Tom Scott goes caving

aricooperdavis

aricooperdavis

Moderator
We've seen a few videos from Tom Scott on UKCaving in the past, but this time he goes caving in Peak Cavern with the help of Elise Freshwater-Blizzard and Pete and Beth Knight.

I think it's fair to say that it's not his cup of tea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KOZUw_Ah8w

The team underground with him do an excellent job at helping him through his anxiety, which I do think is one of the most valuable skills that student cavers develop.
 
Pete K

Pete K

Well-known member
I was wondering when this might land on here!
It was not the way the day was planned to go, but I think they did an excellent job of editing something that was both interesting to viewers and thankfully not the usual "deadly caving xplore with...." crap. I've been very apprehensive about what they would come up with though. I've turned away all other past guiding requests from social media personalities, but I liked Tom's style and no-BS approach so trusted it would be something I'd be okay to be associated with. He's a nice chap (as were the whole team) and this was not staged for the camera. Also worth checking out Elise's stuff on the link in the YT video description.
I'm pretty sure we'll see him back again to face this demon at some point.
 

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aricooperdavis

aricooperdavis

Moderator
Pete K said:
... but I liked Tom's style and no-BS approach so trusted it would be something I'd be okay to be associated with. He's a nice chap (as were the whole team) and this was not staged for the camera.
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That comes through really clearly, he's really open and honest about how he's feeling and about how frustrated he is not to be able to do it. A real lesson in managing anxiety and being able to weigh up the balance between pushing your comfort zone and knowing your limits. Good stuff!
 
Speleotron

Speleotron

Member
Most non-caving youtubers do my head in with their videos but this was good. I'd rather take Tom underground than the 'OMG DEADLY CAVE' brigade. Do you think his reaction to the water was physical or psychological?
 
aricooperdavis

aricooperdavis

Moderator
Speleotron said:
Do you think his reaction to the water was physical or psychological?
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I don't think those two need be seperate, my experience is that they're two sides of the same coin. His reaction looked a lot like the few panic attacks that I've seen, but I'm no expert.
 
Pete K

Pete K

Well-known member
I also think a bit of both. He was already out of his comfort zone with the activity to start with. I guess we can often take the pain of a situation if we are in a comfortable mental state or physical location that feels 'safe' to us, but I would think that the combination of unexpected physical pain and unfamiliar location may have triggered a panic / adrenaline dump type response in this case. He is no stranger to cold water (see other vids), so I imagine a psychological element must have played some part here. He was kitted out with proper caving kit and thick socks, so it was not a clothing issue. As we said to them after, it is just one of those things and when you push your comfort zone sometimes you do find the edge of it. He strikes me as the type of person who would analyse the event and then wish to confront it and defeat it, so expect a follow up in the future.
 
F

Fishes

New member
I've never seen anyone react to a bit of cold water like that. If you put me in the middle of Meadowhell on a busy day I might have the same reaction though.
 
R

RichardB1983

Member
Pete K said:
I also think a bit of both. He was already out of his comfort zone with the activity to start with. I guess we can often take the pain of a situation if we are in a comfortable mental state or physical location that feels 'safe' to us, but I would think that the combination of unexpected physical pain and unfamiliar location may have triggered a panic / adrenaline dump type response in this case. He is no stranger to cold water (see other vids), so I imagine a psychological element must have played some part here. He was kitted out with proper caving kit and thick socks, so it was not a clothing issue. As we said to them after, it is just one of those things and when you push your comfort zone sometimes you do find the edge of it. He strikes me as the type of person who would analyse the event and then wish to confront it and defeat it, so expect a follow up in the future.
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We could invite him to West Mine at Alderley for a dry trip if water+cave is too much?
 
mrodoc

mrodoc

Well-known member
As usual for us oldsters there is no information. Who is Tom Scott? Never heard of him.
 
B

Boy Engineer

Active member
Pete K said:
I would think that the combination of unexpected physical pain and unfamiliar location may have triggered a panic / adrenaline dump
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We?ve all had one of those. Nothing to be ashamed of, but stay upwind.  :LOL:
 
FabianE

FabianE

Member
I love Tom's videos. His Style of presenting topics is very unique and made in an interesting fashion. I recognised Pete straight away and was glad to see it was a very well led trip.
I'm sure this is not the last we'll see of Tom underground and it's good to see that he's been so positive about the caving sport! [emoji106]

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 
Andrew N

Andrew N

Active member
Pete K said:
He came back:
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I enjoyed this video. It's a credit to him that he bares his (apparently substantial) anxiety for all to see. It was nice to see him overcome it too, and the scene at the end of the video where he is laughing and smiling in Surprise View is very wholesome.

I'd be curious to know what a non-caver would think when seeing this video. I think it's difficult for me to be impartial about what sort of message it conveys - hopefully those that may be inclined to try caving would not be put off by his nervousness, especially when combined with Elise's constant reassurance.

Good job to everyone involved.
 
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