The Team
Joel digging out the entrance to a deep cave in the Austrian Alps, 2015
The director spent many years in the diving industry before focusing more & more on rope access in the early to mid-nineties. He's been in the game for 30 years, has been an IRATA Level 3 Supervisor for 23 years & has a wealth of experience across all sectors. He's a first aid trainer & a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (W-EMT), holds High Risk Confined Space & Rescue tickets, is an approved safety system installer/tester for the SFS Soter 2 safety systems, 3M/Capital Safety, Rostek & Kee Safety, is very experienced with MEWPS, and has loads of other random certificates that he hopes to never have to use again. His alternative/occasional profession is that of Safety Mountaineer for seismic oil projects; this takes him to some very challenging locations across the globe.
His lifetime calling has been the exploration of previously undiscovered caves & he has led or been involved in projects all over the world both above & below water as caver & cave diver. He is a long-standing member of his local cave rescue teams, technical advisor for university caving clubs (one of the founders of CHECC, the Council of Higher Education Caving Clubs), has led the Dachstein (Austria) Cave Exploration Project for 23 years which has discovered the 9th deepest cave in the world (the deepest ever explored by a British team), and received the Queens Platinum Jubilee medal for services to cave rescue. Bizarrely enough, he hates getting wet & believes that any idiot can suffer but it takes skill & commitment to stay dry & comfortable in hostile environments.... With hindsight, he wishes that he'd become a surfer instead as caving has zero glamour!
His lifetime calling has been the exploration of previously undiscovered caves & he has led or been involved in projects all over the world both above & below water as caver & cave diver. He is a long-standing member of his local cave rescue teams, technical advisor for university caving clubs (one of the founders of CHECC, the Council of Higher Education Caving Clubs), has led the Dachstein (Austria) Cave Exploration Project for 23 years which has discovered the 9th deepest cave in the world (the deepest ever explored by a British team), and received the Queens Platinum Jubilee medal for services to cave rescue. Bizarrely enough, he hates getting wet & believes that any idiot can suffer but it takes skill & commitment to stay dry & comfortable in hostile environments.... With hindsight, he wishes that he'd become a surfer instead as caving has zero glamour!
The regulars
Unlimited Access are in the fortunate position of being able to employ some of the leading experts in the industry. These aren't just names & faces: they are individuals with proven experience & ability who know their trade inside & out.
Connor is an IRATA Level 1 & commercial diver who does the vast majority of our tv/film safety-support work. A very experienced cave explorer, Connor played a significant role in the Thai cave diving rescue of 2018.
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Tom is a highly-experienced Level 3 Supervisor who brings a very useful set of skills to the job site. Apart from decades on the ropes (both above & below ground as caver/climber & rope technician), he's a skilful carpenter, holds High Risk & Rescue Confined Space tickets, is a long-serving member of the Cave Rescue team, veteran of cave expeditions all over the world, is another of our Seismic Oil Safety Mountaineers, and is also our Safety Manager. To this end, his favourite pastime is to contradict his employer at any opportunity...
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Burak is an IRATA Level 2 with a mechanical engineering degree and we leave all the technical malarky in his capable hands. After 7 years in the fall protection industry, he is fully conversant with CAD, system design, installation, testing and production, and he also created the primary horizontal man-safe system in Turkey. Burak also holds his High Risk Confined Space & Rescue tickets.
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Oz is an IRATA Level 2 with a decade of experience in both the onshore & offshore sectors. He's also an OPITO Level 3 Rigger & banksman & spent many years as a derrickman on oil rigs. His happy place is kitesurfing above the waves...
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Mike (IRATA Level 1 & High Risk Confined Space & Rescue operative) brings a wealth of experience from the outdoor industry as he's spent decades leading commercial expeditions. We're all very jealous of his lifestyle as he lives on a yacht ;-/
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Sam is a very capable rope tech with a background as a serious rock climber, having put up a number of scary climbing routes around the UK. He holds an IRATA Level 2, High Risk Confined Space & Rescue tickets.
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Dan is an experienced IRATA Level 2 & High Risk Confined Space & Rescue operative, and is our resident paint application specialist.
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Emily is another caver-turned-rope access professional, and as well as having her IRATA Level 2 & High Risk Confined Space & Rescue tickets, she is also a Non-Destructive Testing specialist (NDT).
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We are always on the lookout for suitable candidates to join us so if you're interested please drop us an email with your CV, qualifications, and a brief introduction to give us an idea of what makes you tick. Whilst we're based in South Wales, we operate all over the country & often need staff at short notice. Please note: whilst IRATA qualifications are a prerequisite, we only take on people with a certain level of integrity and a solid work ethic so if you're a lazy skiver with sticky fingers then please look elsewhere.
STAFF TRAINING 2023
The Covid Apocalypse got in the way of the last two annual Staff Training Events but we are hoping to organise another one later this year. This will consist of a weekend based in a little hut in the hills & will be focused on team-building, accident prevention & rescue skills in a cave. Depending on numbers, we will also be inviting our lovely clients along to join in the fun as we wouldn't have a business without you. And rest-assured, the older staff members have no interest in taking anyone into nasty, squalid holes so we'll make sure that a pleasant environment is chosen! Watch this space for further details.
The Covid Apocalypse got in the way of the last two annual Staff Training Events but we are hoping to organise another one later this year. This will consist of a weekend based in a little hut in the hills & will be focused on team-building, accident prevention & rescue skills in a cave. Depending on numbers, we will also be inviting our lovely clients along to join in the fun as we wouldn't have a business without you. And rest-assured, the older staff members have no interest in taking anyone into nasty, squalid holes so we'll make sure that a pleasant environment is chosen! Watch this space for further details.
CAVE RESCUE
On a Saturday afternoon in November 2021, an experienced & capable caver had a disagreement with the Cave Gods of South Wales: a rock bridge collapsed & he fell some 8 metres or more into a narrow rift, and to make things worse the remains of that bridge then landed on top of him. He sustained very severe injuries, and due to the remoteness & complexity of the obstacles it took a couple of hundred cavers over three and a half days to get him to the surface. The majority of our staff were involved in this, and we're grateful to our clients for their understanding as we could only provide a limited professional service over that period.
Within the UK, cavers rescue cavers, and we're loosely formed into regional cave rescue teams that come together for major callouts when strength in numbers is required. Cave rescue is not supported by government funding, and it relies purely upon charitable donations. To that end, if any of our lovely clients feel a burning desire to splash the cash then please drop us a line & we'll help direct your generosity!
On a Saturday afternoon in November 2021, an experienced & capable caver had a disagreement with the Cave Gods of South Wales: a rock bridge collapsed & he fell some 8 metres or more into a narrow rift, and to make things worse the remains of that bridge then landed on top of him. He sustained very severe injuries, and due to the remoteness & complexity of the obstacles it took a couple of hundred cavers over three and a half days to get him to the surface. The majority of our staff were involved in this, and we're grateful to our clients for their understanding as we could only provide a limited professional service over that period.
Within the UK, cavers rescue cavers, and we're loosely formed into regional cave rescue teams that come together for major callouts when strength in numbers is required. Cave rescue is not supported by government funding, and it relies purely upon charitable donations. To that end, if any of our lovely clients feel a burning desire to splash the cash then please drop us a line & we'll help direct your generosity!