Bonito: The Anhumas Abyss

Posted in Activities, My Trips, Travel Recommendations on 14. Oct, 2010

Hi all,

So the gang returned safely from our trip to Bonito. The weather wasn´t the best – clouds covered large swaths of southern Brazil, including Mato Grosso do Sul. Still, we managed to get in a few activities.

Without question the most adventurous activity was our visit to the Anhumas Abyss.

The abyss is a large underground cavern. The floor of the cavern is partly dry. The remainder is a lake of very clean, clear, very cold water.

There is only one way in – or down, I should say. That is by rappelling down a rope.

I´ve rappelled a few times, in Costa Rica, Honduras, and here in Brazil. But those were short drops of perhaps 10-15 meters.

To reach the floor of Anhumas, we would have to descend 72 meters. That equates to 236 feet for you gringos, or approximately the height of a 20-storey building.

The evening before our outing, we presented ourselves at the training center to get checked out on the equipment, do a couple of trial ascents and descents, and sign the forms releasing the tour company of all responsibility should we plummet to our deaths, be clocked by falling stalactites, or otherwise become injured or dead. I wondered whom should I enter on the form as “Person to contact in case of emergency’?

On more than one occasion, my mother has made comments to the effect that “You don´t get that from my side side of the family” – this usually said when I have done something involving heights, water, or wild animals.

I entered Damon as my emergency contact. Then I mentally prepared myself for the next day by refusing to think too much about it.

The next day, we rose about 5:45 for an early breakfast before our 6:30 pick up and a lengthy ride to the cavern.

Whose idea was this anyway? It had been Damon´s, but I had quickly agreed. My dumb ass.

Actually, the descent wasn´t bad. I descended tethered to Jaclyn, an adventurous solo traveler from Singapore who was also staying at our hostel and who had been welcomed into our troop.

Being joined to Jaclyn, I had someone to talk to and to focus on, so I wasn´t constantly looking down. We quickly reached the platform below in I am guessing 3 to 4 minutes. (Your sense of time goes a little whack in situations like dangling from a half-inch thick rope high above rocks.)

Once we were almost at the bottom, one of our guides pulled our ropes so that we slid safely onto the platform. Yay!

Jaclyn and I awaited Damon and Hannes, who were more experienced in this sort of thing and quickly shot down their lines.

Next we were ushered into an inflatable raft for a circumnavigation of the underground lake. Small fish swarmed the raft. Marcos, our guide, pointed out some of the distinctive formations and gave us a quick history of the cave, which wasn´t discovered until the early 1980s, and was not explored until several years later.

Now it was time to get wet. Hannes and Jaclyn were to go snorkeling. Damon and I have SCUBA certifications and opted to dive to better see the large conical formations below the surface. We donned full wet suits, complete with hoods. But my suit was little comfort when I took my giant stride and plunged into the 18-degree water (64 Fahrenheit).

The formations were impressive, but it wasn´t the most enjoyable of dives, as I was chilly the entire time. I also had a bit of difficulty controlling my buoyancy, as did Damon.

Still, where the heck else can you rappell down 236 feet and dive in a cave?

After the 30-minute dive, we quickly dried off and ate chocolate to fuel up for the final leg of the tour: the ascent back up the rope.

I should mention that no one pulled us back up. We were to ascend under our own power.

This time I was paired with Damon. He led off.

To ascend, we followed a rhythm: Lift the knees and then “stand”, pushing yourself up perhaps half a meter. Then with the arms reposition the top catch above your head. Repeat. We inchwormed our way up.

Our progress was not rapid. I did a lot of damage to my shoulders years ago pressing too much weight in the gym, and my shoulders were soon fatigued by the continuous repositioning of the catch above my head.

I had to stop frequently to rest, which gave me plenty of time to look around and comtemplate my situation.

Looking down, I realized that the helmet I was wearing would not help a bit if, God forbid, I should fall. Would the swarms of little fish devour my broken body?

I looked up. Damon was above me, so the view looking up was mostly his feet and backside. Not enthralling.

I focused on the task at hand. Knees up, stand, reposition catch. Slowly, oh so slowly, we neared the aperture.

Finally my head reemerged into daylight, and my bum rested on the bench. Yay! My shoulders burned, but I had done it!

One of the guides told Damon that our ascent took 17 minutes. Certainly no record, and I know that I slowed Damon considerably, but I was satisfied with the time. All that really mattered was that I had made it back up under my own power.

We squeezed back into the taxi, another adventrue under our belts.