LOL. Isn't that a funny word?
Spelunker......originally derived from the Latin spelunca, (and the related Greek speleios), it comes from the Middle English word, spelunk, meaning cave or grotto.
Don't be too impressed, I copied that off of THIS website. ;-)
speleologists were amateurs. The 1950's saw the rise of legitimate speleology, as scientific methods began to be applied to caves and cave life. Many experts in the field are trained as geologists, hydrologists, biologists, surveyors, are teachers, or employees of land management concerns such as parks or commercial caves. Some speleologists even today are largely self- educated in the field, with jobs having nothing to do with natural resources.