Cape Town - Manoeuvring like the Cirque du Soleil gymnasts who easily bounce off a trampoline to land lightly on tiny ledges on a constructed wall, we ascended a damp 4m rock face into the cave.
We had to traverse around a 6m bottomless and menacing pitch-black pit. A strategically placed metal chain came in handy, allowing us to drop on to the side of the hole, giving us a moment to find a foothold and our breaths time to catch up.
I reluctantly let go of the chain, now meant to defy gravity and trying not to slip down the vertical muddy walls. I caught myself trying to visualise a centrifugal force pressing me to the sides.
Decent handholds and handy gargoyle-shaped rocks were scarce at this moment. I began hoisting – or was it hurling? – myself, around and up.
I safely reached the other side and thankfully lay on a ledge which was the start of the Narrows in Kalk Bay.
The next hour-and-a-half would be spent squeezing through passages barely big enough for a human body.
Negotiating this incredibly tight space, which goes on for 40m or so, is best done lying on your stomach or side with one arm permanently outstretched in front and the other pinned down the side of the body and leg.
Navigating through the system at the right level is key to a successful exit. It is said that climbers aim to summit while cavers aim to exit.
Accidentally dropping to a dreaded leg-grabbing channel in the Narrows has been the fate of a few cavers in the past, and they have had to be prised out with much difficulty.
Making slow, worm-like headway through the Narrows, the body has to find new ways of moving as the joints are severely restricted.
My fascia (the interconnective tissue that holds us up) had to make plans to get my body mobilised as there was no room for turning back in the constricting passage.
My head was trapped at one stage, the helmet wedged on the ever-lowering roof, my chin scraping on rock and sand filling my nostrils.
That was it – I had to take the helmet off, but I could not reach it as my elbow could not bend backwards. A hand (was it the Addams family hand?) eventually made it to the chin strap.
The release button opened after a lengthy and less than graceful struggle. The next few metres were difficult, with the helmet and lamp being pushed ahead while I managed to keep my nose marginally off the snagging floor .
I cannot remember if my eyes were open or closed, but it would have made no difference.
It was a relief when halfway through we had to swan-dive from our elevated passageway into a one-armed handstand and drop into another dark space, which was shortly to become even tighter.
Coming out of the Narrows we stepped into a scene reminiscent of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park 4. The towering sandstone columns looked like tyrannosarus rex’s legs ominously circling us. The wide, expansive darkness was a treat.
The passageways now seemed like a highway and we leisurely followed the breeze to reach the grand exit. Cape Town is ranked as having the the third longest sandstone cave system in the world. Just under 4 700m of passageways have been surveyed to date.
The process of discovering new underground passageways and caves is continuous, and recent finds on Table Mountain have included Pristine extension, Ninian cave and Rudy’s cave. - Cape Times
l Safe caving needs to be undertaken with Wayshowers (experienced cavers). Join a spelaeological club such as the SA Spelaeological Association. Call 073 232 3446.