MORCA : INTO THE DARKNESS
The team posing for a picture on the way to the Taurus Mountains of Turkey.
This summer is a special time, as cavers from Boston Grotto and ASPEG are joined by 9 other caving clubs and organizations for the Expedition of Morca, located in the Anamur province of Turkey.
The Morca cave is situated within the same geological formation of the two deepest caves in Turkey. From past expeditions, the current reachable depth has been mapped to -919 meters and 2.5Km in longtitude.
This summer between 3rd of August 2019 and 8th of September 2019, close to 40 cavers from 5 different countries will head an expedition to the mountainous Taseli Plateau joined with Iranian, Lebanese, American and Bulgarian cavers to put Morca into the Turkish and World caving community’s radar by discovering its full potential.
“We need people pushing the boundaries. Exploration is what we, as humans, do.”
My father, Ender Usuloglu, is an esteemed person with a burning passion for cave exploration and caving in general. He started young, in college, as he joined his university’s caving club and over the years sparked the flames to what began as a hobby that has now become an essence of his core. He loves to explore, to traverse dark caverns and descend deep into the unknown formations of the Earth.
He founded ASPEG, Anatolian Speleological Society on May 2008 in Istanbul, Turkey with the primary objectives of cave exploration, protection and the enlightenment of the public to the wonders beneath us. Since then, ASPEG has discovered close to 200 caves, with 150 fully mapped caves that not only introduced new species, but also formed a bond of scientific colloboration with focuses on biology, geology and geomorphology.
The video below is a culmination of hard work, tears, a sense of community and bonding that comes together to explore the unknown, to reach new depths, collect biological samples, and bring caving to the forefront of extreme sports.
Production: Ali Usuloglu
Source material: ASPEG & Boston Grotto