Desert Caves Photo Gallery 2000

Photos by John and Susy Pint

Most of Saudi Arabia's Desert Caves lie a short walk from the graceful dunes of the Dahna Desert.	The multitailed stalactites of The Chandelier at Surprise Cave.	Susy Pint caught in the JAWS of Surprise Cave.	Bertrand Masson admires the Frosted Feathers of Dahl Murubbeh: "Mmm, they remind me of a French dessert."
Using "bedu orientation" only, Qurian Al-Hajri of Aramco led us across 40 kms of featureless desert to Abulhol, The Sphinx.	John and Mike ready to jump into Dahl Abulhol in December of 1999.	Two visitors told us "We call this hole Abulhol (The Sphinx) because it's BIG!"	Mike Gibson descending into the throat of The Sphinx (Dahl Abulhol).
A steep hill of breakdown lies beneath the dome-like ceiling of Dahl Abuhol (The Sphinx).	With an 8 to 1 advantage pulley system we finally hauled Mike's ton of gear out of The Sphinx's belly.	John Pint and one of the bats at Thousand Wings Cave.	Hidden away in UPM Cave's huge Dabbagh Hall: a nest of smooth, sparkling "cave pearls".
Susy Pint keeps a lonely vigil at the multiple entrances to UPM Cave.	Whatever it takes: Lars Bjurstrom and Tim Watson (upside down) try to extract a rock blocking Dahl Iftakh as Faraj of Shawiah and Doone Watson look on.	Nostalgia time: It's the early 80's and Bruce Davis is about to make the first descent of Abu Sukhayl (70 meters deep).	"Here's how we did it back before the GPS," says Bruce Davis.
More Nostalgia: It's circa 1984 and we see Dave Peters rapelling into Dahl Abu Hashami back when it still had two "noseholes."	Deep grooves on the lip of Dahl Abu Hashami attest to its many years of service as an important well.	Dave Canning enjoying his last cave trip in Saudi Arabia. Bye Dave!