Caving - online puzzles
Caving – also traditionally known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild (generally non-commercial) cave systems. In contrast, speleology is the scientific study of caves and the cave environment.
The challenges involved in caving vary according to the cave being visited, but – in addition to the total absence of light beyond the entrance – often include the negotiation of pitches, squeezes, and water hazards. Cave diving is a distinct, and more hazardous, sub-speciality undertaken by a small minority of technically proficient cavers. In an area of overlap between recreational pursuit and scientific study, the most devoted and serious-minded cavers become accomplished at the surveying and mapping of caves and the formal (though usually private) publication of their efforts.
Sometimes categorized as an " extreme sport ", it is not commonly considered as such by long- time enthusiasts, who may dislike the term for its connotation of disregard for safety.
Many caving skills overlap with those involved in canyoning, mine and urban exploration.