My Adventure: by Robbie Shone
Adventure doesn’t always begin with a dramatic leap or a bold declaration. For me, it started quietly, surprisingly and quite unexpected with curiosity, discomfort, and a nagging feeling that the life I was living wasn’t quite big enough. Accidentally, I fell into caves and caving and never once looked back.
Cave exploration has a way of stripping life down to the essentials. Once you’re underground, everyone is an equal and none of the usual distractions matter. No phones. No internet. No shortcuts. Just you, your gear, your team, and the slow, deliberate movement through a world most people never see. It very much humbles you.
Over the years, that curiosity has taken me around the world and into some extraordinary places, including Veryovkina (cave) in Abkhazia, currently the deepest-known cave ever discovered. Near the bottom, more than two kilometers below the surface, our team found ourselves racing rising water as an unexpected flood pulse surged through the system. In a place where retreat is slow and options are limited; calm decision-making and teamwork made the difference between a close call and deadly catastrophe. For days after the experience, I honestly thought I had died at the bottom of Veryovkina and I was seeing my life pass by as ghost, as it was always meant to be.
Other trips have been quieter but just as powerful. On one expedition to explore the remote quartzite caves on top of Auyan Tepui in Venezuela, offered a rare glimpse into the Lost World that Arthur Conan Doyle had phrased. A real otherworldly landscape where unique flora and fauna thrive in the lofty wet environment. Never before had I seen cave sculptures and geology in such an artistic form – a reminder of how small and temporary we really are.
At one point, we stopped and turned off our lights. The darkness was complete. Silence. By far the furthest place away from home I’d ever been.
No horizon. No reference point. Just breathing and stillness. It was unsettling at first, but then calming.
Moments like that are why I keep chasing adventure and exploration. Not for adrenaline or records, but for perspective. Each trip underground teaches patience, trust, and humility. You learn to rely on others. You learn to slow down. And you learn that fear doesn’t disappear, it just becomes something you learn to live with. Caves are spiritual places. The sound, the air, the sense of being inside Mother Earth. It’s truly a privilege to experience.
Over time, adventure stopped being a hobby and became a compass. It influenced the work I chose, the people I surrounded myself with, and eventually the stories I felt compelled to share. Podcasts, conversations, and writing became another way to explore, just in a different kind of darkness, helping others reflect on their own journeys.
Advice to Others:
You don’t need caves, mountains, or extreme expeditions to live adventurously. Adventure is less about location and more about intention. Start by paying attention to what pulls at you. The thing you keep thinking about. The experience that feels slightly uncomfortable but deeply interesting. That’s usually the direction worth exploring. My heart has always been my guide and when others may disagree, my decision making is always driven by what my gut instinct tell me to do, no matter how hard or lengthy the journey may seem.
Accept that fear will be part of the process. It doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong, it means you’re stretching. Preparation helps, but courage is built by taking the first step before you feel fully ready. As humans, we learn most in failure and failing is crucial to achieving success.
Find people who support your curiosity. Whether it’s a climbing partner, a creative collaborator, or a community built around shared stories, adventure is richer when it’s shared. I got lucky and met highly skilled and influential cave explores back in the UK who shared the same drive and passion for cave exploration.
Most importantly, slow down. Reflection is where growth happens. Whether underground or in everyday life, clarity often arrives when you create space for silence.
As someone who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, my childhood was filled with long hours spent outdoors in nature, climbing trees, building dens, and playing in the woods and the nearby stream. It has really only been over the last 15 years that I’ve become increasingly addicted to the internet, smartphones, and social media. Maintaining my Instagram account (@shonephoto) takes a good chunk of my time.
My advice to children and young people today is simple: put down your smartphones and step outside to experience the beauty of nature. Spending time outdoors nourishes the soul, allowing you to breathe deeply, clear your mind, and think more clearly. It acts like a natural detox for your mental and emotional well-being. We live in an increasingly challenging and, at times, unsettling world, and each of you has the power to make a difference. Your choices, actions, and compassion are vital in helping to guide our world back onto a path of kindness, responsibility, and hope. Never underestimate how important you are in shaping a better future.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better,”
– Albert Einstein.
