This cave remains unexplored for a reason /// CATANAMATIAS CAVE

Deepest known cave in the Dominican Republic.

This video is from the January 2023 expedition to map and fully explore Catanamatias Cave.

Ten cavers from Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States formed our team.

We spent two weeks mapping, diving, rigging, and photographing the cave.

We left a total of SEVEN unexplored passages behind - for good reasons!

Maybe another team with better technology can someday pick up where we left off.

In the meantime, watch out for leptospirosis.

More info at:

[donstalos]

This video got me super excited about never going into a cave. Stoked bro.

[davidc]

A lot of adventure shown to us in less than 8 minutes. Nice work and thanks for sharing!

[wandererlife]

That's the best bit of cave exploring footage I've ever seen. So many videos are "mistake" videos or "death" videos or "dumbass crawls headfirst into a tiny hole and ends up upside down with about a thousand people called in to rescue him" videos. Good to see one with decent size caves, repels down, climbs up, water, dry bits and new mapping.
Enjoyed that one.

[pauldavis]

You folks are very brave, I can't imagine being in a small space that you aren't sure you are going to be able to get out of. Be safe, thank you for sharing your adventure.!

[alanmcclure]

I like the fact that the locals can still hold on the idea that the cave still holds the giant golden tree. I love the fact that this legend will not be spoiled today.

[RAMelloh-ijsl]

Very cool. Reverse mountain climbing has always been an interest to this old spelunker. The bad air must be nitrogen and carbon dioxide from the decaying organic debris, which is seen in the video, even in the lower passages. Harmful gasses are especially concentrating in the dry sections isolated by sumps, and in the lowest, poorest breathing sections of the cave. I would be careful using a lighter as a testing device. Methane could be present, methane being a highly flammable gas also produced in the process of the decay of organic matter. I am so pleased this dangerous expedition produced no extreme drama and all returned safely to the surface, a credit to your planning. Kudos to that small Italian team as well. Were there even LED lamps and lithium batteries 30 years ago? I remember when we used acetylene miners' lamps in the late 1960's.

[hokudadog]

Awesome adventure! Your map and good rapport with the locals is everything!

[whereswaldo]

Appreciate the pics and vid’s and especially your brevity. Thank you for sharing. Glad you’re all well.

[ActionAdventureTwins]

It's the worst feeling. Going through some really crazy stuff only to see a name scrawled on the wall, or a bolt set like yall found. Ok, not the worst feeling. It definitely leaves you with a sense of wonder at what the people who were there before you had to go through with even less technology than you had. Hoping yall have more adventures to come with yall being the first ones ever inside plenty more caves!

[Nota]

I can't breath watching!! How brave. Grateful for explorer spirit

[SheLovedMeOnPayDay]

These are bucket list adventures. Thanks for sharing your journey

[rithessa]

looks like a blast, cheers for sharing your experience and making some beautiful maps!

[jasonearl]

Awesome af, you and your team, fcuk the haters. Be safe out there and keep going

[cowboygeologist]

Very cool video. Thanks for sharing your adventure.

[MushookieMan]

There's a strange amount of hateful people in this comment section. I think they're not particularly interested in caving... Just algorithmic expatriats

[ThatGuyRicky]

Very educational & informative content. Will surely be used by future explorers.

[SueGirling]

You guys are awesome and so brave mapping the cave, good job. Thank you for sharing, much love. xx ❤

[Pleisianax]

Trying to badmouth the Italian explorers who went there first is bad form... You can't just reject their contribution by saying they might have falsified their information. A simple reference to their names wouldn't harm either: Giuseppe Muscio and Umberto Sello. It's condescending on your part, to say the least.

[Jaggerbush]

Glad this has a lot of views - shocked that the channel isn't much more popular.

[wzupppp]

I wanted to see that underground waterfall so bad