A Camera-Strapped Drone Enters the World’s Largest Cave, and We All Win
For his third trip to the one of the world’s largest caves, photographer Ryan Deboodt brought along a drone fitted with a GoPro camera. This incredible video is the result of eight days of camping and exploring Son Doong Cave, in Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.
In it, we see sweeping shots of the cave’s expanses, some 500 feet high and large enough to house a Boeing 747.
Deboodt’s footage has gone viral since he posted it online earlier in the week. Here, he answers a few questions about the experience.
TakePart: Do you remember how you first heard of the cave? What sparked your interest in it?
Ryan Deboodt: From the original National Geographic article, and the uniqueness of it sparked my interest.
TakePart: The video appears to focus on both the massive scale of the cave and the small, fragile plants that inhabit its floor. Was there an intent to show both sides of the cave?
Deboodt: Yeah, I wanted to show the grand scale of the place as well as its fragility. While it is a massive and beautiful cave, it is a fragile ecosystem that could be disturbed very easily.
TakePart: How far were you able to explore?
Deboodt: Through the entire cave, but we try to stay on a single path in order to disturb the cave as little as possible.
TakePart: What is your favorite thing about Son Doong Cave?
Deboodt: The jungles growing in the cave. It is surreal to see plants growing 200 meters below the surface. It feels like there should be dinosaurs roaming around there.
TakePart: What do you hope the video conveys?
Deboodt: I hope the video shows there are still unique, untouched places in the world and a need to protect these places.
Original article from TakePart
