Verjovkina Cave, in the Arabika Ridge of the Caucasus in Abkhazia, northwest Georgia, is considered one of the deepest caves known, with a verified depth of 2,209 meters below ground. Its entrance is only a few meters wide and sits about 2,285 meters above sea level, but beyond it begins a vertical descent into a vast underground system of shafts, narrow passages, dark chambers and water channels.
The cave was first discovered in 1968 by Soviet cavers, but for years it was believed to be much shallower. Only in recent decades did professional expeditions manage to penetrate deeper, and between 2017 and 2018 researchers reached its lowest known section, confirming its place among the world’s deepest caves. Reaching the bottom can take several days and requires specialized rope, climbing, sleeping and sometimes diving equipment, along with endurance in freezing, wet, pitch-dark conditions.
The danger became clear in 2018, when a filming team near the cave’s bottom was trapped after heavy rain rapidly raised the water level below. They managed to escape and described the episode as a narrow escape from death. In 2021, the cave claimed a life: rescuers found the body of Sergey Kozeev, a Russian amateur caver who had entered alone in November 2020 and was found months later at a depth of about 1,100 meters. He is believed to have died from hypothermia after descending without proper equipment and getting stuck in the cave.
According to some reports, Kozeev told his wife he was “going to search for the meaning of life” before heading to Verjovkina. He had not told anyone else about the attempt. Recovering his body required a long and complex rescue operation, underscoring why the cave continues to attract explorers while remaining one of the most dangerous places on earth.
