Talking of falling rocks, Simon, reminds me of the following incident:
We decided to do GB on a very wet day, where I would set up a picture of someone abbing down the waterfall that I'd had in mind for some time. Accordingly I took the big Mecablitz flashgun plus the two small ones, and, after a trip down to the sump ? in much drier conditions than I had envisaged ? we set up the shot on the way back up the passage with the big gun at the bottom and Jack wielding a small one at the top. And then, disaster struck . . . 'BELOWWW' came a cry from Miranda; we at the bottom ? Charlotte with the big gun, me with the camera, and Dave, Tim and Matt looking on ? looked up to see a stone rather bigger than a rugby ball boulder heading our way. As is often said to be the case, the scene appeared to unfold in slow motion, and we seemed to have plenty of time ? ?This way and that, dividing the swift mind in act to jump?! The rock then hit a ledge and splintered into fragments, which came flying down like shrapnel from a hand grenade, and this prompted us to get out of the way pronto ? or at least try to! In the event, only one of us got hit. Poor Charlotte was hit on the hand and the thigh as the fragment ricocheted on its way, leaving her duly shaken, but not badly injured. Unfortunately, the flashgun flew off into the stream, where it shattered, and the battery compartment was lost. So Tim and I escorted Charlotte out, while the rest continued with their trip. So, a very short trip, but thankfully, nothing worse than a broken flashgun and slave unit (though it was the very expensive flashgun!).
The odd thing was how slowly events seemed to unfold ? we at the bottom all agreed on that point, while Miranda wondered what the hell we were waiting for!
Amy ? I prefer the US style of shouting 'Rock' for anything that goes down a pitch by accident . . . 'Below' is, as you intimate, open to misunderstanding. I once heard a story (true or apocryphal, I can't say) of a guy down the Berger who looked up when someone shouted 'Below' ? and got a face-full of pulley.