Palawan Underground River — St Paul Cave System
1,099.00 د.إ
The Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan, Philippines — a narrow-beam paddle boat torch illuminating the cave ceiling 40 metres above, enormous stalactite formations hanging over the navigable subterranean river.
Description
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is one of the longest navigable underground rivers in the world 8.2 kilometres of cave river navigable by small paddle boat through a UNESCO World Heritage cave system within sight of the South China Sea. Photography inside the cave requires long-exposure work in near-total darkness, with the narrow- beam torches of the guide boats providing the only light. This image was made at 30-second exposure on a gorilla pod braced against the boat gunwale, the torch beam from the lead boat casting directional light on the cave ceiling stalactites 40 metres overhead while the river surface reflects the torch light as a bright central band. The cave formation visible is the ‘Cathedral’ section — the highest ceiling point in the navigable cave, where a single stalactite column hangs 15 metres from ceiling to water.
