Caving

The recreational and technical sport of exploring caves — vertical work with ropes, cave diving and horizontal navigation.

👥3 per team🌤outdoor
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What is Caving?

Caving is the sport of exploring underground cave systems, ranging from horizontal walk-through networks to deep vertical shafts requiring single-rope technique. Competitive elements include vertical speed events and expedition-style exploration of previously unmapped systems. The world's deepest known cave (Veryovkina, Georgia) drops over 2,200 m.

Quick facts

Category

Adventure & Extreme Sports

Type

Individual

Players

3 per team

Where played

outdoor

Country of origin

🇫🇷 France

Estimated origin

1888, Édouard-Alfred Martel's pioneering expeditions in France

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified