Hidden Earth 2024
Cuetzalan, 20 Years On From The First Sump Rescue, and the Future
45 minute Lecture|Steve Whitlock

Abstract
Cuetzalan was forever changed by the events in Mar 2004, when six cavers were rescued via a sump and were on the front page of every western newspaper for 10 days. It was the first rescue of its kind. Following a recent visit on the 20th Anniversary, Steve Whitlock reflects on the 2004 trip, the effects the rescue had on the area, on the lessons that could be learned and on potential future exploration. With over 127km of known cave, the karst around Cuetzalan remains largely unexplored and has the potential to have its cave systems ranked amongst some of the longest in the world.
More from 2024
Lecture|Peter Glanvill
Cavers' Just a Minute
Lecture|Andy Farrant
The Mulu caves just keep on getting bigger… Biogenic subaerial dissolution by nitrification in the Caves of Gunung Mulu National Park, Borneo.
Lecture|Robin Gray
Drawing Underground
Workshop|Jono Lester
Cave Survey & Emerging Technologies
Lecture|Henry Bennett
SpeleoPhillippines
Lecture|Alex Stacey
South Wales Round Up
Lecture|Fleur Loveridge
Try a Little Harder
Lecture|Keith Edwards And Paul Taylor
An Electronic Cave Rescue Incident Management System
Lecture|National Scout Active Support Unit
Scout Caving : Getting Involved
Lecture|Jono Lester
BCA - Youth and Development Talk: Spelioholics Anonymous