Beyond the Deep: The Deadly Descent into the World's Most Treacherous Cave [Hardcover]

William Stone (Author), Barbara am Ende (Author), Monte Paulsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2002

The Huautla in Mexico is the deepest cave in the Western Hemisphere, possibly the world. Shafts reach skyscraper-depths, caverns are stadium-sized, and sudden floods can drown divers in an instant. With a two-decade obsession, William Stone and his 44-member team entered the sinkhole at Sotano de San Augustin. The first camp settled 2,328 feet below ground in a cavern where headlamps couldn't even illuminate the walls and ceiling. The second camp teetered precariously above an underground canyon where two subterranean rivers collided. But beyond that lay the unknown territory -- a flooded corridor that had blocked all previous comers, claimed a diver's life, and drove the rest of the team back. Except for William Stone and Barbara am Ende, who forged on for 18 more days, with no hope of rescue, to set the record for the deepest cave dive in the Western Hemisphere.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Set in stygian gloom, this account of a 1994 caving expedition in southern Mexico produces what adventure readers crave: danger, dissension, death, and ultimate success. Led by author Stone, the spelunkers sought the furthest reaches of a cave system, the Sistema Huautla, which plunged a kilometer and a half down and stretched out for tens of kilometers. To go the deepest, the coveted "booty" in the caving community, Stone developed a special "rebreathing" apparatus for swimming through submerged passages called sumps. As the saga unfolds (dramatically assisted by admittedly reconstructed dialogue), the riskiness of the enterprise becomes apparent as the cavers survive various snafus, which rattle some group members who come to resent Stone's hard-charging style. A cheerful wisecracker named Ian Rolland is not daunted--but soon pays the final price for this adventure. After much acrimony about whether to continue, Stone and his then-girlfriend press on, their course marked by helpful diagrams of their progress. The technicalities of this death-defying recreation, and the raw honesty with which this episode is depicted, will win over extreme-sport fans. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

" BEYOND THE DEEP is an extraordinary and heroic account. I shuddered as I read it." -- Wade Davis, Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic Society, author of THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW

"... describes one of the most significant achievements of modern exploration, with personal stories that make this an exciting, page-turning read." -- Hazel A. Barton, Ph.D., co-star of the IMAX film, "Journey into Amazing Caves"

"For anyone wanting to vicariously experience the hardship and dangers of expedition life underground, this is the book to read." -- Bernie Chowdhury, author of THE LAST DIVE and publisher of Immersed: the international technical diving magazine.

"From the opening page...BEYOND THE DEEP plunges you into a tubular heart of darkness. -- Jeff Long, author of THE DESCENT

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446527092
• ISBN-13: 978-0446527095
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Mountains

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and Accurate Account, August 11, 2002

By 

Richard Pyle (Kaneohe, Hawaii United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Deep: The Deadly Descent into the World's Most Treacherous Cave (Hardcover)

As a personal friend of both Bill & Barb, as well as several of the key players in this story, my original reason for purchasing this book was more as a token of friendship, than anything else. Although I have been a test-diver and active user of the rebreather technology it describes since 1994, I'd never had much of an interest in exploring caves. I had expected to skim through the pages, read a few paragraphs here and there, then add it to my bookshelf alongside other books of a similar vein. Boy, was I in for a surprise!

Even though I already knew most of the details of the expedition, and knew full-well in advanced how the story begins, develops, and ends...I was nevertheless held captive by it from the time I opened its cover and began reading, until I completed its last page. The motivation behind cave exploration never seemed to make much sense to me before, but now it all seems crystal clear. This is TRUE exploration at its most extreme -- something often boasted about, but seldom genuinely so. This one is as genuine as it gets.

Because it would be easy to discount my endorsement as merely a kind gesture to my friends, I leave you to make your own interpretations based on the comments of other reviewers having less direct associations with the authors and expedition participants. However, as somewhat of an insider, I would like to take this opportunity to vouch for the authenticity of the events as they are described. I have had many long (multi-hour) discussions with Bill, Barb, and Noel Sloan about what happened during this expedition, and have also had conversations with Kenny Broad and Jim Brown, as well as a number of other people directly associated with the events described in the book. Most of these discussions took place very soon after the expedition ended, when memories and emotions were still fresh. It's also fair to say that I have as intimate an understanding of the inner workings of these particular rebreathers and how to use them as just about anyone else. Thus, it is not without some measure of validation when I say that I was extraordinarily impressed with how precisely the details of these events as described in the book coincide with the facts as explained to me by many and varied sources.

The Authors' Note confesses to reconstructed dialog (which is understandable, as memories begin to fade), but it also correctly defends its fairness in describing those portions where memories and interpretations do not coincide in every detail. Virtually all such details are trivial in the context of the broader story - the most significant events of which are not in dispute by anyone, to my knowledge.

Each and every participant on this expedition - whether I know them personally or not - has earned my highest respect and admiration. This book has impacted my perception of cave exploration much more so than I had ever expected it to. For those who decide to read it (and I doubt you will regret such a decision), you should do so with the realization that these are very real, flesh & blood people, embroiled in a very real and harrowing situation. I am confident that they will earn your respect as admiration as well.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Samurai of Inverse Mountaineering, September 8, 2002

By 

sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Deep: The Deadly Descent into the World's Most Treacherous Cave (Hardcover)

Author Bill Stone points out that the world never knows how deep a cave is until someone "bottoms it out." The tallest mountain's height is a known factor before anyone attempts the climb, but the mystery of caving remains.

"Beyond the Deep" recounts Stone's expedition into the cave system of Systema Huantla in Mexico, which as of 2001 was rated the 8th deepest cave system in the world at 1,475 meters. As the deepest cave in the world, the Kubera Cave in Georgia (formerly USSR) is 1,710 meters, only 235 meters deeper than Huantla, we are talking about some extreme caving.

The main purpose of the expedition was to test out Mr. Stone's "rebreather," an artificial breathing device that allows an underwater diver more than six hours of oxygen as opposed to 45 minutes in the average scuba tank. This amount of time is needed in caves with large "sumps" or underground water passages where the surface can be a great distance away. The problem with the rebreather, aside from its experimental nature, is its complexity, an added component of difficulty to a diver's already altered state of awareness.

The expedition was a diverse group consisting of five divers (these are extreme guys!), five top-of-the-line cavers, and Stone's girl friend, Barbara am Ende, a PhD geologist, but less experienced cave diver. The story unfortunately begins in Maryland where they assembled the group and the gear. I say "unfortunately" because it is an overlong section that leaves us a long time to wait before we get to the cave. Once at the site, the book is engrossing and exciting. Excellent maps are included that are vital to the understanding of what they were doing and where they were at any given time. Stone's descriptions of the types of caving and diving required are outstanding. I have never willingly been in a cave (my claustrophobia kicks in just reading about it!), yet I could easily visualize exactly what was going on. The dangers, particularly of diving, are appalling. After finishing the book, I looked up "most dangerous sports" and was surprised #1 is bull riding, #2 water speed records and #3 cave diving. After reading "Beyond the Deep," I was certain nothing in this world (and possibly the next) could be more dangerous than cave diving!

The book has weaknesses mostly in the format. Mr. Stone chooses to use the third person singular, i.e. "Bill Stone says--" when he is talking about himself, something I find irritating and pretentious. The author states at the beginning that the dialogue is not exact, only an approximation. It is extremely stilted and when the author tries to get off a good joke that "cheered everyone up," it falls flat as a flounder. Guess you had to be there. Ms. am Ende is portrayed as almost walking on water; her patience is unremitting, her cheerfulness amazing. This is in contrast to the other members who were displayed in a much more three-dimensional, interesting manner.

This is one of those books you feel like you don't quite have the whole story. Mr. Stone is an enthusiastic proponent of his rebreather, yet I felt the divers' concerns and uneasiness were quite understandable and to the point. The author is clearly a driven person and whether he showed bravery or a blatant disregard of safety by continuing the exploration with the inexperienced Ms. am Ende is something the reader will have to decide for himself.

A good, interesting read with glossary, index and notes.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, well paced, beautifully written., July 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond the Deep: The Deadly Descent into the World's Most Treacherous Cave (Hardcover)

This book is an incredible insight into the world of caving. I knew nothing about the sport or what drives people to do such a thing until after I had read this book. This book really gave me a feel for this incredibly demanding (both physical and emotional) activity.
Don't worry if you are the claustrophobic type, you can read this book and enjoy the cave exploration but be glad that you are not there.