Jim Bowden
Cave Explorer / Photographer
Austin - Texas - USA
It is for the 282m/925ft World record dive that Jim is most widely known, but this effort reflects but a small part of his more than twenty years of exploring both dry and water filled caves. Jim's interest in caves began as a child in San Antonio Texas but came to fruition during the early 1980s. Jim participates actively in the University of Texas Grotto, an organization that then and now is recognized as a launching pad for international caving teams. All of Jim's early work in caves and cave diving was done solo and most efforts were made in sumps, an endeavor recognized by many as the graduate school of cave diving. His dives in Honey Creek Cave helped to extend the survey to make it Texas' longest cave. In 1985, Jim began extensive exploration in the Caves Branch area of Belize. Working alone and diving multiple long sumps, he would ultimately make a connection between St. Hermann's Cave and Petroglyph Cave. During those same years, he also dove in and surveyed caves in Mexico in a remote mountain site at the Sotano de Las Calenturas, in a huge underground river in a cave named Guerrmo, in the majestic, deep, Nacimiento Rio Choy, and began work in the Nacimiento Santa Clara. These latter two systems, located along the mountain range, the El Abra, are profound in their depth. It is from this same range that the Nacimiento Mante flows. He began at this time to train a very small team of divers to participate with him in these explorations. Working independently or in teams of two divers, they extended the survey in the Santa Clara until it reached a depth of 76m/250ft. at a linear distance of 426m/1400ft. In an effort to avoid an accident, Bowden then closed the exploration and trained extensively in the use of mixed gases to extend his opportunity in these deep caves. He again returned to Belize, working this time in the upstream passages of the Inland Blue Hole, connecting it to the Boiling Hole and finally to Actun Tah. After three years of focused efforts in Belize, Bowden returned to Zacaton and began what now totals more than sixteen years of exploration and research of the five cenotes at the base of the Sierra de Tamaulipas. His team, The Proyecto de Buceo Espeleologico Mexico y America Central, remains small and dedicated. He has led highly committed expeditionary teams to Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala to explore, survey, and map water filled caves and challenged individual members to pursue their personal goals while contributing to the general body of knowledge learned by the Proyecto. Jim's infectious enthusiasm has resulted in the ongoing study of the hydrology, geology, and biology of this unique area.
In February of 2002, Bowden was the Expeditionary leader and principal diver in the Blue Hole Expeditionary Project in Ples Masalai (the haunted place in Tok Pisin, the native language), Papua New Guinea (PNG). The quest was to locate the source of the River Eisis. After a week in dense PNG jungle, Jim located the spring emitting from an underwater cave, the entrance of which was found at a depth greater than 150ft/45m. Future expeditions are planned to further explore and study this remote cave.
In June 2005, Jim received a special award in recognition of a life dedicated to knowledge and preservation of the seas and all bodies of water. The award was bestowed by marevivo, an Italian environmental organization dedicated to the protection of all aquatic environments. The presentation was made at the Sea Festival, Stelle di Mare on the banks of the Tiber River in Rome Italy. It is quite rare for an American to be selected to receive this prestigious award.
Currently under final production and editing, Jim will be featured in a documentary film that profiles the men who have dedicated their lives to the exploration of the deep.
Bowden is a prolific writer and photographer, his articles and photos have appeared in prodigious number internationally. A gifted and much sought after speaker, he has traveled world wide to present his story of cave exploration to a widely varied audience. He has shared his experiences of making the deepest cave dive in the world with the technical diving community, reflecting humbly on his accomplishment and sharing candidly the details of his techniques, successes and failures. He is a consummate student of decompression physiology and has contributed to the development of successful techniques for the field management of decompression sickness.
Bowden’s future plans include a documentary on the wonders of world class Zacaton, completion of his book and the continuation of exploratory efforts in the deep caves of North Eastern Mexico.
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