Belize - ATM Cave

[moreace01]

Has anyone done this? 

We are heading to Belize in a few weeks. I'm looking at activities, and forever and ever, I've wanted to do the ATM cave.

However...I have come to realize that I have an extreme fear of getting trapped in places I can't get out of. So like - when that kids soccer team got trapped in a cave in Thailand a few years back? I cannot imagine anything any worse than that. 

We are in our late 40's, relatively athletic - so that part I'm not worried about. I am kind of worried about having a panic attack. So I guess - for those who have done it -  my question is - how...hairy is it? Like tight, claustrophobic, etc? 

[InBetweenDays]

We're going in April! But my nephew was just there last month so i just texted and asked him. He said there are a few spots it gets smaller but nothing scary. He was concerned about that too and said it was not bad at all. Most of the time you are in pretty massive cave openings.

He also said there is an easy way and "hard" way to go. The hard way isn't actually hard, but if you are concerned you can tell them and they will take you down the easier path. He said he also recommends a long sleeve swim shirt or something because it may get a touch chilly with having to be in and out of the water.

[mrsGreeko]

We did it this past August with our three kids (10, 13, 16 at the time). I was really worried about the potential for claustrophobia, especially with my 16 year old. But we did it and I’m so glad we did. There really weren’t too many really tight spots, most of it is really really open, there are a couple of really tight spots on the way out, but they are quick and you are almost out when they happen. I opted to wear a life vest even though I can swim perfectly fine because I didn’t want to have to work too hard. Lol. That was a good decision, the life vest provided some padding from bumps also, and made me feel more secure in the tight spaces. It was by far the coolest thing we’ve ever done and I would highly highly recommend it.

[moreace01]

Thanks InBetweenDays and mrsGreeko.

I think I've figured out my issue and it's not exactly claustrophobia, it's more a sense of feeling trapped in there without a way out. I realize that sounds weird.

[mrsslocombe]

I have done it, there was only one, very brief tight spot. A couple others are a bit on the narrow side but they are pretty minor (for a cave). There's also few places where the light peaks through the ceiling as well, so it doesn't feel as closed in as other caves.

Just try to keep in mind that the actual cave system is really extensive, and there's many, many branches and ways of getting out, this tour is only using the easiest way in and out. You can talk to the guides ahead of time and let them know your concerns. I think on our trip we had 3 or 4 with us, so if you have trouble, they should have someone on hand who can lead you out.

It's a really fascinating cave, and definitely one of the best places I have ever been.

[fernweh]

We did it about 5 years ago. There were a few tight spots but overall it was pretty open. For what it’s worth H is a big guy (was 300+ lbs at the time) and nothing was so tight he couldn’t make it through.

The wetness - the water was waist deep for me until we climbed up a bit was worse for me than the tight spaces.

It’s definitely worth it, it was a great experience.

[moreace01]

Thanks again! This is all super helpful. There was a situation earlier this year in January where the river levels rose and people were trapped in there for a bit - that's kind of where my fear is coming from.

[Vespasia]

Mar 12, 2023 10:34:34 GMT -5 moreace01 said:

Thanks again! This is all super helpful. There was a situation earlier this year in January where the river levels rose and people were trapped in there for a bit - that's kind of where my fear is coming from.

We went a little over year ago and I struggled with the same question. They ended up having a lot of rain the week leading into our trip so we skipped it. I'm mildly claustrophobic and MH has a thing about water so I have no regrets.

I'd probably wait and see what the water levels are like.

[moreace01]

Slight update - so, we ended up not doing ATM only because we did two long days of hard hiking leading up to the day we were scheduled to do ATM and were so exhausted that we had to cancel (we did the cave tubing instead - so we just floated down the river with very little exertion. Lol.)

But what we did learn from one of the staff at the resort we stayed at that was that there is a sink hole that is used to evacuate people when needed. And we actually hiked with a guy who performs the evacuations. I'm posting for future reference for anyone who gets a little...panicky (like me) - there is a way out when the river rises and people get stuck in there. You just might be in there for awhile (the guide said the last time he had to do this, everyone was out by 5am the next day).

[InBetweenDays]

Update that we just did this today and it was amazing! I wasn't worried about the water levels, but i was worried about being in the dark for 2 hours (I had a minor panic attack when backpacking last fall when yi woke up and it was pitch black. Like couldn't see my hand in front of my face level of dark). And my 16 yo was worried about getting claustrophobic.

There are a few somewhat tight spots on the way in but nothing at all worrisome. On the way out our guide purposefully took us through some tighter almost water slide sections and it was so much fun.

Highly, highly recommend it for anyone interested. And also recommend going as early as you can. We were picked up at 7am and were the first ones there. So we didn't see another group for almost the first 1.5 hours in the cave. On the way out we passed like 8-10 groups.

Another thing that i felt good about - there are only 25 guides that are certified to guide the cave. They all had to do an extensive training and have been doing it for many years. So they know what they're doing.