Speleology Books

Many years have passed since the first edition still this basic manual is a must read for any Cave Diver.

This booklet is the first cave diving manual and although decades old it is amazingly contemporary and still extremely useful to all technical/overhead divers. A must have book for every serious divers' library.

The "brand new fifth edition" of Basic Dave Diving is last copyrighted 1986. I'm intrigued by cave diving, but am not yet a cave diver, so I don't know for sure, but question if some of the equipment discussed in absolutely up-to-date. The addresses for instructors and phone numbers for Florida recompression facilities may also be in question. I'm trusting, though, that the National Speleological Society (NSS) is not continuing to print something that promotes dangerous, discredited, technique. Moreoever, I've seen this book in the dive shops in north central Florida, and it still seems to be in use for cave diving instruction.

First, for those who judge value in the book by the quality of printing, note that this booklet is a typewritten, photocopied, booklet, copied on 8-1/2-x-11 in paper and folded in half with a cardstock cover. I just mention this so someone expecting more is not disappointed.

The book is divided into 10 short chapters, each 3 to 8 pages long, and the book can be easily read in its entirety in one evening. Each chapter begins with an actual accident report and an accident analysis leading into the subject of the chapter, whether it be silt, lights, guidline, air supply planning, etc.. Each chapter focusses on one aspect of proper cave diving, and thus the book divides techniques into small, easily digestible, pieces. Each chapter tells you what it needs to without adding extraneous information to complicate your understanding.

Note that the book focusses on cave diving technique in Florida, and warns the reader that different techniques may be appropriate in other locations.

I think that this book is a good, inexpensive, introduction to cave diving for someone with a curiosity about this sport, whether or not you plan to pursue it. The book is also written by the probably best-known person in the field of Cave Diving. (Don't let the fact that Sheck Exley died cave diving cause you discredit the information in this book - he balanced the risks with the rewards and willingly chose to push the limits of cave diving.)

It would be irresponsible of me to conclude this review without a warning. An open water diver armed with the this book might think that they know enough to safely cave dive, but PLEASE do not attempt cave diving without training from an appropriate agency. I am an open water divemaster, and do not feel that I yet have the experience to even begin cave diving training. Before beginning cave or cavern diving training, a diver requires extensive open water experience, must be thoroughly comfortable in the water, must be able to handle emergency situations without panicking, and must be physically fit.

Very important mind forming book about cave diving. Accident analysis covering the firsts statistical reasons people get killed in cave diving. s.Exley was among the most important people to learn from. All cave divers need this to play "What if..."

There are several dangers that exist with cave diving. This book covers each one of these points with absolute clarity. With the description of each danger an accident analysis is reviewed where divers died by violating one of the basic rules in cave diving. This book saved my life. It is a must for anyone that is considering cave diving. With proper training and equipment Cave Diving can be a safe sport. This is a good primar on the subject

This book is a must for begining cavers and also valuable to those interested in the exploration of caves. Detailed chapters cover topics including, but not limited to; lighting, clothing, biology of caves and conservation. Caving basics is a good summary of general caving information.

This book is a must for begining cavers or anyone interested in caving. Detailed chapters cover everything from gear to conservation.

Caving Basics is a compellation of essays for the beginning caver. The essays comprise the individual chapters. The book includes useful information on headlamps (carbide and electric), helmets, clothing, packs, caving safety, manuvering through the cave, first aid, cave maps, topo maps, conservation, and the basics of speleology. The book is well organized and layed out in a useful manner. The book also stresses two of the main factors of caving: safety and conservation. Since the book is written in 1992, there are a few subjects where the book is only slightly out of date. The use of shoulder cams is not as common with ropealkers as they used to be, for example. However, novice cavers cannot go wrong in reading this book. With the words in this book and the help of your local grotto, you will learn more than you think you could. The appendix is also useful as it contains legal forms which may be useful, plus the names and adresses of caving equipment vendors.

As an armchair explorer/enthusiast, finding this book at the local used bookstore was like stumbling upon a goldmine!

Background info first:

The book's full title is "The Underground Atlas: A Gazetteer of the Worlds Cave Regions", by John Middleton & Tony Waltham. It's 239 pages long, including glossary, and has 24 pages of B&W photos. The book has numerous (approximately 104) maps of global, regional, national and local caves & karst regions, as well as detailed info and history on important caves and expeditions' maps of their explorations.


Review:

The only down side to this book is its age - it was published in 1986 and again in 1992, so there's a lot of new information that's not included in this book, specifically Mexico's fascinating 'Cueva de Villa Luz', translated to be: "Cave of the Lighted House." ( http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1997/12/971228232315.htm) Also not included is info on Mexico's crystal cave (http://www.geotimes.org/mar01/crystalcave.html)

With that in mind, it's still a VERY good book, particularly if you're planning a caving/archaeological or anthropological expedition and think you'll be needing info on the caves in the area.

If you "just" an 'armchair explorer', like me, it's still a wonderful buy and will help fill in any blank areas left on your exploration map.

Five stars awarded for a book that gives desperately needed (and would LOVE to see revised and updated) info on a very interesting scientific field.

This book describes the major karst areas for each country. It includes maps of some specific caves and karst regions, along with interesting photographs. It is not a cave 'look-up' book. You will find only some of the largest caves listed for each country. The book is most useful for suggesting where one can expect to find caves in specific countries.

This is a good practical book about caving. It is well-written and thorough. A beginner could read select chapters in this book and feel prepared to go on a group trip in a noncommercial cave.

Caving is physically demanding, requires planning, and entails risk. Mr. McClurg covers those basics like cave safety, dressing properly, and the essential supplies one should take into a cave. Some chapters cover more advanced topics like knots, harnesses, and ascending and descending. Though these are things you should learn from experienced cavers and not in a book, it does serve as a good reference. The knots section could be clarified with some schematics to accompany the good photo illustrations of essential knots.

There is one issue that needs to be addressed: this book is out of date regarding headlamps and lighting in general. Though no book will be completely current regarding LED light sources, this book --ten years old at the time I wrote this review--makes no mention of LED headlamps or flashlights. It also discusses NiCD rechargeable batteries, which have fallen heavily out of faver (NiMH batteries are far superior and more environmentally friendly).

I love this book; it is good enough that it should be updated and published as a new edition. Those who wish to find updated info on lighting technology can find it on the WWW.

I was looking for a book about ass spelunking, and this did not cover that topic. I was dissappointed, but not surprised at all. Overall, the topic was covered pretty well, except for that it didnt cover what I WANTED.

While none of the things shown in the book should ever beattempted without proper, expert instruction, David McClurg providesan in-depth and fun look at the sport known as Caving. His extensive experience in both horizontal and vertical caving shows the reader how one gets around in the underground, and he places empathisis on safety althroughout the book. The reading is easy and illustrations are clear and simple to enhance comprehension...

I had the good fortune to read Mr. McClurg's book, "Adventure of Caving" BEFORE I undertook any wild cave trips on my own. This was back in 1988, so I own the previous edition of the book.

Because I encountered this book PRIOR to caving on my own, I didn't have to deal with some of the problems new cavers often have, such as running out of light, getting lost or hurt. (It usually happens in that order.) He helped my wife and I to understand how to cave safely, knowing what the dangers are and how to avoid them, but he writes in such an enthusiastic, breezy and humorous style, the "learning" is nearly painless. This is a book that one can read and enjoy even if you don't plan to go caving on your own. Some of his jokes had me laughing out loud on my first reading. One of them, gets funnier and funnier the more I cave (and we've done a LOT since then). He says,

"Crawling isn't the ONLY thing that cavers do. It just SEEMS that way."

For some reason, this quote comes back to haunt me every time I do the 1500 foot crawlway in a certain unnamed cave in Indiana. Of course, at that time, my sense of humor is being sorely tested. It seems much funnier afterwards when we're sitting around a hot pizza and a cold beverage. It's hilarious, now that I've sworn off doing that particular cave altogether, since I'm just getting too old and fat to enjoy the squeeze.

If you are thinking about going caving, or just interested in the sport, you will enjoy reading, "Adventure of Caving" by David McClurg. I've read it at least ten times, and still refer back to it from time to time. Thanks, Dave for getting us off to a good start!

Mr. McClurg's book covers a wide range of caving topics, from equipment to conservation to basic techniques and advanced vertical techniques. I read this book when I first became interested in caving. While no book is as effective as hands on training and experience, it did provide a good foundation for the techniques used in caving. When I later joined the National Speleological Society, I was able to grasp the concepts taught to me much more quickly.

The content of the book was wonderful, as were the pictures. I felt as though I was in the cave. Though I am alittle upset, the spine has already come apart after I read it a couple of times.

The stunning beauty of Texas caves can be seen in the book's many photographs (both color and black & white). The first part of the book gives a brief overview of the geology of Texas caves and cave biology. It provides descriptions of the seven largest "show caves" in the state (including directions, length of tour, camping, facilities, nearby motels, etc). State speleological parks which offer wild cave tours (through undeveloped caves) are also mentioned. The second part of the book includes chapters contributed by well-known Texas cavers. As a Texas caver myself, I was really happy to see a section on "Guide to Caving Etiquette," which can be useful to any reader who wants to know more about cave safety, Texas caving organizations, and establishing landowner relations. Another bonus is a chapter that includes tips for cave photography. This is a good companion book to "The Caves and Karst of Texas" which was put out by the National Speleological Society (1994).

The book was an interesting book to look at and the perpuse was to figure out the history of the earths caves and how they formed so the book is a inresting book to read and I liked the way it used the earths back ground to discuse how the caves were made and placed in the earths crevisist