What is there about caves that makes you want to explore them? Is it because there is that element of danger, the unknown, or perhaps excitement?

For me the coastal caves of Jersey have always held this irresistible attraction, and to record these experiences I have used my camcorder in its waterproof casing. As the tide recedes, it exposes the dripping, slippery, boulder strewn entrances of numerous caves on the north and south west cliffs of Jersey. At Plemont, the cavernous interiors are often masked by deceptively small entrances, with black, waist deep pools to wade through; bathing costumes or shorts are essential!

The wet, slippery walls are glass smooth due to the abrasive action of waves and stone, for millennia, and the occasional splash gives away the presence of small brave fish (usually blennies), trapped in the gloomy pools.

The camcorder quickly adapts to the low light levels, and reduces the depth of focus, but manual focus overcomes this, as I pan around the shiny rocks, reflecting the slit of light from the distant entrance.

Jetsam from the local fishermen often gets crammed in crevices, adding a surreal orange sphere wedged firmly out of reach. In one cave, the differential and engine block of wartime cars lie wedged where they were dropped through a hole in the cave's roof. Sturdy trainers are needed here to avoid cut feet!

But the greatest excitement comes from caves which never dry out, where access is only possible by swimming! Such a cave is found at Point la Moye, where a steep descent of about 250 feet has to be followed by a swim through a long, steep-sided gully to reach the entrance. Not a swim for the squeamish, with lots of seaweed and sharp barnacle-covered rocks - and the camcorder has to be clutched with one hand, whilst swimming with the other!

All the effort is worth it, though, and the excitement of cave exploring is recorded for me to re-live, when I can no longer scale the cliffs, and bear the cold water and chilly winds in the caves around Jersey.

- Tony Brown

This article first appeared in the September 2000 issue of the Jersey Camcorder Club Newsletter and is reproduced by kind permission.

"Can you be a closet claustrophobic?"

Page updated on 21 March 2008

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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