Wookey Exposed

Ron Mahoney

Just received Gavin Newmans excellent DVD "Wookey Exposed"

Despite our receptionist thinking that this was some sort of Aussie Porn film, I can assure you that it is one of the best diving DVD's you are likely to find around. The film won the "Best Adventure Film" at the Kendal International Mountain Film Festival and it's not hard to understand why.

Without the baggage of a broadcaster and script-editor demanding to make an oooh so scary film for the lowest common denominator (I thought "dumming-down" in television was a complaint not a pre-requisite) Gavin has managed to make a film that neither insults the cave/technical diver nor bamboozles the non-diver. The film and where they get to, is more than strong enough. The production value's also look like a much bigger budget had been spent on the film.

There's an overview of the history of the exploration at Wookey from the early days of cave diving and then we are lead up to Chamber 25 where the line left by Rob Paker leads away into the gloom. The film quality is that good that as the camera starts to decend down this line you will probably look down at your wrist to check your gauges before remembering where you are.

The film concludes with the recent developments by Rick & John - Ric on his homebuild showing that the bitter end - wasn't!!

There is also the bonus feature of Leo Dickinson's film "Nosey Parker". If you haven't given yourself a Chtristmas pressie yet then you know what to get.

www.wookeyfilm.com

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Editor Beyond The Blue Magazine

www.beyondmagazine.co.uk

Duncan Price

You beat me to it having been singing its praises elsewhere!

Having been there (small cameo role cooking food*) I can honestly say that watching it on the small screen really does make you feel part of it. Everything was shot where it actually happened, and (in the closing stages of the film) when it actually happened.

* I was usually standing behind Gaving taking photos: http://www.sump4.com/photos/index.html#wookey

Richard Harris

Got my copy and watched it yesterday. Very impressive imaging and a great story well told. Really gives you a good sense of the challenges and dangers of this type of site. How can Gavin get all those great shots without his video lens being covered in mud?

One of the last scenes with Gavin filming himself squeezing through the gravel at 70m+ is awesome!

My only criticism is that every mention of the dangers and the deaths in cave diving meant I got one of those "looks" from my wife. DO NOT watch this with a loved one in the room.

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"Harry"

www.divedoc.net

Duncan Price

Wooky 23 is the only really muddy bit fortunately. Mind you it really is muddy and all credit to Gaving for filming there.

....on air.

Yes - it is unfortunate that 3 of the people in the film - Palmer, Parker and Rolland all died underwater - the last two in a cave. Gavin's speech about decision making is very sobering.

pchanning

That was the bit that did it for me (and everyone else in the room I recall). Bonkers. I loved the way that he just pushed on though, grinding his face into the gravel and rock that pulled on the reg in his mouth. Christ, when he walks, it must sound like Big Ben going off

cheers
paul

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Cheers
Paul

The key to enlightenment... is survival.

Digger

For me it was more the exhaust on the reg being in the gravel, and the gravel filling in behind!

Why didn't he use mix? Wouldn't a 21/30 at least take the edge of narcosis off? In that sort of situation I think the challenge would be enough for me, without the narcosis!

I've not seen a group of wreck divers as loud as us lot go so quiet from a diving film! I think it's largely because it is on a level that most of us aspire to, and a level of keeping cool that many will never be capable of.

Digs.

Gavin Newman

Hi guys ( and gals )

Thanks for all the positive feedback about the Wookey Film. Always good to know what the people really out there doing it think when you produce something like this.

I've just produced an article for Ron Mahoneys magazine 'Beyond the Blue' talking about how I came to make the film which i believe will be in the next issue which is focusing on cave diving. http://www.beyondmagazine.co.uk/

I will also be giving a presentation at the Go Diving show which is part of the 'Outdoors Show' in Birmingham UK on the 17-19th March. I believe the presentation is on the Saturday afternoon. I'll be talking about the making of this film and various other projects I'm currently working on.

In answer to a couple of queries as to why I filmed the end sequence as I did on air and in a wetsuit. Basically I'm not what you guys would consider a technical diver. I have a Draeger rebreather but rarely dive it, and I rarely mixes other than Nitrox. I started mix diving back in 1987 as part of Bill Stones team at Wakulla but the diving I do these days doesnt really warrant it. I love diving but I dive principally for images and I like to keep things as simple as possible so I can concentrate on the camera. In Wookey we have to carry everything through several sumps and over 2 quite lengthy dry sections to get to the dive base for the final dive to the 'end'. If you are carrying any kit its not possible to make that journey in a drysuit without overheating or trashing it. For my final dive we had a large camera housing & lens, 4 video Kowalski video lights ( two on the camera rig and two mounted on my sidemount cylinders to light behind me ), the two 10L tanks of air and 1 small deco bottle. And on the last dive I only had 2 helpers so logistics was a major issue ( bear in mind the sherpas also have their own dive kit to get to chamber 24 ). So far as the mix was concerned I knew the max depth would be no more than 64-65m, a depth I was happy to dive on air especially given that their was no chance of sinking deeper by mistake and losing it.

The guys with the real balls are Rick and John, digging through boulder chokes beyond where I got to at -70m, admitedly on rebreathers so they had time on their side. They used lift bags to dig out the boulders and then John squeezed through by taking off his chest mounted breather and holding it above his head... you can see the hole he went through on the video. Now thats hard core...
Johns comment in the film after he'd seen Rick go through the same squeeze later is priceless.

Gavin.

The films available from the website at www.wookeyfilm.com and my personal website with lots of other cave diving images is at www.underworld-productions.com

Digger

Cheers Gavin, I don't think you can claim not to be a technical diver, but I can understand you're not a mixed gas diver so don't want to use it.

Looking forward to the article in Beyond the Blue, it's always a good read.

Digs.

vidodivr

Just ordered mine, look forward to seeing it


Rob

Janos

I watched this film a few weeks back and it is excellent. I think you guys are all bonkers, but there is a strange fascination about the cave to me - attractive and repellent at the same time.

The DVD is brilliant though. I hope you are proud of it.

Janos

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You can lead a horse to water but you can't climb a ladder with a large bell in both hands - Vic Reeves
www.hellfins.com/shed