Pte. Bisaro served in the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada, better known as the Black Watch. Some of the most amazing features in the cave have been named after this storied regiment. The longest shaft in the cave is a 105-metre drop—the equivalent of a 35-story building. Looking over the edge into the abyss, even the most powerful headlamps cannot penetrate the darkness. Its name, “The Black Watch,” conveys the double meaning of an ominous pit and Pte. Bisaro’s regiment. A 60-metre drop, one of the first in the cave, bears the name “Trial by Fire.” It is a long descent or ascent, requiring physical fitness and technical skill on rope. It’s an intense introduction to the challenge of exploring Bisaro Anima.

The names of “The Parade Square” and “The Barracks” were inspired by their form and function. The Parade Square is a large room and junction passage approximately halfway to the current known bottom. Its vast space and high ceiling would be perfect for bellowing drill commands to a platoon formed up in ranks. Instead, the sound of a waterfall pouring into the room echoes off the walls. To the side of the Parade Square, in an alcove, is The Barracks. At 312 metres deep, it is the site of Camp I, which sleeps three to four cavers. 

Below Camp I, cavers must traverse a narrow rift, where boulders and rockfall create routes of varying height: “The Trenches.” While traversing the rift, caver David Steele had part of the boulder floor collapse; tons of rocks came loose, completely obliterating the lower route. He called it “The Collapse of the Third Reich.”

Bruns tells of one of the more indelicate names, showing cavers’ sense of humour: “One day, we set out from Camp I across the Parade Square and into the Mess Hall to see if it connected to a known passage below. It did, but beyond that, we also found an entirely new section of the cave we had never explored, and ‘Did Nazi That Coming’ was born.”

Watch: Exploring Canada’s deepest cave

In Commonwealth militaries, battle honours are given to regiments to recognize their achievements in campaigns or wars. The Black Watch fought several significant battles in both World Wars, for which they received honours. Passages in the cave now reflect that history as well, with names like “Canal Du Nord,” a First World War battle and a channel in the cave characterized by knee-deep cold water, and “Vimy Ridge,” a vast underground scree slope near Camp II named for the decisive 1917 battle in which four Canadian divisions fought together for the first time.

Most recently, in October of 2018, a new underground river was found flowing through a series of passages below Camp I, at a depth of 500 metres. The maze-like area of cave is now called “The Rhineland” and the river “The Rhine.” The origin of the water is unknown and unexplored leads still exist in this area.

One of the most significant finds in the cave was when the expedition team rigged a series of drops below Camp II, only to come to a flooded sump. This small lake was located 655 metres below the entrance. For Graham, who discovered the sump, “It was a crushing moment, a horrendous setback,” says Bruns. “The beauty of the crystal blue water belied the risky challenge ahead. To find a way on, she would have to return with dive gear and swim down the sandy slope to the depths below. She named this place Dieppe.” 

Explains Graham, “My understanding of Dieppe is that commanders were over-eager to send in troops, and underestimated the enemy.” The Dieppe Raid was the first action for the Black Watch in the Second World War. It was a significant and costly battle for Canada: 907 Canadians were killed, 586 wounded, and 1,946 captured.