 22.08.2002: Searching for Minotaur
The event takes place at Crete since 26th of July till the 23rd of August. The caving team is going to explore NIDA PLATEAU range located in a centre of Crete.
Nida Plateau is one of the three largest Crete limestone massifs where the highest Psialoritis Peak (2456 m) of the island is situated. What concerns caves, the second in depth and the third in length cave of Greece – Tafkoura (819 m) is located at the same plateau. Its length is about 6500 m. Entries to Tafkoura are all around Nida and may be found at all altitudes: from the base almost to the summit.
It’s remarkable that the deepest Greek cave Gorgothakas (1208 m) is quite near and its entrance is located rather low – at 1500 m, what makes the region very promising.
This year we’ll be striving to explore 800-metres deep Tafkoura cave with a siphon in the bottom. One of our main aims is to pass a submerged gallery at 819 meters depth and to enter supposed to exist dry part of a cave. Besides it there is also a very interesting task to find a junction with a not so deep but hard to pass Diplotafki cave (400 m). If we succeed in it, it will be the longest Greek cave.
Sport aims were interlaced with ancient legends in a keen story of Denis Provalov, one of the expedition leaders,
‘I think, Theseus was the first caver. The brave youth had not only prepared for a struggle with Minotaur but was rather smart to take with him the best caving equipment of the day – Ariadne thread or glittering jewels. After slaying the monster he used the thread to leave the cave and, thus, became the first mortal who managed to visit the labyrinth and to escape from it.’
‘A legend says that the labyrinth was built by order of cunning King Minos. But most probably the king just kept his beast in an ordinary horizontal cave where one may be lost even with no help of a monster. Since that time cavers heard nothing about Minotaur and his relatives, though locals are sure he still dwells in the cave but did hide himself deep there.
Our French colleagues have reached 1200-meters depth, but, in spite of all their efforts they have failed to find any traces of the beast. We used to be much deeper in Mexico, Alps and Arabica cave but have never seen any monsters. Nevertheless, maybe this time, in the bosom of ancient Crete island, we’ll be more lucky and fine Minotaur.’
BASK company decided to help CAVEX in their search of Minotaur and provided them with excellent Kong Bonaity equipment: rope clamps, karabiners, spits and other advanced gear. Let us recall that BASK is the official representative of Kong Bonaity company in Russia.
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