Year in Review: The Top Caving News of 2013

From new discoveries in South Africa, to the opening of Indiana Caverns to rave reviews, Caving News has covered all sorts of exciting news stories this year.

Before we say goodbye to 2013, let’s take a moment to count down this years most popular articles of caving news, ordered by the number of views.

The Top Caving News of 2013

15. Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave Hits 400 Miles
    Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave, the longest cave in the world, has now been surveyed to an amazing 400 miles (643 kilometers).
14. Spanish Cavers Spend Four Days Lost Underground
    A group of four cavers were rescued after spending four days lost underground.
13. Diver Dies & His Student Hospitalized After Cave Diving Accident
    Earlier this month a 36-year-old experienced French cave diver died, and his 22-year-old student was hospitalized after an accident during a dive in Gouffre de Gourneyras near Saint-Maurice-de-Navacelles in southern France.
12. Call of the Abyss 2013: Expedition to the World’s Deepest Caves
    The Ukrainian Speleological Association is accepting applications from cavers interested in participating in 2013 Call of the Abyss project, an ongoing international expedition to visit the world’s deepest caves in the Arabika Massif of Abkhazia.
11. Unicycle Caving: A Unique Combination
    Caving can be strenuous and challenging enough, but two folks in Wales had the crazy idea to combine it with their other passion, unicycling.
10. Swedish Cave Diver Dies in Hospital After Incident in France
    A Swedish cave diver died in hospital on Monday, January 28th after an incident while diving in the Landenouse resurgence between Cadrieu and Cajarc in southwest France.
9. Alabama’s Sequoyah Caverns to Close in September
   After nearly 5 decades, Alabama’s Sequoyah Caverns closed its doors at the end of summer.
8. New Room Discovered High in the Ceiling of Carlsbad Caverns
   What began as a routine climb to a cave passage high inside the ceiling of the main cavern at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, turned into a night of excitement for two cavers who discovered a colorful new room on Halloween night.
7. Iranian Cavers Discover World’s Fourth Largest Cave Room
   Iranian Cavers exploring a new cave have discovered one of the largest rooms in the world.
6. Significant Cave Discovered During Road Construction Project
   A substantial cave, discovered in June along a road north of Austin, Texas, caused problems for construction crews working on a road improvement project.
5. Phantom Springs Cave Becomes Deepest Underwater Cave in the U.S.
   An early January expedition to explore Phantom Springs Cave in Texas saw divers hit a depth of 140.8 meters (462 feet), making it the deepest underwater cave system known in the United States.
4. World’s Largest Cave Opens for Tours
   Tours of Son Doong Cave, the largest cave in the world, began in August, after a pilot program was been approved by government officials.
3. Sistema Huautla Becomes Deepest Cave in the Western Hemisphere
   Cavers on an expedition to Sistema Huautla in southern Mexico have announced that they have reached a new depth of 1,545 meters (5,069 feet), once again making Sistema Huautla the deepest cave in the western hemisphere.
2. Inside Er Wang Dong’s Cloud Ladder Hall
   Photos of Er Wang Dong, a cave with a room so large it has its own weather system, were featured by the Daily Mail.
1. Caver Dies, Others Injured After Vehicle Falls Into Cave
   In a freak accident, one caver was killed and two others injured after a vehicle fell into the cave they were descending.