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Buttered Badger Potholing Club

Authors: Mark Richardson, Chris Haigh, Ben Enticknap, Sam Allshorn, Tim Nixon.

Oman Expedition 2012

Expedition Sponsors:

Buttered Badger Potholing Club Oman Expedition

30th March 2012‐ 15th April 2012

For more information about our expedition, duplicate copies of the report or access to our research contact the Buttered Badgers at the following address:

[email protected]

www.butteredbadger.com

Cover Photographs: Front‐ A caver silhouetted against Sha’at Shaft. Back‐ Negotiating the pools in Qunf Sinkhole

ButteredBadgerPotholingClub‐OmanExpeditionReport

1

Introduction

In 2011 the Buttered Badger Potholing club were looking for a place to focus our efforts and run an international expedition. It was at the Hidden Earth conference in Monmouth that we started to learn about Oman as a country with great potential for cave exploration. After some research into previous exploration we found that Oman had two distinct caving areas, one in the north near the capital Muscat and the other in the south near Salalah.

The proximity of Muscat to the Al‐Hajar Mountains of the North of the country meant that much had already been explored, with published records dating back to 1985 in ‘Vol. 12 No3 of BCRA Cave Science’. In contrast the Jabal Qara and Jabal Samhan mountain ranges surrounding Salalah and the Jabal Al Qamar which extends west towards Yemen were more remote and less well known by cave explorers. Previous expeditions had found the most obvious caves and sinkholes in both regions but as we read on it appeared as though the Dhofar region would give the best opportunities for finding new caves big or small.

We wanted to run a lightweight expedition to prospect for new entrances and explore some already known caves. Most importantly the expedition had to be accessible to anyone in the club and the reporting of our findings in an accurate and objective way would be critical. We weren’t going to Oman for a holiday, we were there in the true spirit of exploration and this was made clear to everyone at an early stage. We think you will agree that we achieved what we set out to do and hope that you enjoy the read…


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Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1

Table of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... 4

Geography ............................................................................................................................................... 6

Geology ................................................................................................................................................... 7

Planning .................................................................................................................................................. 8

The Team ................................................................................................................................................ 9

Summary of Expedition Findings .......................................................................................................... 10

Day 1‐ Sunday 1st April .................................................................................................................. 10

Day 2‐ Monday 2nd April ................................................................................................................ 13

Day 3‐ Tuesday 3rd April ................................................................................................................ 17

Day 4‐ Wednesday 4th April ........................................................................................................... 21

Day 5‐ Thursday 5th April ............................................................................................................... 25

Day 6‐ Friday 6th April .................................................................................................................... 27

Day 7‐ Saturday 7th April ............................................................................................................... 31

Day 8‐ Sunday 8th April .................................................................................................................. 35

Day 9‐ Monday 9th April ................................................................................................................ 39

Day 10‐ Tuesday 10th April ............................................................................................................ 41

Day 11‐ Wednesday 11th April....................................................................................................... 41

Day 12‐ Thursday 12th April ........................................................................................................... 42

Day 13‐ Friday 13th April ................................................................................................................ 46

Day 14‐ Saturday 14th April .......................................................................................................... 49

Expedition Summary ............................................................................................................................. 51

Photography .......................................................................................................................................... 52

Food and Camping ................................................................................................................................ 55

The Planning .................................................................................................................................. 55

The reality ..................................................................................................................................... 55

Daily Menu x 14 ............................................................................................................................ 56

Accommodation ............................................................................................................................ 57

Flora and Fauna ..................................................................................................................................... 59

Bird life .......................................................................................................................................... 59

Other Wildlife ................................................................................................................................ 60

Medical Report ...................................................................................................................................... 61


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Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... 62

Sponsors ................................................................................................................................................ 63

Ghar Parau Foundation ................................................................................................................. 63

Mark Wright Training Ltd .............................................................................................................. 63

Marlow Ropes Ltd ......................................................................................................................... 64

Meggaflash Technologies Ltd ........................................................................................................ 64

Speedy (Hire) Plc ........................................................................................................................... 64


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TableofFigures

Figure 1 Arabian Peninsular .................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 2 Oman ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 3 Entrance seen from 16⁰ 57’ 39.39” N 53⁰ 52’ 44.4’ E with a bearing of ~301⁰ ...................... 10 Figure 4 'Cave 1' viewed from the campsite across the wadi ............................................................... 11 Figure 5 The team depart down the side of the wadi .......................................................................... 11 Figure 6 The first nights camp near 'Cave1' .......................................................................................... 11 Figure 7 Map of cave 1 and track in relation to the campsite .............................................................. 12 Figure 8 The scoured bottom of Wadi Kafut ......................................................................................... 12 Figure 9 One of the many large alcoves in Wadi Kafut ......................................................................... 13 Figure 10 Sunshine and Lollipops Entrance .......................................................................................... 13 Figure 11 Rigging the top pitch of Sunshine & Lollipops ...................................................................... 14 Figure 12 Tailless whip spider (Phrynicus Dhofarensis) ........................................................................ 14 Figure 13 Rigging at the 'stal squeeze' in Sunshine and Lollipops ........................................................ 15 Figure 14 Panoramic overview of Sha'at Sinkhole, seen from the car park. The viewpoint can be seen on the far edge approximately 100m away. ......................................................................................... 17 Figure 15 The Spectacular 'notch' at the end of the West Wadi .......................................................... 18 Figure 16 View down Sha'at shaft from the 'notch' ............................................................................. 19 Figure 17 Caver silhouetted against Sha'at shaft .................................................................................. 19 Figure 18 View of the bottom of Sha'at from the tufa curtains part way down the main shaft. Note the two people on the floor for scale. .................................................................................................. 20 Figure 19 Flowstone in Sha'at, the 6m pitch is down the water stained flowstone by the right wall . 21 Figure 20 Standing on the edge of the gour pools in the hot chamber ................................................ 22 Figure 21 Descending above the bubbling green water at the bottom of Sha'at ................................ 23 Figure 22 Location of Qunf Sinkhole ..................................................................................................... 25 Figure 23 Overview of Qunf Sinkhole ................................................................................................... 26 Figure 24 Climbing out of Qunf ............................................................................................................. 27 Figure 25 Monitoring the air condition with a personal gas monitor from Speedy ............................. 28 Figure 26 Decaying bats, guano and vegetation washed into the cave made for an unpleasant environment ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Figure 27 The team wore dust masks in Qunf, air temperatures of 27o made for an uncomfortable time ....................................................................................................................................................... 28 Figure 28 Descending the wadi into the spectacular Qunf Sinkhole .................................................... 29 Figure 29 The team report writing and planning the next day’s activities ........................................... 30 Figure 30 Tim makes ad‐hoc repairs to the setting tool with a file and boulder 'vice'......................... 30 Figure 31 Satellite image and photograph of Feature 1 ....................................................................... 31 Figure 32 Satellite image and photograph of Feature 2 ....................................................................... 31 Figure 33 Satellite image of Feature 5 .................................................................................................. 32 Figure 34 Satellite image and photograph of Feature 6 ....................................................................... 32 Figure 35 Satellite image and photograph of Feature 8 ....................................................................... 33 Figure 36 Satellite image and photograph of Feature 9 ....................................................................... 33 Figure 37 Satellite image and photograph of Feature 10 ..................................................................... 34 Figure 38 Satellite image and photograph of Feature 11 ..................................................................... 34


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Figure 39 'Crack' in the hillside ............................................................................................................. 35 Figure 40 Sadly neither crack showed any promise ............................................................................. 35 Figure 41 Mugsayl Blowholes‐ a refreshing distraction ........................................................................ 36 Figure 42 The possible Sha'at resurgence with the climbers for scale ................................................. 37 Figure 43 View from inside the large alcove ......................................................................................... 38 Figure 44 Administering first aid ........................................................................................................... 39 Figure 45 A rare cloudy moment as the second cliff opening is reached ............................................. 40 Figure 46 Dramatic view of the towering coastal cliffs and our vehicle ............................................... 41 Figure 47 Arriving on the plateau at night after a hair raising drive..................................................... 42 Figure 48 First Drop in Majlis Al Jinn ..................................................................................................... 43 Figure 49 Local children 'help' to pack the rope! .................................................................................. 44 Figure 50 Sunlight streaming through the roof lights in MAJ ............................................................... 45 Figure 51 Panoramic photograph of Majlis Al Jinn ............................................................................... 45 Figure 52 Typical terrain on the walk to Khaf Tahry ............................................................................. 46 Figure 53 Entrance to Khaf Tahry, note the person in red beneath the boulder in the foreground .... 47 Figure 54 Looking out of the 79m high entrance of Khaf Tahry ........................................................... 48 Figure 55 Large chamber in Khaf Tahry, 20m pitch in the distance ..................................................... 48 Figure 56 Arch and balanced boulder in Khaf Tahry ............................................................................. 49 Figure 57 Bolt climb on the cliffs below Sha'at ..................................................................................... 50 Figure 58 Formations in Khaf Tahry ...................................................................................................... 51 Figure 59 Rigging the first pitch into Qunf Sinkhole ............................................................................. 54 Figure 60 Cooking the evening meal at Qunf ....................................................................................... 57 Figure 61 Washing up‐ a nightly chore made harder by the lack of water ........................................... 57 Figure 62 The campsite at Sha'at Sinkhole with Reinhard's tents and gazebos ................................... 57 Figure 63 The luxury marble gazebo camp atop the cliffs near Sha'at ................................................. 58 Figure 64 Birds at one of the many sanctuaries in Oman ..................................................................... 59 Figure 65 African Paradise Flycatcher ................................................................................................... 59 Figure 66 Scorpion ................................................................................................................................ 60 Figure 67 Poisonous centipede ............................................................................................................. 60 Figure 68 Mouse ................................................................................................................................... 60 Figure 69 Spider .................................................................................................................................... 60

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7

Geology

Oman’s varied physical geography is the result of a long and interesting geological history. Located on the Arabian plate Oman is slowly being pushed northward by tectonism with the towering Al‐Hajar mountain range acting as a reminder of this movement and subsequent collision with the Eurasian plate. Sea floor volcanic rocks or ophiolites are common with the Semail ophiolite outcropping for 600km through the SE to NE of the country having been obducted during the Cretaceous period. The majority of the country however is sedimentary with vast tracts of calcium carbonate providing the perfect material for cave formation under the right environmental conditions.

Across most of the country the sedimentary deposits sit unconformably on Precambrian crystalline basement composed of igneous granites and metamorphic gneiss. These deposits consist initially of glacial sediments, shales and sandstone deposits. Throughout the Cretaceous period these were overlain by dolomitic limestones, sandstones and marls. Additional Cretaceous limestones which make up the Kharfut and Dhalkut Formations in the Dhofar region of Oman overlie these and gradually thicken to the Yemen border in the west.

Tertiary deposits, including the impressive Miocene Mugsayl Formation chalk deposits which can be seen in the deep road cuttings, form the remainder of the deposits in the Western regions. These tertiary deposits are primarily carbonates laid down in thick sequences which cover much of the country. Known as the Hadhramaut Group (Eocene) they consist of four main formations the most significant of which is the Umm er Radhuma Formation. This is made up of thick limestone which is the setting for much of the cave and sinkhole formation in Oman, in particular the Tawi Atair and Teyq sinkholes in the Dhofar region. The Umm er Radhuma Formation is a massive to nodular grey to whitish bioclastic limestone with large chert nodules and occasional shale interbeds.

The other three formations consist of limestones, shales and evaporites and further thinner limestones and are known as Rus, Dammam and Aydim Formations. Later deposits are primarily Miocene conglomerates, home to the Qashrawb cave, and interbeds of limestones and shales as well as the Mugsayl chalk deposits. Pleistocene palaeodunes with gravels also outcrop in several areas.

Ref: A geological and hydrological study of the cave systems of the Samhan Plateau, Governorate of Dhofar. Samir Hanna and Franc Maleckar


8

Planning

With the location settled we set about making our preparations. The final decision to run the expedition was made in October 2011 and the date was set for April 2012, this gave us six months to get a team together and get everything organised. Five members of the Buttered Badgers booked our flights early in 2012, the team comprised a good mix of age and ability and as the planning progressed, everyone took on a role or responsibility to help with the preparation.

In order to ease our way once out in Oman we decided to enlist the help of a guide, Reinhard Siegl, widely known throughout Oman as one of the country’s caving experts. We got in touch via email and explained our plans. Reinhard was immediately interested in helping out and provided us with invaluable information and advice from where his most promising leads were to advising us on camping and cooking arrangements. Without Reinhard’s help, the expedition would undoubtedly have been much harder work.

On Reinhard’s advice, we also made contact with the Ministry of Tourism to make them aware of our plans. In doing so we were put in contact with Andrew Lawrence through whom we also applied for permission to visit Majlis al Jinn towards the end of the expedition. Andrew and the Ministry were very supportive of our plans and granted permission, giving us a spectacular finale to look forward to.

As plans came together, it became obvious that the expedition would be an expensive venture for the five of us and at the time, the Buttered Badgers didn’t have an expedition fund upon which we could call so we decided to ask for sponsorship for certain high value items to ease the way. We wrote to several companies explaining our plans and outlining what we could provide in return and the response was fantastic. We were overwhelmed by the support people were willing to offer and very quickly we had several companies on board offering rope, flash bulbs, gas detection equipment, climbing and bolting equipment and venues and facilities for planning and preparation.

As part of our sponsorship efforts, we also made an application to the Ghar Parau foundation who kindly offered £500 to go towards the expedition. This, along with the equipment we had been given made the expedition viable for all involved.

When researching Oman caving, it became apparent that we would be encountering hazards new to us as European cavers. As part of the planning process we produced a risk assessment and medical self‐assessment forms for each of the team to read, complete and return to the team leader for safe keeping. On a similar topic, we opted for Snowcard expedition insurance to cover us whilst out in Oman. It seemed to be the most competitively priced insurance at the time with the best spread of cover. Everyone on the expedition bought this insurance prior to departure.

We knew from our research that we would be encountering a lot of off‐road driving on the expedition so we pre‐ booked a Toyota Landcruiser and enrolled on a day’s 4x4 course. After 6 months of hard work, we were finally ready for our adventure…


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TheTeam

Mark Richardson – Team Leader

Tim Nixon –Group Elder

Chris Haigh – Photography

Sam Allshorn – Surveying

Ben Enticknap – Technical Support

Although people fell into general roles, everyone on the team was involved in all aspects of the expedition from planning right through to the final reporting.


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SummaryofExpeditionFindings

Day 1‐ Sunday 1st April The first target for the expedition team was a cave seen by our guide and fixer Reinhard on a previous visit to Dhofar. It was called ‘Cave 1’ and was described as a large entrance seen from the far side of a wadi‐ it sounded promising and being the furthest west of all of our targets it made sense to head there first and spend the next 10 days working our way east.

As we drove along the road from Salalah towards Mugsayl, near the border with Yemen, we could hardly believe our eyes as only a few km from Salalah a vast dark hole came into view high in the cliffs above 16⁰ 57’ 39.39” N 53⁰ 52’ 44.4’ E with a bearing of ~301⁰ . We pulled over and took photos, bearings and a GPS fix of our position on the road. The dark entrance (fig. 3) wasn’t about to give up its secrets easily and we drove on, unsure as to whether or not this was indeed a cave entrance but convinced that whatever it was, it was of truly enormous proportions.

Figure 3 Entrance seen from 16⁰ 57’ 39.39” N 53⁰ 52’ 44.4’ E with a bearing of ~301⁰

Our second stop on the way to cave 1 was at Sha’at sinkhole, well signposted from the main road, it was to be our second main target. Reinhard had told us that a previous attempt to descend it had failed when the team had been overwhelmed by loose rock and had to turn around. There was also a story told by word of mouth about a team who made their way all the way to the sea after descending the shaft‐ there is no evidence that this ever happened but it was enough to whet our appetite. It was for these reasons that we pulled off the road to have a look at the sinkhole and develop a plan of attack over the next few days for our return visit.

We arrived in the vicinity of cave 1 after a bit of off‐roading and found ourselves on a large bluff (fig. 7) overlooking a rather deep wadi called Wadi Kafut. Reinhard pointed out what he thought was the cave in the opposite side of the wadi‐ (fig. 4) but couldn’t be certain; it was a long time since he was last there. He drove back to the nearest village to ask a local where the cave was that he had been told about all those years ago. The chap he found tried his best to interpret our questions and eventually managed to communicate that he could drive along a track with us and show us where water comes out of the mountain! Reinhard took the local man further along the track to see the ‘resurgence’ whilst the rest of the team headed off down an adjacent wadi (fig. 5) in an attempt to find a way to the floor beneath the entrance.


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Figure 4 'Cave 1' viewed from the campsite across the wadi

Figure 5 The team depart down the side of the wadi

Figure 6 The first nights camp near 'Cave1'

This was our first taste of the Oman topography on foot and of the afternoon heat. Down in the wadi there was little breeze and the wide, scoured pale floor (fig. 8) reflected the sun back at us‐ it was hot and the towering wadi sides were steep and inaccessible.

We eventually got ourselves to a position on the wadi floor where we could see into the entrance with binoculars and we could make out the sandy floor rising up to meet the roof. This coupled with the distance from the wadi floor and the very steep looking cliffs standing between us and the entrance led us to conclude that “cave 1” was not worth pursuing.

It was at about this point that Reinhard arrived back on the bluff and radioed to tell us that the local man had taken him out to the coast to see the wadi estuary whilst explaining with a smile on his face that it was a beautiful view of where the water comes out of the mountains!.. Never mind.

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13

Figure 9 One of the many large alcoves in Wadi Kafut

Day 2‐ Monday 2nd April We awoke to a beautiful clear morning which quickly became a beautiful baking morning as the sun rose over the distant hills at around 07:30. Yesterday evening on his travels with the local man, Reinhard had found a rift on the hillside (fig. 10) not far from the road. We finished breakfast, struck camp and headed over to take a look at this new feature, Chris and Mark being the first to negotiate the entrance.

Figure 10 Sunshine and Lollipops Entrance


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Figure 11 Rigging the top pitch of Sunshine & Lollipops Figure 12 Tailless whip spider (Phrynicus Dhofarensis)

The very top was a wide, shallow funnel shape, which quickly led to a 20m x 3m rift which belled out again almost immediately below the opening. Because of the shape of the entrance, we were able to belay to a tree high on one side of the funnel and deviate from a boulder high on the other side. Upon descent into the rift it quickly became apparent that it was a deep pitch which opened out into an impressively proportioned, if somewhat elongated void. The cave was strongly orientated NE/ SW and was eventually negotiated using a 50m and 70m rope, 10 bolts and a handful of slings and rope protectors. We placed a re‐belay about half way down the 60m pitch and as we arrived at the floor the heat was striking. It was swelteringly hot and it took a little while to get your breath back. Even just sitting on the floor of this large rift we were sweating buckets and all we were wearing was t‐shirts and shorts‐ there was no draft. The cave had several large (about 150mm!) insects which are described in a Ministry of Tourism (MOT) report as a ‘tailless whip spider’ (Phrynichus Dhofarensis) (fig. 12) and all of a sudden sitting on the floor didn’t seem like such a good idea!

Chris and Mark carried on and rigged another 4 pitches with the gear they had, with the sometimes inventive use of naturals. By the time Sam and Ben joined them with extra equipment they had reached the bottom of the cave. The rift broke down into a narrow, boulder filled, passageway which after a short climb was pushed for another 35m. Chris added another 7m horizontal and 2m vertical to the bottom of the main rift by pulling a few boulders out of the rubble pile and squeezing through, only to be halted completely by more broken rock and the rift closing in.


15

Figure 13 Rigging at the 'stal squeeze' in Sunshine and Lollipops

We all panted our way out of the cave, surveying out as we went and struggling not to wipe the pencil marks off the pad with the sweat pouring off arms, our hands our … everywhere! We all got back to the surface having completed the survey to be greeted by a cooling (hot) breeze and a chilled (warm) drink. Tim was there waiting for us and commented on how exhausted and hot we all looked to which the response was “We’ve been working hard down there Tim, it’s not been all sunshine and lollipops like it has for you up here” and so the cave had a name.

Now is a good time to talk about gas detection. As described in the Planning section there were several hazards we expected to encounter when underground which we would not ordinarily have to contend with in UK caves. One such hazard we were concerned about was the presence of unwanted gases (or the absence of friendly gases!) underground. To this end we had been sponsored with some gas detection units by Speedy Hire. The build‐up of gases in Oman caves occurs when organic material (goat faeces, vegetation etc.) is scoured from the surface in the wet season and washed into the caves. It settles in pools and begins to decay, releasing CO2 and potentially also ammonia and H2S whilst using up available O2 in the air. Where the caves don’t have a significant air current or these pools sit in low spots, the gases accumulate and could potentially be fatal. Unfortunately, due to the time and costs involved in converting the units to monitor CO2, we were only able to monitor for O2, Combustibles, CO and H2S. What we ideally needed was Ammonia, CO2, O2 and H2S. Despite the stifling temperatures and lack of any air current in Sunshine and Lollipops, the gas monitors read ‘all is well’ during our descent to the bottom‐ we were aware however that perhaps the most likely dangerous gas, CO2 was not being monitored so we were all very aware of our condition throughout our time underground. As it turned out, Reinhard was able to provide us with a CO2 monitor later in the trip, the results of which are described later on.

We left Sunshine and Lollipops and headed back through the army checkpoint towards our evening camp at Sha’at shaft. Before settling into our campsite, we drove down the steep and spectacular cliff road to look for somewhere that could be the resurgence for Sha’at sinkhole. A few km along the cliffs we saw a vast entrance high in the cliffs. If this was the resurgence, it was a spectacular one but one which we thought we probably wouldn’t have time to visit during the expedition.


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Day 3‐ Tuesday 3rd April

Sadly our camp for the evening was not as idyllic as the previous night. We awoke in the car park adjacent to Sha’at sinkhole. Sha’at sinkhole is a spectacularly large hole fed by two wadis which pour into a ~100m diameter hole in the ground. The area has been developed by the Ministry of Tourism and now includes a car park, footpath and viewing platform near the edge of the hole (fig. 14).

Figure 14 Panoramic overview of Sha'at Sinkhole, seen from the car park. The viewpoint can be seen on the far edge approximately 100m away.

We were up out of our car park based beds at 07:00 after a cold night. The kettle was put on and the morning delicacy of porridge with dried fruit was served. As the team prepared enough kit to descend the reported 350m into Sha’at, Reinhard and Marjan headed off to inspect a smaller shaft which it was thought may run down parallel to the main sink, not far away. It turned out to be blocked with sediment after only about 10‐15m. We made an initial inspection of the main shaft from a location near the car park. Clambering through prickly bushes Sam and Mark rigged up a rope to enable them to peer over the side and make a judgement call on the conditions of the walls and pick the best route. We packed up and panted our way down the sides of the western wadi to the point at which we had decided to make an attempt on the shaft. The previous known attempt on Sha’at had failed when the team put a 400m rope down the east side of the hole and tried to abseil down a long loose slope and over the steep edge with no re‐belays or deviations to aid the way. Because of the reports of loose material we had opted to follow the water washed route of the dominant wadi in the hope that by following this we would avoid any dangerous loose material.

The wadi sides closed in and steepened as we approached the shaft and it became more of a canyon than a valley. The rock was clean and smooth but full of pockets and holes, meaning Sam rigged the entire first 50m rope including 4 re‐belays on just naturals. As Sam and Mark approached the shaft they were greeted by an immense V shaped notch (fig. 15) which signalled the end of the canyon and the point at which monsoon flood waters surge out into the side of the shaft.


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Figure 15 The Spectacular 'notch' at the end of the West Wadi

Ben, Chris and Tim walked back to the camp to gather more equipment, food and water and Mark got on the radios to describe the spectacular scene he was looking at. Sam went through the notch with a 200m rope and immediately disappeared from view down the vertical wall. As Mark sat in the notch waiting for Sam to rig the wall of the shaft the birds circled above and below him and filled the shaft with the echoes of their calls, the peace occasionally broken by the sound of a battery drill and caving hammer, it was a magical place. After a bit less than an hour Mark followed Sam down to find he had just arrived on the floor with plenty of rope to spare! It seemed apparent that the estimate of 350m was not quite correct. The wall we had chosen to descend against was clean washed and pretty much vertical all the way down. Sam picked a good route and put in plenty of rightwards trending re‐belays to make getting the whole team out at the end of the day much easier. At the bottom of the main shaft, off to the east was a colossal passageway penetrating its way into the rock. Sam and Mark followed it over house sized boulders for perhaps 100m before retreating back to the shaft to wait for the rest of the team.


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Figure 16 View down Sha'at shaft from the 'notch'

Figure 17 Caver silhouetted against Sha'at shaft


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Figure 18 View of the bottom of Sha'at from the tufa curtains part way down the main shaft. Note the two people on the floor for scale.

Once everyone had descended we all surveyed our way along the passage enjoying the cool air and spectacular scale. There were stal bosses, flowstone and crystal pools (fig. 18) dotted around and the occasional tree trunk smashed into the most unlikely of places as a reminder of the power of the water that formed this piece of cave. After 243m with another pitch down a large flowstone wall using a hand drilled spit at the top, the passage came to an abrupt halt and a quick search found a way on through a dried pool and under a low (about 2m) arch on the left hand side. As soon as we ducked our heads through the arch the air changed completely. It was like walking into a greenhouse full of rotting grass on a hot day. The chamber we found ourselves in was about 20m x 20m and we were stood on and in, deep empty gour pools (fig. 20) which ended at the edge of a steep flowstone wall downwards. At the base of the wall we could see water and it wasn’t until we got right to the edge of the lowest gour pools that we realised the way on was under another arch over the water. The water looked particularly fetid and had a deep green tinge to it. Because of this and the fact that it was already early evening, we turned around for the day and headed back to the camp to contemplate how to negotiate the water the following day.


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Figure 19 Flowstone in Sha'at, the 6m pitch is down the water stained flowstone by the right wall

Day 4‐ Wednesday 4th April

Sam and Mark set off to tackle the fetid pool of water whilst the others went for a quick shop in Sha’at and followed down an hour or so later to start photographing the cave and bring more equipment and supplies. Sam and Mark reached the notch and Sam exclaimed that he was going to be sick‐ and was then sick. His sickness didn’t ease and he was losing fluids from both ends so Mark called up for Tim to replace Sam who began making his way back up the canyon. Tim arrived and he and Mark both headed down the shaft to find a sling had half depressed the drill trigger in the tackle bag when we left it there overnight‐ lesson learned there! There was some life left in the battery so they radioed for the spare to be brought down and carried on. They got to the gour pools and placed a couple of bolts and a natural over the water in the wall of the big chamber to work off. Mark lowered the gas monitors to the water, Reinhard had produced a CO2 monitor last night which we were very pleasantly surprised to find he had; so for the first time we could measure with confidence the levels of CO2. Levels were elevated but only slightly, to about 720ppm, so they attached a ‘z’‐rig to Mark’s harness (fig. 21) and he abseiled down to within a metre or so of the water with Tim at the top ready to haul should anything have gone wrong.


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Figure 20 Standing on the edge of the gour pools in the hot chamber

Mark dropped beneath the arch which was mostly obscured by the flowstone walls of our gour pools and could see round the corner into the next chamber. It measured approximately 20m x 15m and the floor was still water covered apart from an hourglass shaped sandbank which ran across the middle. At the far end the water ran under another arch, this time a lot lower and Mark described being able to faintly make out what looked like a wall at the back. He couldn’t see every inch of the


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continuation (or lack of) but there was no black void and no breeze to entice him across. At this point he looked down at the green water and noticed it bubbling occasionally, hinting that the floor of the chamber beneath the water was rich in decaying organic material, the thought of which didn’t really appeal.

Figure 21 Descending above the bubbling green water at the bottom of Sha'at

We discussed the situation and decided that we had reached the end of our exploration at what we would describe as a low duck or sump. We de‐ rigged the ‘bubbling cauldron’ pitch and spent the next few hours slowly making our way out and photographing as we went. For us, Sha’at had been a spectacular experience but we were now thinking ahead to the next target and the next campsite.


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26

We found the village of Qunf without too much trouble which was impressive given that we didn’t have a map of the area and were following a GPS arrow to coordinates taken from where we assumed the place to be off Google Earth. We pulled off the road just outside the village and found an old cattle enclosure to set up camp in‐ we were lucky to find somewhere with a decent bit of shade. The camp overlooked the sinkhole which was around 40m wide and 60m deep and fed by a deeply incised dry wadi (fig. 22).

Figure 23 Overview of Qunf Sinkhole

We packed some equipment and headed off down the wadi to the point at which the water would tumble over the side into the hole during the wet season. The first pitch was split into two, mainly rigged from naturals with one bolt used for a re‐belay to allow a straight hang to the floor. Sam and Mark got down and Mark started placing the bolt for the second pitch. He later observed that It was nice to see the old rusty spit from the Slovene expedition exactly where he wanted to put his‐ at least cavers are consistent with their rigging over the years and across nationalities. He placed the bolt and struck the setting tool three or four times with the hammer. Just as he hit the last time the tool slipped away from the rock‐ it had snapped! Frustratingly, he wasn’t sure that the bolt had set properly so he and Sam left the cave and headed back to camp for dinner and some head scratching as to how to repair the setting tool for tomorrow.


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Figure 24 Climbing out of Qunf

Day 6‐ Friday 6th April The next morning Reinhard had arrived, having had a couple of days searching for Geodes in the desert with Marjan. We were grateful to have him there because we were able to load his inflatable canoe into a tackle bag and take it with us for the day’s caving! The whole team headed down the sinkhole and carried on from where we had left off with a newly filed setting tool. The report we had about the cave made reference to floors being covered with organic rich loam and bat guano. We had read in our research that dry bat guano in Oman poses a real threat to explorers. The Histoplasmosis fungus is easily disturbed from the guano and made airborne. This results in a rather serious and unpleasant illness if inhaled. Because of this we wore dust masks as we trod over the dry mud banks and around the still pools of residual water. We followed a large meandering vadose passage for a while and came across the next short pitch. Sam rigged the pitch with a new bolt, again right next to the original Slovenian bolt which by now was hanging quite a way out of the wall. As Sam got to the bottom of the pitch he started to complain of a slight headache so we started paying very close attention to the gas monitors. We took readings at the top of the pitch of 2100PPM and 2300PPM at the foot of the pitch. Sam re‐ascended whilst we discussed the way forward and we decided to proceed with extreme caution. The next section of the cave, although vast was incredibly hot and humid. The CO2 meter had a thermometer built in which was reading 27o , there were live bats in the roof and dead bats, mud, and guano on the floor (fig. 26). In the bottom of a large domed chamber we found the way on at a ‘plughole’ in the floor. CO2 levels at the top of the plughole were 2400PPM. We threaded a rope round a convenient boulder and Mark approached the head of the


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pitch where the CO2 monitor read 2800PPM‐ a large jump given he had descended only about 2m. He got to a position where he could see right down the pitch‐ a beautiful hang down smooth, clean washed walls of pale limestone and put the gas monitors in a tackle bag and lowered them down to within about 10m of the floor. Upon pulling them back up, CO2 levels read 3125PPM. To put this into perspective, atmospheric CO2 levels are somewhere around 392PPM (about 0.04%), at around 1000PPM (0.1%) prolonged exposure can start to affect powers of concentration and at about 5000ppm (0.5%), side effects including drowsiness, loss of concentration, increased breathing and heart rate, headaches and nausea. At the time, we didn’t fully understand the limits we could have safely worked to and perhaps we could have descended the plughole pitch and carried on but we decided that enough was enough; the air wasn’t going to get any better as we approached the still lake so we halted our exploration there.

Figure 25 Monitoring the air condition with a personal gas monitor from Speedy

Figure 26 Decaying bats, guano and vegetation washed into the cave

made for an unpleasant environment

Figure 27 The team wore dust masks in Qunf, air temperatures of 27o made for an uncomfortable time


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Figure 28 Descending the wadi into the spectacular Qunf Sinkhole

There was a strong psychological element to exploration in Qunf. The hot air, dust masks and constant air monitoring resulted in a tense atmosphere where no one seemed really relaxed. In hindsight, this was definitely a good thing and we treated the cave with the caution and respect it deserved. This is not a place for the average Sunday afternoon caver to go frolicking and although it still lies open, holding great promise for further extension it should be treated with great care. We’re


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sure that one day someone will come up with a way to safely tackle the challenge, or perhaps the cave environment will change for the better over time, but as far as our little recce visit to Oman was concerned‐ Qunf was done.

Figure 29 The team report writing and planning the next day’s activities

Figure 30 Tim makes ad‐hoc repairs to the setting tool with a file and boulder 'vice'


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Day 7‐ Saturday 7th April This was the first day we started looking to the aerial photo and satellite image leads as our targets of exploration. We had a list of 10 sites within striking distance of Qunf so had high hopes that at least one may hold something of interest. We struck camp and piled into the car to begin the GPS guided tour of our targets and this is what we found;

Feature1‐

Figure 31 Satellite image and photograph of Feature 1

Although it looked promising on the satellite image, F1 turned out to be the start of a dry wadi and nothing else. A lot of the wadis in the area appear to start abruptly when viewed from above; they are frequently fed by a large, flat area of land which pours all its water into a quirk of the geology which initiates a steep sided, steep backed wadi, giving the appearance of a resurging or sinking river. We split up and spent some time searching for any evidence of caves but eventually drew a blank and moved on.

Feature2‐


This was a large (300m diameter) circular low lying depression, known as a Polje. The ground in this area has retained enough moisture to sustain greenery this far outside the wet season and probably for some time further. Perhaps the depression is a now sediment filled doline but there were certainly no surface accessible caves to be found.


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Feature5‐

Figure 33 Satellite image of Feature 5

This feature actually looked very promising. From a distance it looked to be an abrupt end at the downstream end of a wadi, suggesting some sort of sink. Unfortunately, as we approached on foot a man emerged from a nearby building and began shouting very loud and in a manner which suggested he wasn’t happy with us being there. We turned around and left immediately.

Feature6‐


Another site where a wadi suddenly drops down a steep cliff‐ access into the lower portion of the wadi was limited but we observed nothing of any significant interest to warrant further exploration but it was a spectacular place demonstrating once again, the power of the water.


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Feature8‐


Our next feature, F8 was a very large doline (500m in diameter) adjacent to a good sized wadi. The southern edge was marked by a cliff peppered with pockets and alcoves, none of which bore any fruit. It was a pleasant place but didn’t hold the treasures we had hoped for.

Feature9‐


Another large doline (250m in diameter), F9 marked the sudden drop in the floor of a vast wide wadi, the floor of which was scoured white by the force of the water and the rock that is forced down it. This wadi must be a spectacular and fearsome sight when in full flow but the doline into which it emptied was consequently full of cobbles. Perhaps at one time this impressively sized doline was a large chamber but now we struggled to find anything of speleological interest.


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Feature10‐


This was another low, round grassy depression fed by a small dry wadi. There were no features of interest to be found.

Feature11‐


This appeared to be a roughly circular farmer’s field with a small depression in the middle‐ no interest!

It was a long day with lots of driving and lots of walking in the heat of the mid‐day sun for virtually no reward. It was still a valuable exercise to find out that each of these targets now no longer warranted any further exploration, at least now we know and can cross them off the list.

After exhausting our list we headed back to Salalah for another shop and then took the main road to Muscat north to where Reinhard had described finding some ‘cracks’ or ‘rifts’ by the side of the road. With surprising difficulty we found a secluded spot to camp and settled down in what turned out to be a very cockroach and scorpion friendly campsite. This campsite was also the site of the team’s first ‘shower’ since being in the field. It was amazing that less than a litre of water each, dribbled out of a plastic bottle with a hole in it was sufficient to soap up and rinse off your entire body leaving you feeling clean and fresh!


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Day 8‐ Sunday 8th April

The location we had been given by Reinhard was a rough set of coordinates so it took some time to find the rifts that we were there to explore, but Ben stumbled across them first. Each of the two rifts was about 40m, long and 1m wide but neither were any more than about 6‐8m deep and completely filled at the bottom (figs. 29 & 30). This hailed the end of our promising targets in the area north and east of Salalah. We decided that the most effective use of our remaining time would be to head straight back to Sha’at with the aim of looking at a potential climb into the ginormous ‘resurgence’ high in the spectacular coastal cliff we had seen on Monday 2nd.

Figure 39 'Crack' in the hillside

Figure 40 Sadly neither crack showed any promise

On the way back to Sha’at we stopped briefly at Mugsayl beach to have lunch and see the blowholes on the foreshore (fig. 41). This is another tourist attraction and another beautiful spot where three small blow holes spew sea water unexpectedly into the air. It was an amusing distraction from the last day and a half of prospecting and a good way to cool off.


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Figure 41 Mugsayl Blowholes‐ a refreshing distraction

By 1400 we were stood on the coastal track beneath the imposing dark hole in the cliff high above. When we had visited this site previously, the hole really did look like it drilled its way through the cliff face in quite a serious manner. Today, however, the sun was in a different position and with the aid of a pair of binoculars we could see much further into the back. It did look to have a sloping sandy floor and we could see a back wall in places, but really there was only one way to be certain it didn’t go anywhere. Chris and Mark kitted up with a 70m rope, several slings, some quickdraws and wires and headed off up the slope towards the entrance. The initial slope was not too bad for the first 50 vertical metres or so, they free climbed a vertical crack and chimney for a while and pressed on up more steep slopes until they could be seen by the rest of the team from the track below. Sam, Tim and Ben guided them in to the best spot beneath the entrance and they continued up the final ~100m or so which turned out to be rather steep! Mark had to back off the first line when he hit a vertical crack and flake which, although offering decent holds, was far too loose and had far too little protection to risk. Another route up to the entrance was found from the left hand side which brought them to within perhaps 15 or so metres of being able to see into the hole. A very hairy traverse with nowhere near enough protection got them both to where they needed to be and they pulled over the top of the climb into the vast entrance and sat for a minute catching their breath and letting the adrenaline subside before even turning round and having a good look!


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Figure 42 The possible Sha'at resurgence with the climbers for scale


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They found themselves at the bottom of a long steep sandy slope which from where they were standing looked very much to extend right up to the back wall of what was fast becoming the biggest alcove of the expedition. They walked right to the top of the slope and had a good look around before radioing back to the team on the road that the hole was indeed an alcove and not a vast resurgence. Although it was a lot of effort getting up there and they both scared themselves half to death on the last part, they had at least proven that this potentially spectacular cave was not worth pursuing. As they sat on the sandy bank for a while looking out at the view, the cliff dropped away so abruptly beneath the entrance, from the back of the cave all that could be made out was the blue of the sky and the blue of the sea hundreds of metres below ‐ it really would be a spectacular place to have a cave!

Figure 43 View from inside the large alcove

The descent was relatively easy, belaying one another in 35m sections or wherever the best belay point was reached. As they descended from the alcove, the rest of the team communicated over the radio that they had managed to speak to some people working on the track and had identified another potential cave entrance to climb to. This was good news and gave us a solid target for our


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last day in the area. Shortly after Mark and Chris had got back to the car, Sam came over the radio to tell the rest of the team that he was with a group of men from Islamabad in Pakistan who were working on the road construction some way below us. One of them had a badly infected knee and could we go and find them with the first aid kit. Tim being the most experienced first aider amongst us treated the man’s knee and left him with some alcohol free wipes and saline solution and strict instructions to keep it clean over the next few days but to seek medical attention if it didn’t improve. Before we were accosted to treat a whole raft of other ailments the rest of the workers had, we were offered to join them for dinner but politely declined and headed back to the car to find a cliff top camp for the evening.

Figure 44 Administering first aid

Day 9‐ Monday 9th April

We were woken very early by a group of young men noisily having breakfast not far from us but found it to be another clear morning with a spectacular view from the cliff top. Today we were going to climb to the possible entrance Sam had spotted the day before and prospect some more along the base of the cliff. We arrived at the spot Sam had identified, sweating profusely‐ it was a hot day and it was going to be a hot climb! He kitted up with everything he would need and Mark took him on belay with the dynamic rope. He was able to start the climb tiptoeing on a precarious pile of shattered boulders and place his first bolt. From there on, the climb was extremely strenuous‐ it was hot and it was overhanging most of the way up. After 6 or 7 bolts he got to a point where he could stand high in the etrier and peer into the hole. Sadly, like the day before the hole was an alcove in


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the cliff. It was a very good climb and the only reward was the certainty that there was no reward at the end... but at least we now knew.

Figure 45 A rare cloudy moment as the second cliff opening is reached

The rest of the team had spent the time scouring the heavily pocketed and tufa covered cliffs to no avail. Somewhere on this stretch of coastline, during the rainy season all the water from Sha’at sinkhole probably resurges and flows into the sea. The mystery of the Sha’at resurgence though will have to wait for another day because we had run out of time.


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Day 10‐ Tuesday 10th April

Rest day‐ we relaxed, swam in the sea, visited the old souk though now predominantly filled with hairdressers and tourist tat sellers, and packed before catching our flight up to Muscat. We found out on this flight that between the five of us we had over140kg of kit + overloaded hand baggage. Miraculously though, despite checking in an extra bag at Salalah we weren’t charged anything extra. We got to Reinhard’s house in Qantab late on in the evening by taxi and stayed up until past 0200, drinking our first and only beers of the trip, debating British caving ethics and trying to squeeze through small gaps in some scaffolding.

Figure 46 Dramatic view of the towering coastal cliffs and our vehicle

Day 11‐ Wednesday 11th April We collected our new hire car in the morning, swapping the brand new Toyota Prado they initially assigned us for a much older model in a bit worse condition. Whilst we were out we stocked up on food and water for the next 3 days and headed off down the coast to the Selmah plateau and to Majlis Al Jinn (MAJ). We turned off the main road at Fins in the dark of the evening and headed up what was described to us as a road. Initially the gravel track wasn’t too bad and we pushed on towards the looming darkness of the plateau high above us. As we got higher, the thick clouds which had been forming began a rather spectacular thunder and lightning display. This didn’t put people at ease as the road condition deteriorated and got steeper and steeper to the point where low range


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4WD and diff lock were engaged and the edges of the track started to have only darkness beyond them.

Figure 47 Arriving on the plateau at night after a hair raising drive

The drive took a long time and there were a few nervous moments but the little Prado ploughed on, only coming to a stop once on a particularly bad section. As we were nearing the top (although we didn’t know it at the time) a pickup truck met us coming down hill. The driver introduced himself as Mohammed and said that he had been expecting us. Communication was difficult because of the language barrier but we eventually conveyed that we were planning to carry on to the top of the plateau and camp near to MAJ. He seemed slightly perturbed by this idea but turned round and led us up the remainder of the track to the top of the plateau. All of a sudden we levelled out and we were horizontal again‐ it was a good feeling! Mohammed advised we didn’t camp near the small settlement at the entrance to MAJ as we would be woken up very, very early. It was hard work pitching the tents and cooking in high winds and for the first time during the expedition we had to put a jumper on but at least we were spared the rain.

Day 12‐ Thursday 12th April

After a stormy night under canvas we woke to a beautiful clear day, had breakfast and raced over to the entrance of MAJ to get started on the rigging. Although strictly speaking, visiting MAJ was not in the true spirit of the expedition and what it aimed to do, it was just far too good an opportunity to pass up the chance to see this spectacular cavern for ourselves. It was a bit of an indulgence but at


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the same time it put us in another very interesting limestone area with known, developed caves which gave us the chance to spend another day prospecting for new discoveries.

Whilst we were still in the UK, Reinhard had put us in contact with Andrew Lawrence from the Ministry of Tourism to get permission to descend into MAJ. The ministry had kindly agreed and even better, Andrew was joining us with his children Sienna and Narayan. When researching the cave, we had heard that previous un‐sanctioned visitors had made somewhat of a mess of the chamber and we offered to help with any clear up that was required as a condition of us being allowed access.

We had decided to rig two ropes adjacent to each other down the First Drop. There were studs placed in the floor back from the edge of the hole to bolt a petrol winch to. Because this was the ‘normal’ way of rigging the cave we had to use a substantial series of edge rollers and rope protectors (fig. 47) to guide our ropes over two edges before they reached a free hang of 110m to the rubble heap on the cave floor beneath. Past expeditions and a publicity base‐ jump into the cave had peppered the entrance with bolts and studs which had all been removed. The Ministry have managed to gain good control over access into the cave and employ a guardian –Mohammed, the man who met us on our way up the plateau the night before. The placing of bolts is now strictly forbidden.

Figure 48 First Drop in Majlis Al Jinn


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By the time the cave was rigged we had drawn quite a crowd, perhaps 6 or 8 kids from the nearby settlement had rushed over to see us and to watch our descent. We were grateful for Mohammed who managed to keep the kids in check but we still had to be careful not to leave things lying around or the inquisitive little hands would have it away. Andrew and his team kitted up first and descended into the cave using the second rope as a backup line for an ASAP. Once they were all safely inside MAJ, Chris and Mark went over the edge first, followed by Ben and Sam, then finally Tim. Tim has since described the descent as “One of my most memorable ever caving experiences”, the rest of the team unanimously agreed with that sentiment. As we dropped through the roof, the walls disappeared and we found ourselves suspended 100m off the ground inside a vast chamber 310m x 225m x 120m high, bathed in sunlight from the two large surface shafts. We spent quite a while walking round, soaking up the atmosphere and helping Chris take some photographs before scouring the rubble heap beneath the entrances for rubbish and slowly making our way out. The kids ‘helped’ us pack away the ropes and kit and were all rewarded with a Buttered Badger sticker for their efforts.

Figure 49 Local children 'help' to pack the rope!

We drove back to our campsite on the edge of the plateau and Sam and Mark went off again to try and find another entrance that we had heard about in a wadi not far from where we were. The drive was actually quite a long one on some rough tracks but they eventually found a viewpoint from which they could see the hole. They took a GPS fix of their location and a bearing to the cave and headed back to the camp to debate what the plan would be for tomorrow.

That evening, we invited Mohammed to join us for dinner and he brought with him some superb dates and a flask of spiced goat’s milk to share, it was a lovely meal and the perfect end to a spectacular day.


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Figure 50 Sunlight streaming through the roof lights in MAJ

Figure 51 Panoramic photograph of Majlis Al Jinn


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Day 13‐ Friday 13th April We had spent quite a while last night debating how to focus our efforts today. One option was to go and get into the entrance we saw in the wadi cliff and the other was to get into the Selmah system via Khaf Tahry and head up to the southern passage, just before the Funnel Cave inlet. Here there was a gated section of cave for which we had the key which on the survey had no definitive end to it. On the way up to the open ended passage, there was also an aven on the survey in a piece of passageway that was sufficiently small that we may be able to bolt into it. Because we had shown Mohammed a photo of the entrance in the cliff the day before and he recognised it, telling us it goes 20m in and then up, we decided to go for the Selmah system.

Figure 52 Typical terrain on the walk to Khaf Tahry

To get to Khaf Tahry, we had been given estimates ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours for the walk in. We parked on one of the hairpins on the road down to Fins and set off on foot, contouring the spectacular topography (fig. 51) on what we were pretty sure was the correct footpath. 2 hours later we rounded a corner to be confronted with a vast cliff face with a large resurgence at the bottom‐ it was Khaf Tahry (fig.52). It took a surprisingly long time to navigate the colossal boulders up to the entrance where we sat for a while enjoying the shade.


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Figure 53 Entrance to Khaf Tahry, note the person in red beneath the boulder in the foreground

The entrance is 79m high and continues under the plateau with similar proportions for several km. Straight away it was obvious‐ this was a BIG cave. We followed the dry passage upstream, passing two pitches up (fig. 54) and negotiating several aluminium ladders which were in situ. Despite its vast size, there really weren’t many side passages and route finding was exceedingly easy. We found the correct turn off and headed up a slope into the start of the crystal passage. We weren’t far up when all of a sudden the air changed, just as it had in Sha’at sinkhole. We left the relatively cool, fresh air from the main passage behind and continued into the hot, humid atmosphere ahead. This wasn’t a good sign for a wide open continuation at the end of the passage. The aven appeared above us and it was immediately obvious that this was beyond our means for the day. The passage dimensions in reality were much greater than indicated on the survey and the aven sat in the middle of the roof, requiring a vertical and then overhanging roof climb to get into. Frustrated that target 1 was not going to give us a chance, we carried on and shortly arrived at the gate. We got through the gate with ease and removed our boots as we had been instructed to protect the delicate crystal encrusted floor. The ground was festooned with tiny, glittering crystals and small dry gour pools. We picked our way through the beautiful chamber and along the next piece of passageway to what was shown on the survey as the end. There was a slippery climb up muddy ledges to a point about 20m above the passage floor where we were stopped at a very steep section of calcite and flowstone. Sam and Mark roped up and managed to get a sling around a stalagmite near the top of the steep wall and lead climbed over the top into the continuation of the passageway. After the climb, the now low and narrow piece of cave continued for another 20m or so and came to an abrupt end at a heavily decorated chamber with helictites and stalactites hanging from the roof and walls. Although


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it was a lovely chamber, it was far from the extension we had hoped for so they came back down and the whole team helped with the photography as we exited.

Figure 54 Looking out of the 79m high entrance of Khaf Tahry

Figure 55 Large chamber in Khaf Tahry, 20m pitch in the distance

The long walk back to the car in the dark was aided in a big way by small pieces of reflective tape stuck to rocks by the side of the track, without them, it would have been a very challenging route


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finding exercise. We all got back to the car without any drama and tucked into the water‐ we had all run out long ago.

Our last day in the field didn’t yield the discoveries we had hoped for but we can now at least finish off that tiny bit of the Selmah System survey and we have some spectacular photographs to remind us of the magnificent piece of cave that is Khaf Tahry.

Figure 56 Arch and balanced boulder in Khaf Tahry

Day 14‐ Saturday 14th April

We spent the day driving back from the plateau to Muscat and packing ready for our flight home. Rather annoyingly we spotted a couple of cave entrances high in the cliffs on the track from Fins as we were descending. They obviously have water flow from them at some time and we had no record of what they were. If only we had seen them a couple of days earlier! As we collected together our kit and gave Reinhard back the bits we had borrowed we all reflected on the expedition and on our experiences of Oman. We were tired but happy and pleased that we had accomplished what we set out to do with no incidents on the way.


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Figure 57 Bolt climb on the cliffs below Sha'at


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ExpeditionSummary

We feel that the expedition was a great success. Everyone on the team had a fantastic time in Oman and was blown away by the beauty of the country. The caving was frustrating at times and we had hoped to find more than we did but along the way we had a fantastic adventure.

The caves we did explore, whether it was for the first time or following in someone else’s footsteps were spectacular and truly world class. The scale of the caves and potholes in Oman is magnificent, it would have been nice to have found time to do some trips high up on the Selmah Plateau and out Khaf Tahry but sadly time and the constraints of the expedition did not allow this.

There is undoubtedly much, much more in Oman for people to find for years to come. Perhaps the vast sink holes like Sha’at and Qunf have all been located now thanks to advances in modern technology‐ satellite images etc. but there will be many more hidden gems like Sunshine and Lollipops scattered across the country waiting to be discovered.

The expedition was a fantastic learning experience for everyone. We learned a lot about organising and running a foreign expedition and the trials and tribulations that come with it. We learned a lot about each other and our eyes were opened to the wonderful country that is Oman. At the moment we have no set plans to return but watch this space… perhaps the entrances high in the cliffs on the road above Fins could be visited, or perhaps we can come up with a clever way to combat the bad air in Qunf and further exploration there. Until then, the Ministry of Tourism will continue doing a great job of promoting and conserving Oman’s hidden treasures and we will continue to talk fondly of our adventure, satisfied with the new found confidence and enthusiasm that this expedition has energised the Buttered Badgers with.

Figure 58 Formations in Khaf Tahry �


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Photography

From the outset of the expedition there was to be one main photographer who would keep an on‐going record of things seen to provide a visual reference for the report and to be able to furnish our sponsors with their required publicity shots. Photography in Oman wasn't without its difficulties. Heat and dust were the main problems and as with any underground photo shoot the need for good quality lighting became paramount. Head torches provided a good deal of the light especially the modern Stenlight's and Rude Nora's that several of the members had. However some of the large chambers needed that little extra help to be lit up sufficiently. The PF200 and PF300 bulbs from Meggaflash proved exceedingly useful in lighting the bigger chambers, especially in the Khaf Tahry and Majlis Al Jinn.

The role of photographer is a difficult one. On the one hand people like to see the fruits of their labour, on the other hand they are less keen to haul expensive, easily broken and sometimes heavy kit onto location, especially when the location is a less than hospitable, hot, dry and dusty hole 200m deep that requires effort to get into and a greater amount of effort to get out of. That said, the trip photographer kept things quick and relatively simple, keeping in mind people not wanting to hang around posing for shot after shot making only minor tweaks whilst at the same time not wanting to rely wholly on the digital darkroom for post processing. Having limited underground photography experience they were keen to harness the collective knowledge of the group to see what would work best in each situation.

We think you will agree that the results are pretty good.

Main Expedition Photography Equipment

Camera and Lenses: ‐Canon EOS 450D ‐Canon EF‐S 10‐22mm F3.5‐4.5 USM ‐Canon EF 24‐105mm F4 L IS USM ‐Various filters

Flashbulbs: ‐Meggaflash PF300 ‐Meggaflash PF200 ‐Philips PF1B‐ blue Flash Firers: ‐Yong Nuo remote Transmitter/Receivers RF602‐TX‐RX ‐Homemade manual underwater bulb firer (Philips bulbs) ‐Homemade manual bulb firers (Meggaflash bulbs)


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Flash guns and Tripod: ‐Yong Nuo 460 Camera Flash ‐Yong Nuo 465 Camera Flash ‐2x Vivitar 283 electronic flash guns ‐Giottos Ball Head ‐ MH7001H ‐Manfrotto CF Tripod ‐ 732CY

Accessories: ‐Lenspen ‐Blowers ‐Lens wipes ‐Cloths and rags ‐Spare Batteries (camera and flash guns) ‐SDHC cards

Additional photos were taken with individuals own cameras throughout the course of the trip.


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Figure 59 Rigging the first pitch into Qunf Sinkhole


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FoodandCamping

The Planning When the expedition roles were being allocated prior to departure, food and drink appealed to myself.

Having once attended a lecture on a caving expedition to a similar region, I was reminded of a case of dysentery that spread through the team. A picture showing the ill team lying in a cave entrance in searing heat unable to do anything said a thousand words... not for me, (ok only three). I decided that I would take charge of the eating arrangements to satisfy my own selfishness to stay healthy throughout the trip. A quick email asking the team if they had any dietary requirements resulted in one reply stating he didn’t eat brains. Sorted.

Having never been to Oman I was not too sure what choice of food would be available, but I guessed rice would be available so that became the first on the shopping list. 5 kg of Tesco value oats and 1.5kg value dried milk had breakfast sorted. Yorkshire teabags was a no brainer so 500 bags and my trusted teapot had our brews in the bag so to speak, having never been a fan of 1 bag per cup. The 2cups per bag standard for Yorkshire bags equated to 1000 brews which I reckoned was sufficient. A Google search for food in Oman came back with LuLu; Tesco’s Omani style.

Happy that we had the basics we left for foreign parts; Ben had reservations as we repacked the 1.5kg of powdered milk into plastic bags which made it look more like Cocaine than dried milk and hid it in his bag.

The reality After the flights and a rest, we needed to do the main food shop in Salalah. We found the LuLu supermarket, prepared a list and hit the mall. The hyper market had absolutely everything you needed to keep a team of potholers fed and watered. Everything we had bought with us from the UK was readily available. Still not too sure what to compliment the rice with, I made a snap decision and decided the expedition would get by on porridge, rice, curry and Yorkshire tea.

The biggest problem would be keeping food fresh so the food was mainly tinned and we supplemented fresh veg from local village stores which we could pick up as we travelled. These small stores actually stocked everything you needed and it was good to put some money into local shops rather than the faceless superstores.

The principal of “if it’s not broken don’t fix” it was adopted and the following meals were served daily for every day of the expedition, no one got ill and no one said they didn’t enjoy it….

The only problem was the dose for Oman curry powder on the first evening meal, teaspoons and tablespoons was lost in translation resulting in a very fiery curry.

Tim (Group Elder)


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Daily Menu x 14

Breakfast

Porridge with trail mix, tea

Caving meals

Nuts, Biscuits, Bombay mix, Dates, Werthers Originals, water

Evening meal

Tuna and chick pea curry, Omani style Nan breads, party biscuits, Yellow or brown cake and/ or tinned fruit, tea.

Evening meal ingredients:

• 8 small onions • 3 cloves of garlic • 3 tins of tomatoes • 2 tins of chickpeas • 1 red pepper • 2 tins of tuna • 2tbs Curry powder • 4tbs coconut milk powder • Noodles or bread to suit

Recipe:

1. Chop onions and garlic and fry to brown 2. Add pepper and cook gently 3. Add tomatoes and chickpeas and leave to simmer on a low heat 4. Add tuna and heat through 5. Add curry powder and coconut milk powder, stir in well 6. Leave to simmer on a low heat

Serve and enjoy……

General notes on the above

Total water consumption for the expedition equated to approximately 5l per person per day. All water was bottled and was either in 1.5l or 5l bottles

Cooking pots were provided by our fixer and they consisted of 2 x 30cm pots and kettle, each person provided and used their own eating utensils to prevent any health problems.


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A simple single ring burner mounted on a 7kg LPG cylinder provided the heat throughout the trip.

All persons involved in handling food would wash and use alcohol hand gel to prevent spread of bacteria.

Pots were washed immediately after use and dried.

Figure 60 Cooking the evening meal at Qunf

Figure 61 Washing up‐ a nightly chore made harder by the lack of water

Figure 62 The campsite at Sha'at Sinkhole with Reinhard's tents and gazebos

Accommodation

We stayed at a beach apartment in Salalah for one night at the beginning and end of the expedition which gave welcome relief from the heat at the start, and the opportunity to have a shower at the end, after 2 weeks in the field it was a pretty smelly pack of badgers that returned.

The rest of the expedition we wild camped in a variety of locations but typically close to the cave entrances. We camped away from local villages to avoid unwanted visitors, and on the whole this worked well with only a few curious visits. We did not seek or require any permission to camp and on a few occasions had a fire; we always removed all our rubbish, and disposed of it at the local rubbish bins.


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Reinhard provided 2/3 man tents for us to use, we only rigged the inner tents as rain was not going to be a problem. Sleeping patterns were usually 10pm to 7 am and this was quite comfortable heat wise, we pitched the tents where we would try and get some shade in the morning. One of the team slept in his own mosquito net hung from the car. Though biting insects were not a problem, (apart from the odd flea in the cattle pen at Qunf!) the use of tents or shelters is recommended as scorpions and snakes are to be found in this area and would make an unwelcome guest in ones sleeping bag!

Inflatable sleeping mats seemed to suffer from punctures and the old style karrimat could be a preferred option.

Tim (Group Elder)

Figure 63 The luxury marble gazebo camp atop the cliffs near Sha'at


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FloraandFauna

Bird life A limited knowledge of birds combined with a pair of Nikon binoculars provided entertainment for one elder member of the expedition. Towards the end of the trip an increased level of knowledge and interest was seen throughout the team culminating in a visit to a bird reserve for 30 min on the final day of the trip.

Numerous birds were seen at various locations ranging from desert to coastal plains and salt marshes.

Below is a list of positive identifications, from notes and sightings taken during the trip, later verified after consulting an Oman bird guide.

• Egyptian Vulture • Humes Wheatear • Cattle Egret • Sooty Gull • Grey Heron • Avocet • Redshank • Tristroms Grackle • Tawny Pipit

• Crested Lark

• Bruce’s Green Pigeon • South Arabian Wheatear • African Paradise flycatcher • Ruppells Weaver • Black Winged Stilt • Laughing Dove • Squacco Heron • Glossy Ibis • Greater Flamingo

• Kentish Plover

Figure 64 Birds at one of the many sanctuaries in Oman

Figure 65 African Paradise Flycatcher

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Numerous other birds were seen but our busy caving schedule did not allow for time to spend birding, Oman is a great place to see many species of migratory and non‐migratory birds rarely seen in the UK.

Of particular interest to the team were the birds seen in abundance circling below us in the entrances of Sha’at shaft and Qunf, these birds were Tristroms Grackle, the males have glossy iridescent black plumage with orange patches on the outer wing, these are particularly noticeable in flight. It’s call that resembles a wolf whistle which would wake us dawn chorus Omani style.

Tim (Group Elder and Surface Support)

Other Wildlife Throughout the expedition, we came across some spectacular wildlife, below is a small selection of photographs of some of the things we encountered on a daily basis.

Figure 66 Scorpion Figure 67 Poisonous centipede

Figure 68 Mouse Figure 69 Spider


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MedicalReport

The expedition had no qualified medical members however two were St Johns trained first aiders.

A well‐stocked, comprehensive first aid kit was kept readily available in the 4x4 and all underground and recce trips carried a lightweight kit that we hoped would cover the administration of first aid until the casualty could be attended to by qualified medics.

We were unable to bring any opiate based analgesic from the UK due to the control of drug regulations in Oman, these would only be available when prescribed.

Fortunately the trip went without major injury or illness only 2 minor incidents/ illness were encountered and these are detailed below:

1. Expedition member suffered dizziness and vomiting during a descent of Sha’at shaft. The member was able to make his way back to the surface unassisted. He rested for the rest of the day at camp in what shade was available. We were not sure what the cause was though the previous day he had been rigging the cave in exceptionally hot and tiring conditions, it is thought he had become de hydrated. No one else became ill which ruled out any food related illness. The following day after rest and plenty of fluids he made a full recovery.

2. During a recce trip we came across a group of migrant workers building a new road, one of the gang had an injury to his right knee as a result of a fall earlier in the day. The knee was cut and swollen; we cleaned the wound and surrounding area with a saline solution and medi‐wipes. We left them some medi‐wipes and advised him to keep the wound clean and try and not work for a couple of days. The likelihood of an infection developing was quite high due to the conditions the team were living in.


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Acknowledgements

Lots of people and organisations helped us in the planning and execution of this expedition, without their help the expedition would not have been possible. We would like to say a big thank you to all who helped with equipment, money, knowledge, support and advice;

The Ministry of Tourism‐ For allowing us to experience the magnificence of Majlis Al Jinn and for making us feel welcome in the Sultanate of Oman.

Reinhard Siegl‐ For his advice during the planning and his tireless help during our time in Oman. We are also incredibly grateful for the use of his equipment‐ (some of which we broke!) and his excellent hospitality during our short stay in Muscat.

CAN Geotechnical Ltd‐ For the use of their facilities during the planning and reporting stages and the lending of some pieces of equipment

British Caving Library‐ For providing BBPC with a collection of articles and papers to help with the planning of the trip

Howard and Debora Limbert‐ For their insight into Oman caving and culture and the loan of several books and papers.

Andy Eavis‐ For the loan of a satellite phone

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Marlow Ropes have generously donated 300m of their 9mm low stretch rope free of charge for us to use whilst out in Oman.

Meggaflash Technologies Ltd www.meggaflash.com

Meggaflash manufactures three main types of single use flashbulbs: PF330 Floodflash; PF200 Medium Peak; and PF300 Slow Peak. They also design and manufacture

special flashbulbs for particular customer requirements.

Contrary to what many believe, flashbulbs are still being manufactured today! The flashbulb is now being put to many diverse uses: large / medium format photography; caving; high speed photography in destructive testing; explosion research; vehicle testing; aircraft engine testing; turbine testing and stage and film production, to name but a few.

Meggaflash have kindly given us one case each of PF300 and PF200 flashbulbs.

Speedy (Hire) Plc www.speedyservices.com

Speedy (Hire) Plc is a leading provider of equipment and support services to construction, manufacturing, industrial, rail and related industries.

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This makes them the ‘biggest’ in their sector and with scale comes resources and the ability to make things happen. But, their pride lies not in absolute size but in ‘leadership’ and being the ‘leading’ company in their sector is what motivates and drives their ambition.

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Thereafter they try to keep it simple and do it well!

Speedy Hire provided two gas monitors for the Expedition.

To each of our sponsors, we would like to say a big thank you!

Thank You!

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