Everyone is SO Dramatic About Caving

Any time I see caving brought up it's about how terrifying it is and how stupid cavers are. Nutty Putty this, Nutty Putty that. It seems like the average person believes you have a 40% chance of dying if you enter a cave. I've seen comments saying it's selfish to your loved ones and the people who will have to go retrieve your body when you die in there! I never see this sentiment about other outdoor activities that can and do go wrong like hiking, diving, climbing, etc. I get the idea of it makes lots of people uncomfortable because it's claustrophobic, but that's no reason to exaggerate.

Two million Americans visit caves every year. Most are going to well explored and easy caves or on tours, but the NSS has 10,000 members who routinely explore unmapped caves with challenging terrain, even on weeks long expeditions. You know how many fatalities there are per year? 3. You're more likely to be injured or die in a car accident driving to a caving site than in the cave.

It's such a shame, caves are so interesting and there are many that are just beautiful. They're totally unique ecosystems. I'd like to see some cave appreciation for once. And caving is so much fun, I think a lot of people who rag on it would enjoy it if they gave it a chance.