spelunker

plural spelunkers

1. CanadaUSOne who explores caves; one who spelunks.

   I took to fishing, on mountain brooks and lakes, and finally I was inveigled into becoming a spelunker. A spelunker is a human worm who crawls into caves ("splunca" is Latin for cave) and explores them.

   1943, Clay Perry, Author and Journalist Magazine

   Synonyms: caver, potholer

2. derogatoryAn amateur or inadequately prepared caver.

   it is a truth that every caver was once a spelunker with a flashlight and a tangled ball of string.

   2011, Michael Gordon, Caving in Ontario: Exploring Buried Karst

   3 more examples

   I am officially a spelunker – but not yet a caver. The dictionary definition of spelunking is “exploring caves for sport.” Serious enthusiasts shun the term, however. They are cavers. A spelunker is an inexperienced amateur. On this dry and balmy mid-November Saturday, our group contains three spelunkers and two cavers.

   2002, Doug van Hemessen, “Caved in: Inside a crevice cave on the Niagara Escarpment”, in Seasons, volume 43, page 41

   But the scariest of all’s the witless caver; Spelunker is the name that he goes by. He caves alone with just one light, A worn-out rope, and boots too tight, Looking for a cave in which to die.

   2003, Dangerous Dick & the Duckbusters, “Creepy Crawlways”

   “‘Cavers,’” the editor notes, “generally consider ‘spelunkers’ to be people who have no real knowledge or understanding of caves and caving safety, but who decide to enter a cave anyway, usually without proper equipment.”

   2018, Douglas Reichert Powell, Endless Caverns: An Underground Journey into the Show Caves of Appalachia