Chris Nicola: The Hidden Holocaust Story Beneath Ukraine

In this episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers are Tougher, host Richard Wiese speaks with cave explorer, documentarian and author Chris Nicola, whose discovery in a Ukrainian cave unveiled one of the most extraordinary survival stories of World War II.

Chris shares how a lifetime of adventure — from law enforcement to cave diving — led him to stumble upon artifacts in a cave that revealed the hidden lives of 38 Jewish survivors. His investigation uncovered the story of families who evaded Nazi persecution by living underground for 511 days, surviving against all odds.

Through perseverance and empathy, Chris connected with the survivors’ descendants, helping bring their story to light through the documentary No Place on Earth and his book The Secret of Priest’s Grotto. This episode explores how courage, family, and the will to live can overcome even the darkest depths.

This is Life's Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, with your host, Richard Weiss. Scratch the surface of an explorer and you'll find an adventure and a great story. This show is about their tales.

This podcast is a proud supporter of the Explorers Club and the EC50 Initiative. 50 people changing the world that the world needs to know about. For more information, go to explorers.org.