Veryovkina Cave in Georgia’s Caucasus is considered one of the deepest caves known, with a verified depth of 2,209 meters below the surface. It lies in the Arabika massif in Abkhazia, a breakaway region in northwestern Georgia, and its narrow entrance, only a few meters wide, opens at an altitude of about 2,285 meters above sea level before dropping into a vast underground system of shafts, passages, chambers, and water channels.
The cave was first discovered in 1968 by Soviet speleologists, but for years it was thought to be much shallower. Only in recent decades did professional expeditions penetrate deeper, and in 2017 and 2018 researchers reached the lowest section and confirmed its extreme depth. The route down can take several days and requires ropes, climbing gear, sleeping equipment and sometimes diving equipment for flooded sections.
The hazards are severe. Explorers face cold, darkness, damp conditions, exhaustion, and especially sudden flooding. In 2018, a filming team that had nearly reached the bottom was trapped when heavy rain raised water levels deep underground; they escaped and described the incident as a race against death.
The cave’s deadliness became even clearer in 2021, when researchers found the body of Sergei Kozeev, a Russian amateur caver who had entered alone in November 2020 and was found months later. He was located about 1,100 meters below ground in a wet, very cold area, and investigators believe he died of hypothermia after descending without proper equipment. Reports said he told his wife he was going out to “look for the meaning of life,” and he had not told anyone about the descent. Recovering his body required a complex operation, even as expeditions continue to study and map the cave.
