For the past couple of days, the winds have been quite high and the resulting surf too aggressive for snorkelling, so Marlene and I decided to explore inland again. Caving or spelunking are terms for investigating caves. Cavers of course are those doing the caving or spelunking, so we became cavers and found some dandy caves here on Cayman Brac.
The caves are a result of the karstic activity which we wrote about previously that created the razor sharp rock on the parrot trail. Except, all of that rain turned acid from the surface of the ground then funnels its way down through fissures in the rock. Over the millenniums, the acid has created large caverns in the limestone bluff.
Most of the caves had simple openings to the outside world, but when inside they were quite elaborate with tunnels heading off in many direction. Sometimes the tunnels petered out while others led to large rooms, some of which we could almost stand up in.
The colour of the rock varies from cave to cave and within each cave leaving some looking quite artistically decorated. Lighting was a challenge more often than not; the further in we went, the darker it got. Though sometimes, there were little openings to the outside letting in not only light but fresh air. We went somewhat prepared with a headlamp and another flashlight.
Photographing was a challenge while crawling around in the semi-dark, but with digital cameras we just kept clicking as we changed the amount of light using our flashlights and the camera flash. Check out this video to see some of the bright and vivid colours near the large cave entrance, and how dark and dreary it is further back in ...
Deep in one of the caves, we found a geo-cache by accident. We added a few coins before placing it back for others to find. It was interesting but a poor substitute for the pirate treasure we've been keeping our eye open for.
Click here for the next story in this series :
The Unknown Down-under
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