time flies...

[ian mckenzie]

Mike Boon turns 65 on March 29th.

 

[bubba]

Who's Mike Boon?

 

[cap n chris]

Blimey, Bubba, you surprise me. He's a blimmin' gert famous caver and cave diver, dontcha know!

 

[SamT]

didnt he star in that late 80s sit com that launched neil morresseys careers.

 

[ian mckenzie]

Oh, you guys disappoint me. Mike Boon was a British caver who was active from the late 1950s thru the 1970s. You might know him from the accounts of early Swildons dives, but he also surveyed (with Tich Morris) the entrance series of Darren Cilau - 'nuff said? Mike went on to fame caving in Mexico when Mexico wasn't cool, did a solo expedition to the back of Castleguard Cave in Canada, and was considered by some to be the best caver in the world... and currently lives quietly in Calgary.

 

[SamT]

Big up to the guy.

But soz - I've never heard of him either. Has to be said - my history of caving is a bit poor. Especially outside of the Peak district. Must get some more reading done.

 

[paul]

Oh, you guys disappoint me. Mike Boon was a British caver who was active from the late 1950s thru the 1970s. You might know him from the accounts of early Swildons dives, but he also surveyed (with Tich Morris) the entrance series of Darren Cilau - 'nuff said? Mike went on to fame caving in Mexico when Mexico wasn't cool, did a solo expedition to the back of Castleguard Cave in Canada, and was considered by some to be the best caver in the world... and currently lives quietly in Calgary.

If you can get a copy of his book "Down to a Sunless Sea" - a classic. I like the story of caving in Ireland on a shoestring (as were most of his trips). He was camping on a farm and after accidentally burning his tent down he had to borrow some clothes from the farmer in order to travel home again!

 

[Dave H]

Yes, seems to be the story of his life. Always on a shoe-string, always one step away from a disaster, but a damn hard caver.
Martyn Farr mentions many Boon stories in his early books.

 

[cap n chris]

IIRC he had a bit of a "moment" while diving in Swildon's (perhaps elsewhere) - basically getting completely stuck in zero vis and then having to do a somersault while tucked into a ball trying to keeping his cool. The full horror of it is written up somewhere but I cannot recall where I read it.

 

[dunc]

I've read about his adventures/exploits from various books/mags/etc - sounded like he was a true hard caver to me.. :shock:
Never read the book "Down to a Sunless Sea" though...

 

[paul]

IIRC he had a bit of a "moment" while diving in Swildon's (perhaps elsewhere) - basically getting completely stuck in zero vis and then having to do a somersault while tucked into a ball trying to keeping his cool. The full horror of it is written up somewhere but I cannot recall where I read it.

Boon recounted this story in one of Sid Perou's films on the history of cave diving broadcast some years ago. The point was that the manouvre was so difficult, he didn't know how he managed to do it - but he must have done as he got out of the predicament! It was in Swildons.

 

[cap n chris]

Spot on, Paul; you've got a better memory than me.