The Spaniard lived alone in a dark cave for 500 days

A Spanish extreme athlete resurfaced on Friday after spending more than 500 days in an underground cave. She had not spoken to anyone for a year and a half and was on her own, Beatriz Flamini said at a press conference in the small town of Motril in Andalusia in southern Spain. The 50-year-old spoke of an amazing and unprecedented experience – despite an infestation of flies in the natural cave 70 meters below the surface.

The scientific experiment in the cave, about six miles from Motril, was designed to study the physical and mental effects of complete isolation without any time orientation.

Flamini entered the cave on Nov. 21, 2021. All she had with her was books, light sources and a camera to record the experiment, she said. She apologized several times for not finding the right words.

David Reyes of the Andalusian Caving Association said: “There have been many such challenges, but none with all these characteristics (…): total isolation, no contact with the outside world, no natural light, no reference to time” . Reyes was responsible for the extreme athlete’s safety during the experiment.

According to the Spanish press, the experiment set a new world record for the longest time spent underground in complete isolation.