If there's one thing I'm never going to try in my life, it's caving.
Now, I can't say that the hobby was particularly high on my 'to-do list' to begin with - but after watching this video of a cave dweller finding himself in an incredibly tight predicament, I can safely say that you'll never see me with a rope around my waist descending into the abyss.
YouTubers Caveman Hikes - also known as the uncle and nephew duo of Jacob and Calvin Sanders - have amassed over 290,000 subscribers and millions of views thanks to their videos on caving - which is defined as the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems. However, after watching a few of his videos, I can honestly say that I am struggling to find the "recreational" part of that.
One video in particular on the Caveman Hikes' channel shows the moment the Sanders find themselves in a real-life nightmare situation, as they squeeze and meander through the incredibly tight spaces of a previously unventured cave system, as they map out the interior. Check it out below:
The video is titled 'The worst claustrophobic caving you will ever see' - and it certainly lives up to that title. In fact, after amassing more than 16 million views on the platform, people flooded the comments section with their very visceral reactions to just watching the duo navigate the cave.
"I am seriously claustrophobic, and only made it about 5 minutes into this video before a panic attack started. I am amazed you guys can do this without losing it," one person commented.
A second YouTube user added they they were "unable to breathe while watching this", with a third adding: "It's crazy how y'all are able to do it! I am so claustrophobic I got an anxiety attack just watching you".
"Watching this makes my heart rate go nuts," a fourth added. "I don't know how anyone can do this."
In the video description, the pair explain that "this video is only for entertainment purposes" and that nobody should "attempt any of the actions portrayed by Caveman Hikes."
These guys are extremely experienced cave dwellers -- leave it to the experts.
Back in 2022, Jacob told The Guardian that he was "terrified" when he first started exploring caves.
In fact, he relayed a story in which he was forced to strip down to just his underwear just so he could squeeze through an incredibly tight gap - leaving him with cuts and grazes on his torso.
"I was covered in blood and scratches from the cave walls," Jacob recalled. "And my belt loop got stuck. And I couldn’t really breathe. So I had to take my belt off. And then my pants got stuck, so I literally started to take off my pants and everything."
Nevertheless, his fascination with caves continues, and the trust he puts in his uncle is second-to-none.
"Caves will always surprise me," he told the publication. "Is it going to be wet? Is it going to be dry? Is it going to be cold, dirty, muddy, clean? Is it going to be, like, pretty or is it going to be super ugly, you know, like a crawly cave that’s all spiky?"
Fortunately, I'll never know. As I'm quite happy sitting on my sofa and eating Doritos.