These 20 photos will take you on a journey through subterranean landscapes that are as breathtaking as they are unnerving. The jagged edges of rock formations, narrow passages that seem to swallow you whole, and vast, eerie caverns that make you question your own sense of scale.
Here are 20 unnerving photos from the depths of the earth.
1. Why would anyone put themselves in this position?
Seriously though.
2. This beautiful cave is located in France.
What a place for a stunning and refreshing dip.
3. They missed a few spots with the mud.
This is a photo from a survey trip where they traveled almost 1000 feet of virgin passage.
4. These researchers were photobombed by a bat.
Those bats are tricky in their caves.
5. The only way out is through that stream.
Sometimes, that’s just the way it has to be.
6. The only way into the cave is a 155-foot drop.
If a hobby begins with a near-death experience, it isn’t for me.
7. Into the void.
Yeah, that looks like a portal into another dimension. For sure.
8. They are contemplating every life decision they’ve ever made right now.
Either that, or they’re thinking, “I wish we had another rope.”
9. Well, there’s no way out of this one.
This is exactly why people shouldn’t go crawling around through tiny tunnels.
10. Taking the lazy river way out.
No more fun way to do things.
11. Yeah, count me out.
She is currently crawling through piles of bat feces to get this photo.
12. This cave is named “Rathole.”
This is the last bit of natural light this man is going to see for hours.
13. Imagine being deep in a cave, when all of a sudden it starts to flood.
That’s going to be a hard pass for me.
14. It takes some serious upper-body strength to rappel down like that.
No kidding.
15. His clothes don’t even look waterproof.
Yet, he seems completely unfazed.
16. You can’t even see the bottom of this pit.
And that’s why we don’t go to this pit anymore.
17. The tight squeezes give me claustrophobia.
If you can’t stand crammed elevators, then this isn’t for you.
18. This is the start of a 120-foot drop.
He’s going to be rappelling for a long time.
19. “This isn’t where we were supposed to exit.”
There’s nothing quite like ending a caving experience with oncoming traffic.
20. That’s a clever place to propose.
Hopefully things panned out as they hoped.
