The rolling hills of southern Indiana are riddled with gateways to adventure and geologic wonders. In this video, you'll be guided to them by the greatest adventurer of all time - Indiana Jones! Follow Indy and see all of the opportunities for exploration, knowledge, and comradery available at the 2007 NSS Convention in Marengo, Indiana.
Indy begins the quest at the pre-convention camps, and then journeys to the convention site at Marengo. There you'll see the convenient layout of the facility and get a day by day description of events. After convention, you'll end the quest at the post-convention camps. You'll learn everything you need to know and a few things you'll wish you didn't!
Come to Indiana and experience the disappearing waters of The Lost River, beautifully decorated caves, and access to a vast compilation of karst knowledge. These are just a few of the many attractions drawing cavers from all over the world to the 2007 NSS Convention in Marengo, Indiana.

Professional

This unofficial convention promo mocks Florida clichés and stereotypes. Two young lasses are sunbathing when a third says their SPF 45 sunblock is not adequate. Instead, she takes them bikini caving, where they are protected by SPF 2008. Warning: Underground scenes were filmed by professional bikini cavers, and should not be attempted by novices.

Amateur

Produced by:
Gary A. O'Dell
Jim Kiffmeyer
Jeffrey Hill

This video was created as a class project by a group of students at Morehead State University in History, Geography, and Communications.

This is an educational DVD for teaching some of the basics of philosophy. It uses Plato's allegory "The Cave" as the basis for the instruction, and is played out entirely underground. This is not a 'caving' video but is nonetheless thought-provoking and fun to watch

Comment:

This 12 minute video is designed to foster a greater understanding of the world underground, to encourage safe enjoyment and to promote efforts for the conservation of these unique resources. It is not intended as a "How to" video of caving techniques.

Professional

In late 1967 Stanley Ulfeldt, the Southern California Chairman of the National Speleological Society, proposed the making of the documentary film Cave of the Winding Stair. A shooting script was drafted and the first filming began in 1968. Ulfeldt's selection of 16mm high-speed black and white film allowed the use of only one auxiliary light during filming. The bulk of the picture was made solely by the caver's headlamp illumination. Ulfeldt's dedication to authenticity produced one of the most realistic films on caving made to date and also the first major caving film ever made in the Western U.S. All of the vertical techniques and equipment in the film are authentic to the period and Cave of the Winding Stair is a remarkable historical document of the period of changeover from the 1950's cable ladder era to the beginnings of modern single rope techniques. An actual rescue during one production trip also became the first confirmed cave rescue ever to be filmed in the U.S. Ulfeldt's remarkable foresight has created a lasting document of the cavers and the techniques of 1960's caving in the West .

DVD copy of a 35 mm film produced in 1960. The DVD has no menue or chapters.

Comment: Also available on VHS Tape

A documentary on the interconnected caves of a 33 square mile karst drainage basin in Kentucky that culminates in the spectacular underground stream of Short Creek Cave. It represents the volunteer efforts of dozens of cavers and focuses on the ecological threat of the proposed I-66 roadway scheduled to be built through the drainage basin and the haz-ards of disturbing the natural karst drain-age. Initially produced for submission to the KY Transportation Cabinet's envi-ronmental assessment, it was later broad-cast via public access and local cable TV outlets as a public service. This video dramatically demonstrates the impact caver videography can have on karst issues

Comment: Also available on VHS Tape (V641)

This fanciful little DVD documents a long-time tradition of the Boston Grotto: the annual April Fools Dinner in Ward-Gregory Cave, Clarksville, NY. The lo-gistics of getting all the necessary ele-ments into the cave are shown, culminat-ing in a formal dinner complete with tuxedos, gowns, fine wine, and dessert.

Comment:

Join veteran exploration divers Brett Hemphill, Michael Poucher, and Rudy Sturm on a fascinating journey through a unique Gulf Coast cave system, from the no-mount restricted entrance through dynamic scooter-sized passages to the mysterious and living phenomenon known as the Dragon's Lair.
There is some compelling video here, shot in the most difficult of conditions wherein the divers had to remove their tanks and gear and push it ahead of them through the very constricted entrance area. Equally compelling is the exquisite footage in the Dragons' Lair, gliding through the halocline.
This video is a follow-on to an earlier production on this cave, "Crystal Beach Spring Project 1996" (V751).

Comment: See V751 for 'Crystal Beach Spring Project 1996'. This program won an Honorable Mention in the 2007 NSS Video Salon.

This program is about all the new dis-coveries made in Grand Caverns (Au-gusta Co, VA) in 2004-2005. After a lit-tle history of the cave's original discov-ery, this program portrays the challenges that confronted cavers as they probed and mapped huge new areas of the cave. The main emphasis is on the fantastic formations that were discovered around every corner in the new section of this cave that has been commercialized for over 150 years. This program shows what lies beyond the "tight crawl" and small squeezes that prevent entry by all but the slightest cavers, and lets viewers appreciate the wonders and beauty of the "other" Grand Caverns. Excellent videography of this pristine world

An odyssey across Australia as a Swiss film team attempts to follow the path of a drop of water; includes an underground city, climbing, hard-core caving and cave diving.

This is a DVD of a electronic slide show of the Dunbar/Woodward Cave System in Montgomery County, Tennessee, by Tom Cussen. This program covers the exploration and mapping of the cave by the Northern Indiana Grotto of the NSS

After an initial set of photos, there is a short introduction to the slide show, and then the rest of the program are slides of the cave system set to music.

The Texas Blind Salamander was first discovered in Ezell's Cave around 1870, but was not de- scribed until 1967 and was the first species placed on the Endangered Species List. In 2007, the first scientific mark-and-recapture study was made, affording a unique opportunity to document the underwater world of the Edwards Aquifer and this unique troglobyte.

Amateur

Eighth in the Expeditions to the Edge series (NG Channel), the Cave Flood episode presents a reenactment of the 1997 McBrides Cave rescue near Stevenson, AL. Trouble strikes soon after eleven of TAG's finest take on this classic wet pulldown trip after days of rain. The highly realistic portrayal, shot in McBrides with most characters playing themselves, serves as a cautionary tale for anyone challenging the weather gods. An honest depiction of cavers saving cavers, Cave Flood aired on the National Geographic Channel in December 2004.

This is a caver's music video, set to the tune of Jim Croce's "Five Short Minutes." The storyline is about two cavers ridgewalking on public land, only to come upon a fence. They must decide whether or not to cross the fence in order to check out the sinkholes they can see on the other side. This music video is about the consequences of their decision. The title song, ably written, played and sung by Dan McConnell, won a Merit Award in the 2004 Cave Ballad Salon.

This exciting video follows a group of 70 cavers from Andalucia (Spain) as they attempt to push deeper into Sima GESM, one of the world's deepest caves, located in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. After establishing a base camp at an incredible -950 meters, the push team of 10 cavers sets about exploring leads remaining from the end of the 2005 expedition. The video quality in such an extremely remote location is exceptionally good, and the viewer becomes a part of the team, feeling the disappointment of defeat and the exhilaration of discovery.

Floyd Collins is touted as being the greatest caver in the world. But this reputation was obtained only after his tragic death, in 1925, due to being trapped in a small and unstable crawlway in Sand Cave, Ky. Because the rescue was widely publicized, it captured the hearts, minds, and hopes of millions of Americans. Not only did the rescue attempt make for a dramatic story, but the fact that thousands of Americans from all over the country showed up to watch, wait, and hope, made Floyd into a great American folk hero.
Because of the drama, the tragedy, and the excitement of the event, people from all walks of life began collecting memorabilia about Floyd Collins. As time went on, the photographs, letters, banners, and other items increased in value, making a these collections quit valuable.
This program is about some of the Floyd Collins collectors, and their collections. In describing their old photographs, postcards, newsreels, and other items, the story of Floyd Collins, and his untimely death, is told.
The DVD version contains 2 extras. The first is an extra interview with Dr. Halliday and the second is the uncut version of the 16 mm newsreel film.

What waits beyond some of the most challenging, difficult, and dangerous restrictions ever negotiated by cave divers? Hart Attack explores the psychology of pushing extreme underwater cavers and the rewards that wait beyond. Exceptional underwater footage by the master of the craft.

This is a conservation video which covers the problems of water pollution in caves and karst areas. The program starts with a short discussion on the formation of caves. It then presents the many sources of water pollution involving caves and karst areas, and includes a number of solutions. This is an excellent educational resource on the subject of conservation and water pollution.

This program is a promotional video for the 2009 International Congress of Speleology (ICS) which will take place in Kerrville, TX. The program shows the viewer where the ICS will be located, including views of the town of Kerrville and Schreiner University. It shows what facilities will be available, and what activities will take place during the convention. Also included are descriptions of the caving and other activities that will be available before, during, and after the Congress.

This short art film depicts how the author, poet Ian Ellis Chandler, is developing his art based on the experience of exploring caves. The poems, taken from his book of the same name, are about mustering the determination to go caving and then finding inspiration in the dark recesses of the earth, and are read by Chandler over beautifully crafted images by producer Antony Rohald. There is a wonderful blend of technical features and artistry in the visuals, such as displaying moving images in the static paintings on the artist's walls, and superimposing images on moving water.
Mr. Chandler is expat Brit living in Spain; he is an NSS member and recipient of the Arts and Letters Award.

The dangers posed by groundwater pollution resulting from sinkhole dumping are discussed by cavers and local experts.

This program follows Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, two of Europe's most successful cave divers, at they attempt to explore the Cogol dei Veci, a massive flooded cave in Northern Italy. The film follows their attempts in 2004 and 2005 to find a dry cave passage beyond the 2400m long first sump, and at the same time provides a rare opportunity to look behind the scenes and understand what it takes to be at the cutting edge of under-water cave exploration. Excellent narra-tive and videography, including scenes beyond the sump.

DESCEND INTO WORLDS WITH NO LIGHT, NO AIR, AND NO ROOM FOR ERROR
Journey Into Amazing Caves is a visceral, suspenseful expedition with a new breed of scientists who boldly explore places once thought off-limits to human presence, let alone IMAX cameras. Join Dr. Hazel Barton and Nancy Aulenbach as they travel to unique and forbidding ice caves in Greenland, underwater caves in the Yucatan, terrestrial caves in the Grand Canyon and other spectacular locations. You will wriggle through tiny, twisting passages, swim through flooded underground vaults, drop into gleaming blue labyrinths of ice, and enter a world so extreme the microscopic creatures who live there are called extremophiles. For those compelled to push their limits in the world's most hostile environments, the risk of fatal danger and thrill of new discovery are the everyday factors that make cave exploration such an awe-inspiring experience.
Includes: "Making of" Documentary

Wide Screen (16x9) and full screen (4x3) on same disc. DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio.

Comment: Also available on VHS Tape

This is a pilot for a potential caving series on the History Channel. The producers wanted to examine man's historic and prehistoric relationship to caves, and so turned to the ancient Maya, a culture whose cosmology places caves at the center of their physical and spiritual world. NSS cavers Hazel Barton and Paul Burger explore Naj Tunich cave in the Yucatan.

Comment: This program won Best of Show in the 2008 NSS Video Salon.

A video of this famous cave with its fabulous formations emphasizing its "wilderness" potential. This extended version includes in-depth interviews with the explorers.

Living On Karst introduces the general public to the basics of karst, how it functions and what makes it so sensitive to land use. The history of Hidden River Cave is presented as the poster child of polluted caves, whose ultimate restoration in modern times points at a hopeful future for raising consciousness about the value of providing good stewardship. David Foster, founder and director of ACCA shares personal thoughts about the tangible and intangible value of caves to humans and to life itself.

A history of the Carlsbad Caverns Lint Camp, from its inception in 1988 through 2004. The program uses over 250 caver volunteers who spend their vacation time to remove accumulations of lint, hair, and skin left by cave visitors from the formations on the tourist trails. Tech-niques include everything from tweezers to compressed air and vacuum cleaners. Included are interviews with Pat Jablon-sky, founder of the program, interspersed with video and slides of the restoration work, which nets over 20 pounds of lint each year.

Comment: Also available on VHS Tape (V207)

A Special Challenge. Caves are more popular for recreation than ever! And their ties to the surface world is increasingly more important. Because of this, proper cave management has become critical. This BLM video points out (very well) the importance of the cave resource and the need for good stewardship by federal agencies under the provisions of the Federal Cave Resource Protection Act.

Dramatic adventures highlight early explorations in Papua New Guinea by a Swiss/French team, including 360- meter deep sinkholes and kayaking into a giant resurgence.

The adventure of six members of the Cullman Grotto during their winter break south of the border.

The sport of vertical caving knows no greater thrill than the deep shafts located in central Mexico. Six cavers from Alabama, Ohio, and Wisconsin spent a week exploring a few of Mexico's greatest caves. There are moments of relaxation and moments when the cavers thought they could go no further. The focus of this trip was the 618 foot deep Hoya de la Luuz, but the voyage there was no easy task!

Also includes Sotano de Cepillo, Grutas de Tolontange, and Pyramids.

This very short (1-minute) piece is actually a commercial. Turner South Television, the corporate owner of numerous TV stations, held a contest that invited viewers to film a short commercial depicting some aspect of what they loved about 'their' South. Caver Michael Gilbert and the Central Alabama Grotto entered the contest with a 'down and dirty' spot about their caving passions - and they won! Their prize was to be able to reshoot and edit the piece using Turner's professional equipment and services, and have the spot air on the network.

The focus of this program is a project to map The Devils Sinkhole, near Rock Springs, TX. Visitors to the site can peer into the abyss from a platform near the edge of the 160-foot pit. Using the latest LIDAR laser technology, a group of geologists and cavers is creating a virtual 3-D model of the cave. This is an early edit of a program to be featured on Texas Public Television.

Comment: This program won an Honorable Mention in the 2008 NSS Video Salon.

Also on this DVD: NSS 2008 Convnetion promo (D56b) and Bikini Cavers (D56c)

A humorous intro has a convention staffer dreaming that he is Steve Irwin, rescuing an errant cave diver who has become trapped in a swimming pool and needs to be returned to its native habitat. The rest of the program high- lights the facilities and events of the Lake City, FL NSS Convention.

This DVD is a reproduction of the 2003 NSS Slide Salon from the NSS Convention in Portersville, California. The program shows the best of the 2003 slide salon, fading from one slide to the next, and includes titles showing the name of each photographic along with the photographer. The entire slide series is set to music.

This DVD was produced by Dave Socky of Hodag Video Productions in 2006.

This DVD is a reproduction of the 2006 NSS Slide Salon from the NSS Convention in Bellingham, Washington. The program shows the best of the 2006 slide salon, fading from one slide to the next, and includes titles showing the name of each photographic along with the photographer. This program includes 111 photographs. The entire slide series is set to music.

This DVD was produced by Dave Socky of Hodag Video Productions in 2007.

The Cave of Swallows (Sotano de las Golondrinas), in Mexico, is a 400-meter vertical shaft. It's deep enough to engulf the Empire State Building, yet few people even know of its existence. Caves are Planet Earth's final frontier, and this program will go where few have been before.
From Lechuguilla Cave's astonishing 6-meter long crystals to the vast Deer Cave in Borneo, the daytime retreat for 5 millon bats, from cave swiftlets, who build nests out of just saliva, to the extraordinary snottites of Villa Luz, Planet Earth 'Caves' is the first to go deep into this hidden world.
This landmark nature series was produced by a consortium of The Discovery Channel, the BBC, and NHK (Japan). Its eleven 50-minute chapters were filmed entirely in High Definition and were five years in the making. The series first aired in the UK in 2006, and in the US in May 2007.

When caving, the most common feature encountered that requires knowledge of vertical techniques is: “the pit”. Getting down is usually pretty easy (but it does require a fair amount of knowledge in order to do it safely). But if one goes down, it is usually necessary to get back up.

Getting back up the rope is the main subject of this video. This program is intended to be an introduction to the different techniques and rigs that are used around the world to ascend a rope.

The program will start out with how to set up a climbing rope for training with a heavy emphasis on safety. Then we will cover the workings of different climbing systems such as the Frog system, knots, the rope walker and others. Important aspects of each system will be described, including how to use them in a safe and efficient manner.

SP CAVE
Underground Symphony
Cottonwood Cave

SP Cave - Forest Service efforts to protect and preserve this spectacular Arizona cave are the focus of this documentary. Unique monitoring and restoration techniques are highlighted.

Symphony - This whimsical piece demon-strates the magic that digital editing and animation have brought to amateur video. Cave formations come to life, playing classical accompaniment to dancing hodags and gremlins.

Cottonwood -Well-known cave specialist lead a thorough tour of this well-known New Mexico cave, describing its features and Forest Service restoration efforts. Strong conservation message for cavers.

Produced by Fred Bauman
SP Cave - 1997
Underground Symphony - 1997
Cottonwood Cave - 1997

In October 2004, a large group of Native American flute enthusiasts gathered in Dixie Caverns, VA to have a flute con-cert in the cave's excellent acoustics. Twenty-six flutists are featured in this video, playing a wide range of traditional music. Each performance is intermixed with beautiful scenes from a number of caves, with scenes ranging from striking formations to underground waterfalls. It is a pleasure to watch

Comment:

Come explore the unknown gems of Se-quia National Park as we visit the under-ground world found there. From the al-pine caves of the high country to the re-mote canyons of the Kaweah River, join us as we crawl, climb, and rappel through dozens of the over 200 caves found throughout the park. Along the way, we'll learn about the geologic forces that created so many caves, we'll see some of the animals that call the caves home, and we'll learn the interest-ing human history of cave exploration in Sequoia, all from the cavers who know the caves best!

Comment: This DVD won a merit award in the 2005 NSS Video Salon.

Producer Nathaniel Bluedorn says: "My brother Hans and I have never made a movie. So we decided to hide our bad technique in a cave. Viewers may forgive a caving documentary for being amateurish.
"We wanted to bring viewers on a caving trip - to experience caving the way cavers do. Part of caving is dealing with extreme situations underground. We want viewers to think to themselves, 'If I was in a cave, or climbing a mountain, I want to be that way - confident, helping my team members, safe, etc.
"We filmed in HD, but editing HD files was too time-consuming, so we mastered our movie in standard definition. After experimenting, we chose to use only headlamps and flashlights held by our actors to light our movie. We didn't have trained actors, so we wrote our dialog to match our personal experiences as much as possible.
"We learned that being organized isn't enough. We have to be more organized than we can possible imagine, because it won't look so organized on shooting day. And we learned that movies are made by teams, and teams are built by networking and building trust."
For a first-time production, Wilder Cave is well worth watching. It is visually stunning, and captures the essence of being underground.

The producer says: "My objectives were to give the impression of actually going through this (Missouri) cave, to provide maximum time for my volunteer assistants to see themselves in the video, and to provide myself with a souvenir of this beautiful cave, my favorite. I am 69 years old and unlikely to ever enter it again."
All of these objectives were met in this thorough documentary of Rollins Cave. The first half shows the cave's size (both crawlways and corridors), extent, and challenges. The second half is the reward, showing the exquisite beauty of the left branch's terminal room and the grandeur of the right side's galleries.