Looking for advice:
Firstly a little about myself and our task; I have a little experience in caving and a lot in climbing and rope work, as do my friends. In January we are travelling to the Philippines where we own a piece of land which has a number of caves, all unexplored. The area is well known for its caves and gold mining, and it is suggested that in WWII Japanese soldiers hid in the caves. We need to explore the caves in order to find water that we desperately need for washing/building etc. Many other settlements in the area have found water in the local caves that they pump down the hillside for their use.
We have the necessary pipework and pumps. Earlier in the year a local took the pipe into one of the caves and found a small amount of water, but that dried up. I threw a stone in and am sure I heard water fairly deep down.
I wonder if you have anyone with any experience of caving in areas such as the Philippines, what we may need to watch out for and what we may need? We do not intend to go deep into the cave, we simply need to find water and will take the necessary safety precautions.
We already have a 100 metre rope waiting for us, and we have our climbing equipment and medical personnel with us. We are slightly concerned about bat excrement and the possibility of snakes etc. however I am led to believe we are only likely to find snakes at the cave entrance??
Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated, as would a refresher in rope climbing techniques etc. if anyone would be able to assist?
Many thanks,
Andrew (Smallfield, Surrey)
Firstly a little about myself and our task; I have a little experience in caving and a lot in climbing and rope work, as do my friends. In January we are travelling to the Philippines where we own a piece of land which has a number of caves, all unexplored. The area is well known for its caves and gold mining, and it is suggested that in WWII Japanese soldiers hid in the caves. We need to explore the caves in order to find water that we desperately need for washing/building etc. Many other settlements in the area have found water in the local caves that they pump down the hillside for their use.
We have the necessary pipework and pumps. Earlier in the year a local took the pipe into one of the caves and found a small amount of water, but that dried up. I threw a stone in and am sure I heard water fairly deep down.
I wonder if you have anyone with any experience of caving in areas such as the Philippines, what we may need to watch out for and what we may need? We do not intend to go deep into the cave, we simply need to find water and will take the necessary safety precautions.
We already have a 100 metre rope waiting for us, and we have our climbing equipment and medical personnel with us. We are slightly concerned about bat excrement and the possibility of snakes etc. however I am led to believe we are only likely to find snakes at the cave entrance??
Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated, as would a refresher in rope climbing techniques etc. if anyone would be able to assist?
Many thanks,
Andrew (Smallfield, Surrey)