up Pit, a University of Florida student goes down after it on a rope rigged inside a waterfall, and a friend follows him on a second rope. Told from the National Speleological Society's accident report and the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. Content note: this story ends in two deaths. The case: Ellison's Cave, Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, Georgia, 12 February 2011. On Saturday 12 February 2011, ten University of Florida students went into Ellison's Cave on Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, Georgia. When a backpack fell into the Warm-Up Pit, Grant Lockenbach went down after it, and Michael Pirie followed on a second rope. The call to 911 was logged at 2:19 p.m. Both men were out of the cave by 8:30 that night. Chapters 0:00 Two ropes in a waterfall 0:36 The Warm-Up Pit 1:35 The backpack 2:26 Difficulty on rope 3:06 The second rope 3:51 2:19 p.m. 4:26 The rescue 5:20 What the record says 6:20 Both still on Watch this story, animated, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTNDWDy8RfM Sources NSS, American Caving Accidents 2011–2012 (NSS News, August 2013, pp. 13–14) Carnegie Hero Fund Commission: Michael Wayne Pirie Wikipedia: Ellison's Cave Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep04.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Ellison's Cave: Two Ropes in a Waterfall

  8. Oct 3

    Carnegie Cave: The Only Way Out Was on Fire

    Carnegie Cave, Pennsylvania, 9 July 1967: the only way in and out is a tar-lined steel drain pipe under Interstate 81. Two candles left burning inside it set the tar on fire, with three inexperienced cavers still in the cave. One of them crawls out through the flames. The other two stay. Told from the National Speleological Society's accident report and the Shippensburg Fire Department's account. Content note: this story ends in a death. The case: Carnegie Cave, near Cleversburg, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 9 July 1967. On Sunday 9 July 1967, three inexperienced cavers went into Carnegie Cave, near Cleversburg, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, through its only entrance: a 36-inch, tar-lined drain pipe, 150 feet long, under Interstate 81. Two candles left burning in the pipe set the tar alight. Charles Richter crawled out through the fire. The two who stayed were found safe and brought out at 6:12 p.m. Charles Richter died three days later. Chapters 0:00 The only way out 0:34 A pipe under the interstate 0:58 Two candles 1:39 Smoke 2:09 Into the pipe 2:44 The two who stayed 3:50 Three days 4:12 What the record says 5:30 Two candles, burning Watch this story, animated, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI5dI5yss0o Sources NSS, American Caving Accidents 1967–1970 (1974), p. 7, "Pennsylvania, Carnegie Cave" Shippensburg Fire Department history, 2008: the Vigilant Hose Company account of the Carnegie Cave fire Wikipedia: List of United States caving fatalities Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep05.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Carnegie Cave: The Only Way Out Was on Fire

  9. Oct 3

    Robber Baron Cave: Stuck in the Hole in the Floor

    Robber Baron Cave, San Antonio, Texas, 8 March 2018: on a school trip led by experienced cavers, a student climbing down a twisting passage called the Hole in the Floor gets stuck at the torso, about 350 feet from the entrance. About 70 people, working in 20-minute shifts, chip away the rock beside her with pneumatic hammers. More than ten hours later, she comes out without an injury. Told from the news reports on the rescue and the San Antonio Fire Department's statements. The case: Robber Baron Cave, San Antonio, Texas, 8 March 2018. On 8 March 2018, on a school trip into Robber Baron Cave, San Antonio, Texas, an 18-year-old student got stuck at the torso while climbing down a passage called the Hole in the Floor, about 350 feet from the entrance. The experienced cavers with the group tried for about an hour, then called the San Antonio Fire Department. About 70 people, in 20-minute shifts, widened the hole with pneumatic hammers. She was freed more than ten hours later, without an injury. Chapters 0:00 Stuck in the rock 0:36 Robber Baron Cave 0:59 The Hole in the Floor 1:25 An hour of trying 1:38 Twenty-minute shifts 2:07 I can move 2:31 What the record says 3:33 About five feet Sources KSAT, 9 March 2018: report on the Robber Baron Cave rescue FireRescue1: San Antonio Fire Department statements on the Robber Baron Cave rescue CBS News: report on the Robber Baron Cave rescue KENS5: report on the Robber Baron Cave rescue News4SA: report on the Robber Baron Cave rescue Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep06.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Robber Baron Cave: Stuck in the Hole in the Floor

  10. Sep 28

    Tham Luang & Nutty Putty Cave: Trapped Underground

    The 2018 Thai cave rescue at Tham Luang, a caver pinned for 18 hours in a limestone S-bend, and Nutty Putty Cave in Utah, told in two parts. Three real cave rescues, start to finish. Content note: the Nutty Putty Cave story ends in a death. The cases: Tham Luang cave, Thailand, June 2018; Nutty Putty Cave, Utah, November 2009. Tham Luang: the cave accident the whole world watched On 23 June 2018, the 12 players of the Wild Boars football team and their coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, went into Tham Luang cave. A flash flood blocked the only way out. Nine days later, about two and a half miles from the entrance, all 13 were found alive. Pinned in rock for 18 hours Pinned in a limestone S-bend, Mark waited while rescuers drilled the passage wider in shifts through the night. After 18 hours without moving, he slid free at a quarter to six in the morning on 8 October. Nutty Putty Cave, Part 1: headfirst into a 10-inch crack On 24 November 2009, John Edward Jones pushed into an uncharted passage of Nutty Putty Cave, 400 feet from the entrance and about 100 feet down, and slid headfirst into a fissure only eight inches across at its narrowest. Nutty Putty Cave, Part 2: the rescue Inside the rescue: a team of 100 rigging pulleys at every turn, John hanging upside down for hours, and why the cave was sealed for good. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:21 Tham Luang: the cave accident the whole world watched 4:19 Pinned in rock for 18 hours 7:40 Nutty Putty Cave, Part 1: headfirst into a 10-inch crack 12:28 Nutty Putty Cave, Part 2: the rescue 16:18 Subscribe to Caving Stories Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaL9cuyAT6I Watch the original stories on YouTube: The cave accident the whole world watched Stuck underground, and nobody knew where He went headfirst into a 10-inch crack The worst position you can be in underground Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep01.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Tham Luang & Nutty Putty Cave: Trapped Underground

  11. Sep 28

    Stuck in a Cave Squeeze: 3 Cavers the Rock Wouldn't Let Go

    Three real stories of cavers stuck in tight cave squeezes. A headfirst crawl through a passage that bent left, dipped, and then bent right. A crack that looked straight from outside and turned 90 degrees a few feet in. And a guide who led 12 people through a narrow gap, then stuck at the hips behind them. The question-mark passage: headfirst into three bends Headfirst on the elbows through water-smoothed limestone: uphill, a long curve left, a slope down, then a bend right that asked for the opposite of everything the body was already doing. A few minutes in the passage turned into four hours. The 90-degree bend nobody could see From outside it read as a straight tunnel. A few feet in, the crack turned hard right and narrowed exactly where her ribs met the rock. Her friends tried everything before one went out for help, and in a cave that sits at 52°F, the cold became the next danger. Twelve people on the wrong side of the crack Richard led a group of 12 sideways through a tight crack, then followed them and stuck at the hips halfway through, the only way out now blocked by his own body. Above ground, Melissa Jones wasn't expecting anyone back for more than three hours. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:22 The question-mark passage: headfirst into three bends 3:45 The 90-degree bend nobody could see 7:18 Twelve people on the wrong side of the crack 11:06 Subscribe to Caving Stories Watch the original stories on YouTube: He was deep inside when the passage moved The passage she walked straight past He led 12 people in — and had to get all 12 out Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep02.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    Stuck in a Cave Squeeze: 3 Cavers the Rock Wouldn't Let Go

  12. Sep 28

    No Way Back Up: A Wet Slot and a 35-Foot Drop

    Two real caving accidents where the way down was easy and the way back was not. A caver wedged in a wet slot that would not let him climb back out in the winter cold, and a caver braced by his arms alone across a collapsing shaft, above a 35-foot drop. One pitch too far: the slot that wouldn't let him back up England squeezed down through a wet slot with gravity doing the work, and turned back at the next drop because he had no partner to secure him. On the way up, the same slot would not let him through. Lewis and Moore pulled on the rope from above, and every tug wedged him tighter as the winter cold set in. Holding on above a 35-foot drop When the cave floor gave way, Derek ended up 15 feet down a narrow shaft, braced by his arms alone above a 35-foot drop to the stream. His friends got a rope down to him, but tying it on meant letting go. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:21 One pitch too far: the slot that wouldn't let him back up 4:19 Holding on above a 35-foot drop 7:30 Subscribe to Caving Stories Watch the original stories on YouTube: He went down one pitch too far Trapped in a tunnel too narrow to turn around Full transcript: https://pub-413c1fc5107e439dbec7a1f1c322ed45.r2.dev/transcripts/ep03.vtt Caving Stories on YouTube: English Spanish Portuguese Follow the show in your podcast app to get each new episode as soon as it is out. Produced by Caving Stories.

    No Way Back Up: A Wet Slot and a 35-Foot Drop
  • 12 Episodes

About

Caving Stories is a true cave rescue and survival podcast: real accounts of cavers stuck, trapped and cut off underground, and of the rescuers, cave divers, firefighters and friends who tried to bring them out. Each episode retells real caving accidents from start to finish, with the place and the date on the record: tight squeezes, flooded passages, vertical drops, ropes inside a waterfall and a cave whose only way out caught fire. Season 1: the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand (the Wild Boars football team); Nutty Putty Cave, Utah (2009); three cavers held fast by the rock; two cavers against gravity; the Warm-Up Pit in Ellison's Cave, Georgia (2011); the Carnegie Cave fire, Pennsylvania (1967); the Robber Baron Cave rescue in San Antonio, Texas (2018); Black Cave, Arizona (1995); Skunk Cave, Iowa (2001); Parker's Pit Cave and the Z-Bend, Harrison County, Indiana (1986); a Black Hills cave in South Dakota (2022); Tongue River Cave, Wyoming (2002); and the Mossdale Caverns flood in the Yorkshire Dales, England (1967). The stories are adapted from the animated videos on the Caving Stories YouTube channel and retold for audio. Episode notes include chapter times, links to the sources (National Speleological Society accident reports, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, fire department and news reports), the animated video of the story and a full transcript. For anyone into caving and spelunking, cave diving, the outdoors and adventure, true survival stories and real rescues. Also in Spanish (Caving Stories en español) and Portuguese (Caving Stories em português). YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@caving_stories

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