Optimistic Cave | Photo Projects by Phototeam.pro

: Irina Belousova (nickname Arish) digging the road from the Fresh Water area to the Mayaka area, where the underwater continuation had been found. In 2 expeditions 80 people worked for 3 weeks making the road. As a result the time need- ed to get to the Mayaka shortened from 15 hours of crawling to 3 hours of walking.

: Gypsum crystal. Optimistic is a gypsum cave, which holds a wide diversity of gypsum. In some areas walls of the cave is covered by diverse kinds of crystals, turning some halls and passages into magic palace.

: Oleg Tomchuk (Tom) washes his hands under a handwash sink in the Oasis base camp, 12 kilometers to the entrance.

: Alexander Stopkan pumps drinking water into clean bottles from an artificial water trap at the Oasis underground base camp, 12 km from the entrance. A water pump and concrete for its setup had been brought by cavers` force.

: Oleg Tomchuk sits on his sleeping place in the Oasis underground base camp.

: Speleologist Tanya Pozdnysheva inspects walls of Belly of the Fish Gallery.

: Lyalya ??? with surveying kit sits in Partished passage, waiting for her work mate.

: Bogdan Markovich and Julia Makarenko prepare for the rest. This secluded “room” is their home for the expedition, a place where they will sleep and rest.

: Caver Olga Bakalenko inspects cave formations in Her Tranteev Grotto in the Oasis area. She put her upper cave suit off for not to stain cave decorations with clay.

: Ivan ?? and Bogdan Markovich sit bound outward in Syva Kobyla (Grey Mare) underground base camp, with their back packs placed near them on seats.

: Olga Bakalenko and Sasha (Chaki) Pavlyshyn feast their eyes on Amber Dropstone in Her Tranteev Grotto.

: Olga Bakalenko has her eyes glued on Amber Earring Crystal. This huge yellow formation is a single crystal of gypsum.

: Speleologist Igor Trotsuk, Lviv Speleo Club Cyclop. Igor works on perimeters of the Cave, looking for continuation.

: Oasis underground base camp is based in the Karaganda passage. It is the longest passage of the Optimistic Cave – its length is 980m. It ends with a massive dropstone, closing the passage. In 2010 Bogdan Markovich, decided to dig under the dropstone, in order to find continuation of the cave. In 15 meters he succeeded to came into a passage. It led on to an absolutely new undiscovered area of the cave which recieved its name from the base camp name – Oasis.

: A note left by survey team many years ago rottens under the candlestick in the Ozerny area, 8km to the entrance. It reads: “we are tired and cold, are not able to wait for you…”

: Speleologist Igor Trotsuk captures video, piloting his drone in Zaozerny area

: Explorer Viktoria Dvoretska smokes during her rest in between exploration trials at the Oasis area perimeter. A passage, she tries to pass is so narrow that only skinny and willowy person is able to enter. She switched her torch into red mode in oreder to safe her battery.

: Children from Boryspil Tourist Club read a cave fairy tale in Svizha Voda (Fresh Water) underground base camp before heading to bed.

: Bogdan Markovich, vice president for Lviv Speleo Club Cyclop writes down day events into expeditional journal in underground base camp Ozerny.

: Bogdan Markovich, vice president for Lviv Speleo Club Cyclop digs the road from Svizha Voda (Fresh Water) to Mayaka area

: Bogdan Markovich, vice president for Lviv Speleo Club Cyclop sitting on his sleeping place in the underground base camp Ozerny, 8 km form the entrance, examines maps of Ozerny area, to create a schedule of work of his expedition.