This cave kicked my ass. I went back for a rematch.

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This video is sponsored by Wondrium. More on that at the end of the show. Previously on Tom Scott plus... I thought I'd got through without having cold water in my wellies! Oh no, that's— that's wet socks. Okay, lovely. Oh, that's incredibly unpleasant! Hooh, that's cold! Okay, cool. (groans) How am I getting cold water shock off that? That's genuinely— I need to properly sit down. That got real very quickly! What happened there was just sudden body nausea... and almost like my brain started to shut down. It was like, "Stop this now." Oh, I hate saying these words. I can't physically do that! You should take the camera team onwards. Yeah. I'll wait around with the crew. I am gonna be grumpy about this for a long while. So, I'm back. I never really thought that you would come back. But I'm really happy that you decided to take on this challenge again. It feels like unfinished business. And I have every— I just know that you're gonna do this, this time. I'm glad you do, 'cause— I could've spent the last months doing cold water training and building that up, but what I've actually done is relied on technology. I have a full layer of 3mm neoprene socks, wetsuit, gloves. So... I'm very, very warm right now. And hopefully that's gonna work down there. Yeah, I know it will, because you've become so prepared this time, that it's just gonna work out, and... I hope it's not undiagnosed claustrophobia. That would be bad... but... Well, we'll find out today, and it'll be a journey for both of us. And you'll get through it. I just know you will. I wasn't nervous until about five minutes ago, when we came back here. Just to be clear, we have the same safety team as last time. We have mostly the same crew helping us round. Are you ready? I will never not be more ready than this... is the cautiously phrased, guarded answer to that. Alright, so if you'd like to follow me. Yeah. Let's do it. Down the slide. Alright, I'll get down the slide. You don't have to go down the slide. Ah, I will, I will. It's— It's just— It's not— It's not a good slide. It's not a good slide. The BBC did not pay for a good slide. No. Is it me, or is it muddier down here than last time? It's very much muddier. Do you happen to like mud? I've got 3mm of neoprene I'm indifferent to mud at the minute. That's brilliant. That's a good sign. Agh! You okay? I'm fine, just... This boot actually stuck in the mud there. That's great, that's lovely. (laughs) That's a normal thing, I promise. I'll tell you what, Elise. Last time... Last time we were here, obviously, wet cave, lot of cold water. I got a load of emails... ...from American cavers, who were like, "I can't believe they took you down into a wet cave. That's so unsafe." Yeah. But this just seems normal for Britain? So this is, in my opinion, one of the safest caves in the UK... ...because it's so well explored... ...but you've also got so many flood warnings before it floods, and water is all around Derbyshire, which is where we are. So, in actual fact, this is probably one of the safest caves in the area that we could go to. The Americans just seem really freaked out about the idea of a wet cave in general? Well Americans, they don't have wet caves like us British people, unfortunately. So here, we've got Buxton Water Sump. Yep. Now this is where we cleaned off last time, I remember this. Yeah, so a lot of cavers use this sump to their own benefit, by cleaning their clothes after they got muddy. When was this built? 'Cause this is clearly built. Well, I'm not sure when this was built. In fact, our team might have a lot more knowledge on when this in particular was built, But the sump itself, the water, has always been here. Right, and someone just put a dam up to make it— Yeah, yeah. So that we can use it to our own advantage. So last time, I started to freak out when I got water in at the Mucky Ducks down there. Yeah, when the water came into your boots. Yeah, so I'm gonna do that here this time, and test the new gear, and make sure that I— If I freak out here, that's fine. We're in loads of space. If I freak out there... So cool. All I need to do... ...is exactly what I've been doing... ...like training at home here, which is... ...wade into the water. And, uh... ...sit down. I can literally feel the water just steadily rising inside the suit. So this is a lot more gentle. I think I'm gonna be okay here. But, that's what I said last time. So let's just— Alright. I felt the air bubbles escaping. Yeah. There's the cold water, okay. Okay, how do you feel? I'm fine. Breathe through it. I've practiced this. I've been sitting in an ice bath, in this wetsuit, at home. Oh my god. Okay! It won't get any worse than this temperature. Yeah. So, I mean, the good thing is... Neoprene socks are working. Yeah. Stomach's a bit cold, but... ...that's okay. Brilliant. Let me just move about a bit, redistribute the cold water. It's not pleasant, but... Look at you! Agh, straight down my back! (both laughing) Yeah, okay. I can live with this. Are you feeling confident to go through? More than I was. I think I'll... Now I know I'm okay from cold water shock. I just need to know that it wasn't claustrophobia, and the only way to find that out is... through there. Yeah. We'll be with you every step of the way. Let's do it. Let's do it. Ah, right down my back! (groans) (grunts, chuckles) I am now carrying an extra half-kilo in each shoe, with every step. So the water will soak up, but it'll get to your body temperature. And now we are approaching the part last time... Oh, this is the bit. This is the Mucky Ducks, basically. This is where you had a bit of trouble last time. A bit of trouble(!) This time it won't happen. I promise you, it will— You'll be fantastic. I'm... I'm nervous, 'cause this is the point where things went wrong last time. Yeah. But I'm... I'm not— The heart rate's not— But it wasn't last time. I was absolutely fine, until halfway through it, at which point something went wrong. And I think it was just cold water shock. (breathing heavily) That's it, just catch your breath. Yeah. I... Yeah. (breathing heavily) Okay, so just be aware, there are lots of rocks you can't see in the water. Yep. Which is why I go slowly. This is fine. I can put my hand underwater, and it's not... the freakout it was last time, 'cause it doesn't feel cold. Yeah. This is fine, this is fine, this is fine. This is also the shallow bit. Where are we going? Oh there's that rock! (laughs) Every time, that rock just there! Yes! Yeah. So annoying. Right. I mean, I was already having a panic attack last time at this point, so... This is where you sat down. Yes. This is the point where I was sat down here, having a breather. Yeah! And I don't need one, so... This is good. This is brilliant. Let's keep going, let's keep going. I'm loving this. The water doesn't feel as high as last time either? No it doesn't. I think we've had a bit of a dry spell recently. Which is fantastic. Lots of silt though. Yeah, I'm just kinda going on hands and knees through here, I'm fine. Brilliant. Whoa okay, yeah, but there was no handhold there. I think maybe you got the right idea. I can't believe I got through this last time with the... Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo, okay yeah. Yes. No, I'm good. I'm good. Alright, so... And that is through and warm. (laughs triumphantly) Woo! Thank you Elise! (grunts) Yeah, I'm good. Last time, I was sat here for a long time, recovering. And I'm fine. I'm absolutely fine. (laughs )Yeah, you are! So... Well done. Last time, there was a lot of stuff through there... Yeah. ...that I didn't get to see. There's one more wet bit, right? Yes, there is. And the safety team were like, "No, you're not going through that." And I was like, "I'm not getting through that." I'm glad they made that call. No, it's the entirely right call, but I'm... It's a little bit higher. Yeah. Yeah. So the next one is higher? Just a little bit. Not too much. It's fine. I'm... Not too much to worry about. I'm fine. I've even got the microphone wet. (group laughing) I'm excited— Hang on, hold on. I'm excited... and I'm going fast. Yeah? And every single time I've had a proper injury in my life, like that scar on my face, it's because... I was in this mood, and it was like, "Yeah, let's go, let's go!" Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. So keep me in check, keep me in check. Yeah, I'm good. Let's go, let's go. Alright, let's go. I reckon this is as far as I got, 'cause I got through the two wet bits just with the freakout, and I remember clambering through this, and then sort of left you behind at... This point here, roughly. Yeah, this point here, before the very, very... (chuckles) the bit with even less headroom. I'll tell you what, though. The wet suit does mean... ...I'm not nearly as nimble as before. I haven't got quite as much... (grunts) ...range of movement there, but... Okay. The next bit is... ...like that, but less headroom. Yes. Less what? Less headroom. Yeah, so bit less headroom, which means you'll bend down a little bit, meaning the water will come up a little bit higher. Yeah, that's okay. It's not— We've been through this. Neck and head's up. Neck and head's above water. I'll be fine. Yeah, brilliant. I say I'll be fine. This is uncharted territory for me now. I'm starting to make grumbling noises as I move. Tom is getting on fantastically well. I'm so happy. I'm just— I'm so happy he even decided to come back, face his fears, and get through it all. You may notice, viewers, that the crew have moved our microphones. Right like, Britney mics on the side of our faces. And I know that looks ridiculous, but... (grunts) This is... very... (groans) very... low headroom. Here we go, okay. So I'd put my back against the wall, Tom. I'm just gonna use the neoprene. Yeah? I think I'm gonna just float through like this, and I'm gonna be fine. I would be having a bad time if it weren't for the wetsuit! (laughing) (water splashing) Oh, I'm glad I didn't come through here last time. That would've— That would've been a very bad time. So congratulations, Tom. (crew cheering and applauding) Now that feels patronising! (laughs) That does feel patronising! (crew chattering) (chuckles) (laughs) Right. I made it through! Not bad. Agh! You know what I shouldn't have done? Raised my hands above my head, I put a load of cold water down my back! Last time, you got to somewhere that looked beautiful. And you said "Wish you were here." Mhm. Let's get there. Let's get there. Tom, can you see on the left here? The line? We've got a straight line, almost exactly straight here. This is actually foam, and it's a flood indicator. So, in the— Yeah! ...Oh wow. In the past couple of weeks, we've had a few storms, like Storm Eunice for example. And what's happened is that the water has come up to this line here. But this is metres up from where we were down there. That's— Yeah. Why does that sound hollow? It isn't. This is all silt. It's the echo in here. It's familiar, it's like, "There's a hole under there." Yeah. Wow. Fantastic. So is there— I'm assuming there's solid rock somewhere back here. Oh yeah. It's just covered in a massive layer of silt. I mean, if you look up a bit higher, you can see the rock. Oh yeah. Yeah? So that's where the water hasn't really come up, past that point there. Right. But yeah. Fantastic, isn't it? I'm so glad I got through here. (laughs) (chuckles) I'm just glad I'm not crouched in water anymore. (laughs) So is it— It's onwards, through the tube, and...? Oh, through the tube. Yeah, let's go. (breathing heavily) So how long does this go for? Oh, this is probably a ten-minute walk through this tube here. Alright. Yeah. But the thing is that it's full of boulders, as you can see here. Yeah. So it's— (both chuckling) Last time, I was sat for an hour that way. Mm. (chuckles) (grunting) (cackles) No, I'm fine. Okay. It's just literally 30 seconds earlier, you said, "Mind your head." (chuckles) Whacked my head into the roof, didn't I? It's why we've got the helmets. So, remember how limestone is... Oh wow! (laughs) I don't think I've ever seen... I must've seen something like this somewhere, but never close up, and never like this. Mm. They all... They've all got drips on the end of them, because of course they have, that's what they are. Yeah, so the water is carrying the element that's actually creating them there. These are natural stalactites. All from that calcium carbonite in the shells. Oh, I'm so glad I got through here. (both chuckling) Incredible, isn't it? Yeah. Wow... Ah, thank you, Elise. That's alright! I mean, there's still more to go, but... (grunts) So what we're gonna do is just hop over the shallow bit of the cavern in a minute. And then we're gonna slide down into the tunnel a bit. It's all very spacious, it's just kind of a sideways shuffle down, like crab-walking. If it ever gets tight around your chest, you can just duck down, 'cause it's wide around your feet, so you might just crawl a couple of feet, and then just stand up again, see how you get on. So this is the kind of— Oh, that is a long way down, okay. That's a little bit of a leap of faith here. That's a good 2-3 metres, alright. Trust your boots. Yeah. It's got a little bridge. I don't trust the bridge for some reason. (laughs) I think I've used it before, so it's fine. Then when you get here, just sit on your butt like this. And the objective is to slide down this bit here. Oh, it's a waterfall! (laughs) Right, it's the worst water slide I've ever been on, got it. (crew laughing) I'm just gonna grab your belt. Yep. Thank you very much. So one hand there... Yeah, onto that rock. Onto that rock. I think I just bopped you in the nose with my elbow. Sorry about that. Ah, it's okay. (laughs) Not sure that's better! (groans) So this is a vadose trench. A what? A vadose trench. Right, okay. So it's again, the water over the years has gone down and down and down and down, just with the weight of the water making this. You could— Very tight place. I'm already sideways. You're walking forwards through that. I'm already— Yeah, okay. Alright, so we can approach this two different ways. Right? Either standing up, or... There's a wider section below, so if you wanted to, you could dip down... You can just duck, alright. ...and duck through it instead. That's up to you what you do. Yeah, I think when I look at that, I can get through standing. Yeah? If I duck down, I think we're gonna have a worse time. Brilliant. Oh. Last time, I didn't understand why you like caving. Now I do. I get this now. Now I'm not— (laughs) Now I'm not constantly freezing cold and grumpy! Yeah, yeah. I get this now. I'm glad you like it! (chuckles) Alright, so... (sighs) We're coming to something called Surprise View now. Hello, Pete! (chuckles) Hello! And we've got our safety team that's rigged up everything for us. Right. So these bits here are always on the wall, and we've tested them and safeguarded them. So over years, this has just been rigged together, like people bringing the gear down to make it? Absolutely. Wow, okay. Including a ladder that we're about to go down. So somebody would've gone through the whole cave handling a ladder all the way to this point here. Wow. To screw it onto the wall. Alright! (water cascading) Whoa. Got caught on something there. There we go, alright. Around and back. Oh bloody hell! There's a gap there, isn't there? Woo-hoo-hoo, okay! That's— Yeah, that is— I see why they call it Surprise View! Right, okay. Here we go. (water dripping) Clear! (distant shouting) (laughs) (giggles) This is the area now, Tom... Yeah. ...where I really wanted you to be. Oh, is this the "Wish you were here" bit? This is the wet bit where I said that I wished you were here. And now you are here. This is the endpoint. This is where you got to. Yes, this is the endpoint. This was— So I— (cackles) I was about to say, I can get in the water. But the answer is... Mind your audio! I can just slip over and fall in the water, and it's fine! (cackles) Do you need a hand? I'm fine. You're okay? Good. (laughing) He's enjoying himself. This is brilliant. This is... the endpoint. I mean, that's the best way to end it, isn't it? Just... I made it, I fell in the water. Yeah. Thank you, Elise! It's alright, it's been a pleasure! Let's get out of this cave! (laughs) Folks like you, people who watch my videos, tend to be the type of person who learns best by watching. I've seen my channel statistics. My viewers watch documentaries and hours-long video essays. Which is why this video has been sponsored by Wondrium, which might be exactly what you're looking for. When I make a video, I skim the surface because I have to, that's my format. Wondrium is for anyone who's ever looked at the stuff I make and thought, "I'd like to know more about that." A world-class speech expert has a nine-part lecture series on mastering personal communication skills and public speaking. A world-renowned medievalist has a 15-episode course on the Black Death. Plus there are travelogues, documentaries, tutorials, and how-tos. The standout to me was Last Known Coordinates, the story of the first person to stand up paddleboard across the entire Atlantic Ocean, solo and unsupported. Which amazed me with the idea that for endurance feats like that, it's not about keeping your body intact; it's about managing its decline. And swearing quite a bit. Wondrium has a free trial, so you can subscribe and start watching without paying a penny. If you go to wondrium.com/tomscott or click the link in the description, you can start your free trial today, support this channel, and maybe find a whole new thing to be interested in. I'll be glad to get this water out of my shoes. [Caption+ by JS* https://caption.plus] (chuckles through panting) Thank you, Elise. That's okay. (chuckles)

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Channel: Tom Scott plus

Views: 417,509

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Keywords: tom scott, tomscott

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Length: 18min 20sec (1100 seconds)

Published: Sat May 14 2022