?The Complete Caving Manual? by Andy Sparrow (1997 & 2009)


When I first began caving in 2004, I was given a copy of this book and told to learn it ?back to front?. At the time my experience of caving was limited to a few small caves with a couple of friends and no equipment to speak of.  Reading this ?manual? (it is so much more than that) was, to say the least, an eye opener. At the time, it contained many things I didn?t understand (such as SRT) as well as information on areas I would never engage in (cave diving).  Within a very short space of time I learned so much from just reading this that I was excited to ?get out and do it?.

Everything a beginner could possibly want to know is covered within the ?manual? from the basic formation/fabrication of caves (and what lives there) to exploration (including techniques, hazards, leadership, photography and more). Filled with diagrams & photos and presented in a very easy to adopt layout, this book is an absolute joy.

Personally, I think any person new to caving would benefit immensely from a copy of this book. Perhaps clubs could stock them for joining members.

A tome of learning and guidance.



Ian

Thank you for the kind words, I am glad you found the book useful.  Please do forgive me if I use this opportunity for a shameless plug, but some of you might be interested to know that I have written some other books....      https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DM2ZL8K?ref=series_rw_dp_labf

Andy overlooked his amazing series of educational caving videos, too, although the three Cave Safe editions (1-3) are probably not available on modern media, the ever-so-useful SpeleoVertical is; for anyone keen on SRT tuition it is a great resource and learning tool.

http://www.caveclimb.com/products.html

Scroll down, near bottom of page.

Do you still do training days, Andy?

droid said:

Do you still do training days, Andy?

Click to expand...

I have retired from being an official BCA trainer/assessor for the cave leader scheme but I still do a bit of bespoke leader training for centres that use in-house staff.  I also do SRT training/coaching for individuals using the SRT training area at our unit in Cheddar, sometimes followed by a short underground session.