While
we helplessly watched the characters in Sanctum pit for survival, we
can only fathom the real score behind the script. Andrew Wight, a
renowned cave explorer and dive master, actually wrote the story for
the film which was based by an inspiration of actual events of a group
of cave explorers he led in 1988. The underground river system of
Cocklebiddy lies beneath the Nullarbor Plains in southern Australia.
Wight's group, determined to explore the vast underground river system,
marched out a 22-man team to chart the widely unexplored territory.
They were on the last leg of their expedition several kilometers deep
into the subterranean tunnels when disaster struck. Seven people,
including Wight, got out right after the entrance to the underground
tunnel caved in due to massive amounts of rainwater accumulated during
a rare storm. Thirteen, including Liz Wight, wife of Andrew, were deep
inside the tunnels. They were running against time as water slowly
gushed in, fill in the void and rock traps with water. Thanks to Ron
Allum (who was able to keep a handheld radio), the group beneath the
ground were able to communicate with the five members who got out, who
in turn, notified authorities who were located 300 miles to the south.
Meanwhile, time was not in their hands. The two groups devised a way to
make it out by exploring restricted passageways. The men who got out
served as navigators, constantly providing mapping support while the
people trapped inside painstakingly rummaged through a way out. After a
24 hour ordeal, a new passageway has been found and within 6 hours,
everyone got out safely.
Cocklebiddy underground river system
Passageway to the Cocklebiddy underground river cave
Inside the CockleBiddy underground river system
Andrew Wight inside Cocklebiddy underground river system
A diver with a midget submersible beneath the Nullarbor Plains
Andrew Wight's team of cave explorers and divers
What's the biggest cave then?
The Great Cave of Vietnam
One
of the century's greatest archaelogical find is the Han Son Doong Cave
in Vietnam, re-discovered by a team of British Cave Research
Association researchers. This is the first documented attempt to survey
the cave area, which has the biggest cave passage to date. The team
also came to an underground river that stretches 2.5 kilometers of the
limestone packed cavern high. The team explored for a couple of miles
into Son Doong, reaching a further total covered area of 4.5 kilometers
before being turned back by floodwaters. The restricted area is
believed to be a hundred more kilometers deep, perhaps yet a frontier
waiting to be uncovered.
The massive entrance to Han Son Doong
Selengkapnya...
