Spanish woman emerges into daylight after 500 days living in cave

April 16, 2023 11:58 PM

"Didn't want to come out": Spanish woman emerges into daylight after 500 days living in cave as part of a research project. Beatriz Flamini, an elite sportswoman, celebrated two birthdays in the 70-metre-deep cave, having gone in before the war on Ukraine started and the Queen's death.

She described her experience as "excellent, unbeatable", adding time had flown by.
"When they came in to get me, I was asleep," she said. "I thought something had happened. I said 'Already? Surely not.' I hadn't finished my book."

Asked if she ever thought about pressing her panic button or leaving the cave, she replied: "Never. In fact I didn't want to come out."

posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (21 comments total)

#goals
posted by potrzebie at 12:21 AM on April 17, 2023 [14 favorites]

I had a pretty good time living in pre-internet Japan in the early 90s . . . less media --> more life . . . hope to get back to that
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 12:38 AM on April 17, 2023

She is clearly an amazing athlete and person with immense strength and will power. You can only but admire her for that. But, (and there is always a 'but' isn't there) I found her story challenging to my own view of the world, especially when I read that she didn't want to be informed if a loved-one had passed away. That seemed to me, well, very self-centred. I know we need people like her to push the boundaries beyond what seems conventional, but, what she did, still seemed "off" to me.
posted by vac2003 at 12:39 AM on April 17, 2023 [4 favorites]

i got next in the cave
posted by not_on_display at 12:47 AM on April 17, 2023 [12 favorites]

having gone in before the war on Ukraine started and the Queen's death

This looks like an excessive attempt to establish an alibi, and should be investigated. Get Columbo or Jonathan Creek on the case.
posted by Grangousier at 2:15 AM on April 17, 2023 [29 favorites]

Doesn't really say much about the experiments, or anything, really, other than she was retrieved after the 500 day stint. I dunno, maybe it was a good thing. Kinda sounds like she was at risk of becoming a morlock.
posted by 2N2222 at 2:32 AM on April 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

"average person lives 3 days a year in cave" factoid actualy just statistical error. average person lives 0 days per year in cave. Beatriz Flamini, who lives in cave over 500 days each year, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
posted by Pyrogenesis at 3:36 AM on April 17, 2023 [35 favorites]

500 days ago was a bit after lockdown 2. I'd've totally gone into a cave.
posted by pompomtom at 4:06 AM on April 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

I think the experience would have been mentally different if she didn't have several connections to the community: cameras that watched her constantly so that she was never out of communication, even though it was only one-way, deliveries of food and water and books assuring her that she was watched over by her support team.

How much of our need for community is our need to feel seen, to be recognized and cared about by the others? We also need to reciprocate that, to feel needed; but she was doing that by volunteering to be the guinea pig. To me it shows that we can withstand deprivation and hardship if we have a secure emotional support group and a way to reciprocate, not that we can be loners in the dark for the long term, no harm done.

However, some short-term voluntary time alone is pretty nice too!
posted by TreeRooster at 4:38 AM on April 17, 2023 [13 favorites]

Wish this had been a longer article with more detail. Interesting experiment, though.
posted by SoberHighland at 5:22 AM on April 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

I literally fantasize about living in a cave multiple times a week. There's no one else there, it's deeply quiet, it's dark, the air is cool.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:23 AM on April 17, 2023 [2 favorites]

Oh yeah, I would totally do this if the cave was a secluded island with temps between 75-82, low humidity, no major storms, and few insects (or very good insect repellent).

But an actual cave? Hell to the nah.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:55 AM on April 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Where do I sign up?
posted by slogger at 5:56 AM on April 17, 2023

no hot shower? 500 days? count me out.
posted by j_curiouser at 6:37 AM on April 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

I paid tuition for this experience.
posted by NotAYakk at 6:43 AM on April 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

I paid tuition for this experience.

you were doing it wrong

college had vp of student cave experience you could submit grant application to
posted by lalochezia at 7:11 AM on April 17, 2023 [2 favorites]

If you're in a cave, you can't observe the proper forms. Some say this is a breach of etiquette, but for me it's basic philosophy.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 7:30 AM on April 17, 2023 [9 favorites]

I'm curious how her life will be now, would be interested to read some writing from her about her re-emergence into the "real" world. I went through a lot of isolation recently due to some health issues (although still able to of course chat with friends & family on the phone), and even this minor form of isolation makes re-entering normal life feel like a big deal. I can't imagine how you go from complete social isolation into a normal life, it seems like it would be extremely over-stimulating and anxiety-inducing.
posted by unid41 at 10:19 AM on April 17, 2023

I found her story challenging to my own view of the world, especially when I read that she didn't want to be informed if a loved-one had passed away.

I mean, they'll still be dead no matter when she gets informed, and being told would probably just make her feel bad and/or make her give up.
posted by simmering octagon at 10:55 AM on April 17, 2023 [6 favorites]

...needs the 'Barkley', 'Marathon', and 'Spelunking' tags...

...too bad she didn't have to rip out a certain page in every book just to prove she was in the cave for 500 days...
posted by not_on_display at 12:15 PM on April 17, 2023

"A spokesman for Guinness was not able to immediately confirm whether there was a separate record for voluntary time living in a cave, and whether Flamini had broken it."

Whoever wrote the wikipedia articles on Stefania_Follini and Maurizio Montalbini certainly seemed to think there was a world record.

"Having spent about 130 days in the cave, she broke the world record for women for the most number of days spent in isolation in a cave." The footnote after that sentence goes to a Daily News article where "world record" is mentioned a photo caption. (Then again, it is the Daily News.)

Montalbini did stints of 210 days (1986 to 1987, supposedly breaking a world record at the time for complete isolation - "Record-Setting Hermit Can't Believe It". San Francisco Chronicle, 13 July 1987. p.20.), and 364 days (1992 to 1993).

But, yeah, 500 beats both of those.

Oh, and obligatory Tom Scott link.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 4:10 PM on April 18, 2023