Manding Nguyen

There's cool air from deep within the cave system, which always remains at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, no matter what temperature it is outside.

Whoa.

All we can see ahead of us is a ledge that leads into still water, and past that, complete darkness.

We zip up our wetsuits and put on our helmets and snorkels and turn on our flashlights.

By this point, I've left my audio equipment on dry land, and Benji starts recording with his phone in a waterproof case.

Shining our lights on the cave walls, we see a giant mass of spider-like arachnids.

They're stretched across the ceiling of the cave, and they almost look like they're dancing.

Benji and I are trying not to freak out at the carpet of spider-like creatures on the ceiling.

But Andy's cheery.

As we walk deeper into the cave, there are fish, frogs, and insects that greet us along the way.

The ledge drops out beneath us, and we're swimming.

Andy leads the way.

We can't see anything except what's illuminated by the narrow rays of our flashlights.

We swim, and we duck under stalactites that jut out from the ceiling, their points hovering barely a foot above the water.

Andy scans his flashlight across the bottom of the cave, about 15 feet down, looking for something.

He shines his light on a little white blob sitting still on the cave floor.

It's hard to hear him because his phone is literally underwater.

But Benji's yelling, I saw it.

Andy dives down to catch the blob and brings it back up in a little net.

We're bobbing in the cold water, trying to see this little creature.