Spanish Woman, 50, Emerges from Cave After 500 Days Alone Underground: 'I Didn't Want to Come Out'

Abigail Adams
Fri, April 14, 2023 

Beatriz Flamini of Madrid began living 230 feet below ground in November 2021 as part of a project called "Timecave"

JORGE GUERRERO/AFP via Getty Images

A Spanish athlete has emerged from an underground cave after 500 days of isolation.

Beatriz Flamini, 50, of Madrid, entered the cave in southern Spain on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.

She finally exited the cave — which was about 70 meters (230 feet) underground — around 9 a.m. local time on Friday, the AP reported.

Flamini said she passed the time by exercising, reading books, drawing, painting, and knitting, per the reports.

"In fact, I didn't want to come out," she said.

JORGE GUERRERO/AFP via Getty Images

Flamini was 48 years old when she first entered the cave in Granada, according to the BBC and Reuters.

During the experiment, Flamini was monitored by psychologists, researchers and speleologists, who study caves, though they never made contact with her, per the reports.

Flamini said she lost track of time after about two months, according to the AP and BBC. However, the mountaineer thought she had only been underground for about 160 or 170 days.

"When they came in to get me, I was asleep. I thought something had happened," Flamini told reporters, per Reuters' report. "I said: 'Already? Surely not.' I hadn't finished my book."

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Flamini's 500-day adventure was part of a project called "Timecave," according to the AP. The goal was to assess how a human would handle living underground for a long stretch of time.

As part of the experiment, experts examined the impacts of social isolation and extreme temporary disorientation on the human body, per the BBC.

"I'm still stuck on November 21, 2021," Flamini told reporters on Friday. "I don't know anything about the world."

Flamini may have set a world record, too. Her team believes she holds the record for surviving the longest time while underground, though the Guinness Book of Records has yet to confirm.


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Flamini said she never considered pressing the panic button she was given, according to Reuters. She even pressed on through a fly invasion, which left her covered in bugs.

The extreme athlete also experienced "auditory hallucinations" while in the cave, per the BBC's report. She needed assistance standing up while speaking with reporters because of balance issues.

Still, Flamini was thrilled by the experience, which she called "excellent" and "unbeatable," according to the AP and BBC.

"You have to remain conscious of your feelings," Flamini said, per Reuters' report. "If you're afraid, that's something natural but never let panic in or you get paralyzed."

Read the original article on People.