Beatriz Flamini

Beatriz Flamini is an extreme athelete and mountaineer known for her acts of self-isolation and self-sufficiency. Her "Timecave" expedition, whereby Flamini spent 500 days living in a cave in Granada, brought her worldwide recognition.

Biography

Early career

Flamini studied to be a sports instructor, and was employed as an aerobics teacher in Madrid. In the 1990s, she joined cave exploring expeditions as a photographer. She later moved to a mountain refuge in the Sierra de Gredos to be a rescue worker. In 2019, she was making preparations to cross Mongolia by foot. She moved to Espigüete and began training at Montaña Palentina [es]. She later decided that she was physically capable of the task, but was not mentally prepared for the prolonged isolation.

Timecave

To prepare for the social isolation in the Mongolian desert, Flamini intended to beat the record of 463 days spent in an underground cave set by Milutin Veljković. Flamini planned to be more strict with her seclusion than Veljković, wishing to completely disconnect from human interaction. She picked a cave north of Motril in Granada. The cave was 230 feet (70 m) deep, and the main chamber measured 3,000 square feet (280 m) and had 40 feet (12 m) tall ceilings. The expedition became known as "Timecave".

On November 21, 2021, Flamini entered the cave at the age of 48. Her time was spent recreationally exercising, drawing, reading, and knitting. She was conscious about maintaining the natural silence of the cave and limited how much she spoke aloud. Flamini had the ability to send messages above ground, but not to receive them. She was supported by a group of volunteers, who removed waste, provided food, and maintained her equipment. Provisions were dead dropped halfway down the cave to limit interaction between support staff and Flamini.

Her experiences were monitored by scientists, including chronobiologists at several Spanish universities. In September 2022, approximately 300 days into her isolation, Flamini began experiencing intense discomfort. She claimed this was due to "inaudible sonic waves" emitted by her emergency communication equipment. She moved her sleeping tent to the exit of the cave. She had a brief face-to-face discussion with a member of her team, ending her streak of seclusion. Her eight days spent at the exit of the cave disqualified her from beating the record set by Veljković.

Flamini emerged from the cave on April 14, 2023. She stated that she enjoyed her tenure in the cave, and claimed she could have remained isolated for a further 500 days.