Robbie Shone

@shonephoto

Photographer / Explorer Committed to creating unique images of exploration in our extreme subterranean world. @natgeointhefield @NatGeo @insidenatgeo
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Meghalaya in northeast India had always been on my radar as I’d heard loads of fantastic stories about this great caving region, dubbed The Abode of the Clouds. A few years ago, I was excited to be invited to join the expedition. The main aim was to collect DNA samples from the world’s largest blind cave fish. The region did not disappoint. As you can see here, I was lucky enough to visit a highly decorated stunning side gallery in Krem Chympe (or its Biate name Peilkleing Pouk). Link in my bio to the Nat Geo article that followed. Over the next two weeks, I’ll upload a photo a day, unraveling the story of the expedition and the discovery of the worlds largest cave fish. #AbodeofClouds #cave #expedition #biology #worldslargestcavefish #Meghalaya #India #explore #science #KremChympe
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12 hours ago
The Industrial Rope Access Industry (IRATA) has had a long serving synergy with caving and rock climbing since the industry began in the 1980’s. I was fortunate to be involved in this exciting industry for over a ten year period, whilst practicing my cave photography in England and around the world. Learning such crucial rope skills at a young age helped me focus on my cave photography in giant vertical shaft systems like this one pictured. At 509 meters deep and taller than the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Miao Keng in China is one of the largest natural vertical shafts ever discovered, and thanks to Rob Eavis, who captured this image of me, we see some of the difficulties we faced in making the photograph, whilst hanging for several hours in the dark and daunting space. Team work has never been so important! #ropeaccess #iratainternational #IRATA #industrialropeaccesstradeassociation #rope #ropeskills #workatheight #cave #vertical #vertigo #miaokeng #china #explore #exploration
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6 days ago
Deforestation caused by the logging industry threatens rainforests and wildlife all over the world. Palm Oil plantations are no substitute. Home to one of the oldest tropical rainforests in the world, Gunung Mulu National Park, Borneo is well known for its rich biodiversity. More than 280 butterfly species have been recorded. Within the park boundaries, 262 species of bird (including all eight varieties of hornbill), 67 mammalian species, 50 species of reptile and 75 amphibian species have been recorded; a true testament to the exceptional nature of this area. The Melinau River (pictured) in Mulu marks the boundary between the protected National Park and the areas of forest hit by deforestation to the west of the park. Today is international day of forests. Please respect them!🌳 #internationaldayofforests #science #climate #research #Mulu #Sarawak #Malaysia #climatechange #geography #Borneo #internationalforestday
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7 days ago
I’m really excited to be visiting Switzerland this weekend, where Gina and I are both speaking at the Quaternary Annual Meeting in Bern. This years topic is about ‘Frozen Worlds’ and I’ll be sharing stories about scientists and explorers who work underground inside European mountain glaciers and Alpine ice caves. This photograph is from an expedition documenting an Italian team of explorers known as La Venta @laventaexploringteam , who are mapping and monitoring a cave in the Italian Dolomites using 3D LiDAR technology. They are recording the change in melt within the ice plug blocking a giant chasm high on a mountain top, to see how climate change effects it. #science #exploration #climatechange #quaternary #SISKA #icecaves #glacier #glaciercaves #ice #melting
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15 days ago
Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Borneo, is very well known for its spectacular caves, which host a thriving ecosystem of bats, birds, snakes, spiders and various creepy crawlies. The surface is equally as spectacular and home to a diverse array of flora and fauna. When trekking through the jungle on the way to the caves, I love taking it all in. Carnivorous Pitcher plants live in this jungle, but they are rare and not so common to find. Where they are found, they are normally on the ground, but on one occasion I was lucky enough to find them clinging to a cliff face many hundreds of metres up in the air. Pitcher plants have evolved to trap their prey with specialist leaves called pitfall traps in which they drown in digestive liquid. #sarawak #borneo #mulunationalpark #malaysia #mulu #rainforest #jungle #pitcherplant #pitcherplants
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18 days ago
As part of my presentation on Thursday evening in Kematen, Austria, I’ll be talkng about how we made the panoramic photograph of Sarawak Chamber in Borneo. This giant underground room is the largest cave chamber [by surface area] ever discovered. You can fit 8 Boeing 747 jumbo jets nose to tail across its widest part. People often ask me if I get claustrophobic in a cave; Sarawak Chamber is well known for having the exact opposite effect, the walls are so far away, people have been known to suffer from agoraphobia. The photograph of Sarawak Chamber and many more beautiful cave photographs from around the world will be exhibited in the corn barn after the presentation and on Friday 8th & Saturday 9th March between 5-7pm. #SarawakChamber #gunungmulunationalpark #Mulu #cave #cavechamber #exploration #explorer
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24 days ago
I am delighted to announce that I have an exhibition of 25 photographs from my HIDDEN WORLDS portfolio. It is held in the barn next to the village hall in Kematen in Tirol, Austria. The opening night will follow my presentation on Thursday 7th March. The presentation starts at 7:30pm (doors open 7pm). This exhibit will be open again between 5-7pm on Friday 8th and at the same time Saturday 9th March. I hope to see as many of you who are in the area. It should be a fun night. Admission is FREE! @kematenkenntsich @gemeinde_kematenintirol #exhibition #photographs #prints #exhibit #caves #caving #underground #HIDDENWORLDS
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27 days ago
For my work, light is everything! After nearly 15 years of illuminating caves around the world with Sunpak 120J flashes, it’s time to retire this army of tired and well-loved strobes. As seen in this video from 2018 taken at the bottom of Veryovkina, the deepest-known cave in the world, they are old, outdated and some are even broken. That said, I’ll be very sad to see them go. They’ve been awesome! I am therefore super excited to share some amazing news. I have teamed up with Godox, who for over 30 years have been producing portable flashes and professional lighting solutions that deliver high-quality yet affordable products. I’m 100% confident they’ll perform to a high standard in the harsh, extreme and unforgiving environment. WTS as we illuminate more caves. @godox_global #Godox
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1 month ago
To honour International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I’d like to pay huge respect to all women and girls who work in science, but especially my fiancé Prof. Gina Moseley, leader of the Greenland Caves Project, 2021 Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate and mother to Madeline Skye, who also celebrates her 3rd birthday today. This day will always be the most special day of the year to us. Happy Birthday Maddie! 😘#womeninscience #mothersinscience #womenandgirlsinscience #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience #Internationalwomeninscienceday #RolexAwards #PerpetualPlanet @greenland_caves
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1 month ago
Ever since 2015, when I first read about the incredible discoveries made inside Rising Star cave in South Africa, I’ve dreamt of one day going myself. Last week that dream came true. As a caver and cave photographer of 25 years, I’ve never been so aware of my surroundings. Often I had to pinch myself to realise it wasn’t still that dream. There’s a lot to process and digest, but in the meantime here’s a sketch I made in my field diary of sunbeams entering the cave and illuminating the mysterious underworld. #cradleofhumankind #southafrica #archeology #risingstar #homonaledi #caveofbones #dailylifeofanexplorer @dailylifeofanexplorer
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2 months ago
The first project of 2024 has taken us to South Africa, to visit the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site near Johannesburg. One of the many challenges we faced working inside the cave was simply transporting the photographic equipment through the maze of narrow passages. There were several restrictions that prevented my camera case from getting through and this short video by Martin Gamache shows how we overcame them. #cradleofhumankind #southafrica #archeology #risingstar #homonaledi #caveofbones #dailylifeofanexplorer @dailylifeofanexplorer
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2 months ago
2023 marked the 70th anniversary of the discovery of the Gouffre Berger in France, which was once the deepest cave in the world. In May 1953, when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited on Mount Everest, six days earlier a team of French explorers discovered the then deepest cave in the world. After publishing a book all about this great cave in 2012, I became very familiar with the Gouffre Berger and now a detailed account compiled by Arthur Champion of the exploration history is up on YouTube - link: https://youtu.be/zwAk0Q4I9Ag?si=DWy2NS91aJKgJsp8 Here is a photograph from inside the Gouffre Berger showing the notorious Lake Cadoux, named after Jean Cadoux, who was one of the original explorers. In dry conditions there is no water here, but during wet weather the lake forms and completely fills the passage. The best way to cross it and stay dry is inside an inflatable dinghy, just like this one we used. Happy New Year to everyone. #cave #deepestcave #GouffreBerger #lakecadoux #lake #speleo #adventure #exploration #explorer
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2 months ago