Explorers drop GoPro into the deepest unobstructed pit in USA in "World first"

Leonie Helm
·2 min read
A screen shot of the device used to winch a GoPro down to the deepest pit in the U.S.
A screen shot of the device used to winch a GoPro down to the deepest pit in the U.S.

U.S.-based spelunking enthusiasts (and identical twins) James and Edward, also known as the Action Adventure Twins, are best known for documenting their action-packed escapades on their GoPro across YouTube and Instagram.

Now we might have advised the twins in our best action cameras guide that the  DJI Osmo Action 4) and Insta360 Ace Pro have the famous GoPro beat on low-light quality, but, in what they claim is a world first, the twins film themselves dropping their GoPro camera into the deepest unobstructed pit in the U.S, revealing its murky depths for the first time.

“We took a GoPro down into the deepest pit in the USA, and are the first people to drop it down to the bottom of this cave,” reads the video’s caption.

The explorers explained that they needed to rappel down 128 feet within the cave, a practice of using ropes and other equipment to descend a steep terrain, then drop the GoPro to the bottom of the 586-foot (180m) pit – twice as deep as the Statue of Liberty is tall, or the same as 'the Gherkin' building in London.

The GoPro appears to be attached to a homemade mechanism, dispensing line attached to a battery-powered drill, as they lower the camera into the pit.

As the camera reaches the flat, stony bottom of the pit that few will have witnessed before, they slowly pull the camera back to the surface, clearly showing the dark eerie depths.

The ascent is arguably more disturbing than the descent, as enormous rock formations become visible as the camera slowly makes its way back up to the surface, illuminated by a small attached spotlight.

If heights aren’t your thing this might not be the footage for you, as towards the top of the ascent the twins almost lose the camera as it hits a rock.

“Oh! You almost lost it,” one can be heard saying, as the other replies, “We almost lost it right at the end, right at the top part. Oh my gosh it started wrapping around the axle of this drill.”

Spelunking, also known as caving or potholing, has become a popular outdoor pursuit for the adventurous, while others prefer to watch terrifying footage of people squeezing through tight underground tunnels through a screen.

“Wonderful – three of my fears in one video: being underground, claustrophobia, and falling into a pit,” commented user @sammyday3341 on YouTube.

Check out more from GoPro with our top picks of the best cameras, the best GoPro accessories, and GoPro gimbals. You can also take a look at our best 360 cameras here.