Spanish climber emerges after 500 days in cave

The 50-year-old Spanish extreme athlete who spent 500 days living 70 meters deep in a cave outside Granada without contact with the outside world has told how time flew by, and said he did not want to come out.

Beatriz Flamini, an elite athlete and mountaineer, was told by her support team that she had broken the world record for the longest time in a cave during an experiment closely monitored by scientists who want to learn more about the capacity of the human mind and circadian rhythms. . He was 48 when he entered the cave, and celebrated two birthdays underground.

No news from outside

He started the challenge on November 20, 2021 – before the outbreak of the Ukraine war, the fallout from the cost of living crisis, the end of Spain’s lengthy COVID-19 mask requirement and the death of Queen Elizabeth II in England.

He emerged in the spring light of southern Spain on Friday wearing dark glasses, carrying equipment and smiling broadly. He was greeted by a phalanx of cameras and a support team who, wearing masks, surrounded him.

She describes her experience as “excellent, unbeatable,” and says time has flown by.

“When they came to get me, I was sleeping. I thought it had happened. I said: ‘Has it? Of course not.’ My book is not finished.”

Asked if he ever thought about hitting the panic button or getting out of the cave, he replied: “No, actually I didn’t want to get out.”

Spend time reading, knitting

Flamini spent time on the ground practicing, painting and drawing, and knitting fur hats. He took two GoPro cameras to document his time, and got 60 books and 1,000 liters of water, according to the support team.

WATCH | 500 days living in a cave:

There are difficult moments — such as when the cave is infested with flies — and some are “beautiful,” he said.

“If this is your dream, and you know it, why would you cry?”

He says he focuses on maintaining “coherence”, eating well and enjoying solitude. They look forward to treats such as avocados, fresh eggs and clean T-shirts sent by the support team earlier, “like a god,” as well as taking out the trash.

“I don’t talk to myself out loud, but I have an internal conversation and it’s very nice to me,” he joked.

“You have to be aware of your feelings – if you’re afraid something is natural, but don’t panic or become paralyzed.”

Supervised by his team

He insisted that his team had been told not to contact him under any circumstances, even in the presence of his family.

“If there is no communication, there is no communication regardless of the situation. People who know me understand and respect that,” he said.

Flamini is monitored by a group of psychologists, researchers, speleologists – specialists in the study of caves – and physical trainers who watch his every move and monitor his physical and mental health.

According to the Spanish news agency EFE, his experience was studied by scientists at the universities of Granada and Almeria and a Madrid-based sleep clinic to determine the impact of social isolation and extreme temporary disorientation on people’s perception of time, neuropsychological and cognitive possibilities. changes in human experience the ground, and impact on circadian rhythm and sleep.

Craving eggs and chips with friends

Flamini said he was now waiting for a shower and sharing a plate of eggs and chips with friends. He said he would be in the hands of doctors to study the effects on his body and mind, before planning a new mountain and caving project.

The Guinness Book of Records website awarded the “longest survival time underground” to 33 Chilean and Bolivian miners who spent 69 days 688 meters underground after the collapse of the San José copper-gold mine in Chile in 2010.

A Guinness spokesperson could not immediately confirm whether there was a separate record for voluntary time spent living in the cave and whether Flamini had broken it.