Porth yr Ogof

[bagpuss]

One of my favourite things I did at hidden earth this year was head up to horseshoe falls for a cold water dip!

The advice above is great. Take it slow getting in. I find I have a bit of a wall to break through when getting in and I reach the golden zone of a calm head, but when I hit the second wall I need to get out, else I find it takes a worrying amount of time to warm back up again, and clambering over rocks etc to exit becomes difficult as my brain loses focus

I always make sure I have a wooly hat and insulated jacket to stick on after, sometimes 2 insulated jackets if planning on swims in mountain areas, plus a flask. Makes all the difference. I'm less keen on swims in caves as I really struggle to keep my body temp up if there's any pause in the trip even if wearing the right gear.

 

[hyweldavies]

I always make sure I have a wooly hat and insulated jacket to stick on after, sometimes 2 insulated jackets if planning on swims in mountain areas, plus a flask. Makes all the difference. I'm less keen on swims in caves as I really struggle to keep my body temp up if there's any pause in the trip even if wearing the right gear.

Swimming in caves is considerably easier than it used to be as we don't have a 6lbs lead acid battery on our belts these days !

 

[bagpuss]

Swimming in caves is considerably easier than it used to be as we don't have a 6lbs lead acid battery on our belts these days !

True, but tolerance to cold is an individual thing I think..

 

[Alex]

It was definitely cold, but wore a buoyancy aid. Also I am used to swimming in reservoirs etc so am more used to the cold water. Key is to emerge yourself for a minute or two while in your depth to get used to it before attempting to swim. Biggest issue with the underground swim was lots of logs and sticks in the water, you either have to clamber over or swim past. The "very dangerous" resurgence one did not have any sticks in it, by then I was definitely used to the cold water, again I had a flotation jacket on just incase.

The water is really cold though as I followed it and its a resurgence from another cave system I assume, as it don't come from the river flowing in as well that was dry. Where does the water come from btw?

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I've never understood the desire to go through the resurgence...

As soon as I saw the resurgence pool glowing green with the reflected daylight I could see the appeal of swimming through it (with a decent wetsuit and bouyancy aid). For me, it really adds something to the cave

 

[moletta]

Horseshoe Falls is beautiful and well worth seeing. Best not to swim the weir itself though. The tow back can be deadly!