Explorer enters crystal cave 1,000ft underground - and temperatures can hit 58C

24 July 2023 , 11:48

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George Kourounis in the cave (Image: Facebook)

A potentially deadly crystal cave which only becomes accessible for short windows at a time and can hit temperatures of 58°c has been entered by an explorer.

Canadian adventurer George Kourounis is one of just a few people who have been brave enough to enter the cave 1,000ft below the Sierra de Naica Mountain in Chihuahua, Mexico.

The walls inside are covered in glass-like crystals which have been reportedly been growing for 500,000 years.

George described the visit to the cave as one if the most amazing places he has ever been and said it was like travelling to another planet. It only becomes accessible during short windows at a time.

He told the Sun: "It is fascinating, it really is. I was one of the few people who had the privilege of going inside that cave years ago when it was still accessible. The opportunity is now lost but it is like going into another planet.

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The caves can only be explored for less than an hour at a time (George Kourounis | Naica Crystal Cave)

"The air temperature is so unbearable - it is so hot and so humid that the air just hits you in the face like a hammer. Even with special chilled air respirators and ice-filled suits, we could only go in for around 40 minutes at a time."

He added: "You look around and it's like Superman's fortress of solitude. All these giant crystals made it like being on an alien planet. It was just so beautiful but every cell in your body is just s

creaming at you to leave because you overheat so fast in that extreme environment with the heat and humidity.

He described it like another planet (George Kourounis | Naica Crystal Cave)

"But that's what makes it even more beautiful because you know your time is so limited in there. That makes it really special."

Two unsuspecting miners stumbled across the natural spot, now named Giant Crystal Cave, in 2000 while excavating a tunnel for a mining company.

Kelly-Ann Mills