avid Gill was born in 1941 in Manchester, schooling in Droylsden. On leaving school he took up employment as a Radio and TV Engineer, gaining his professional qualifications at Technical College. He took up caving in Derbyshire joining the Buxton based Eldon Pothole Club, serving various posts, including Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. In 1967 he took part in his first expedition to what was at that time the deepest cave in the world, the Gouffre Berger in France. Within two years he was organizing and leading his own expeditions to the Pierre St. Martin cave in the Pyrenees Region of France and Spain, which had at that time become the deepest cave in the world. He featured in a film documentary for the BBC, "the Deepest Hole in the World".

n 1971 he set up his own one man business as an electrical engineer. 8 expeditions later, in 1981 saw him in Mexico when another documentary for British television was produced, " the Hidden Caves of Mexico" On this expedition he contacted the almost fatal disease from bat guano, "Histoplasmosis". After spending 3 weeks in a hospital in Mexico City he returned to the UK and soon began to organize the "Untamed River Expedition". Since then Dave has been to many countries exploring caves, including, Peru, Java, Philippines, Thailand, Iran Jaya, Sarawak and four expeditions to China. He is the author of many papers on caves, and a number of books incuding, "British Cave and Potholes", "The Caves of Derbyshire" and the " The Caves of the Peak District". n 1992 he packed a bag, handed everything over to his eldest son, and left to take up employment as the Development Officer for the Gunung Mulu National Park cave complexes in Sarawak, Borneo. It was 3 years before he returned to the UK, but only for a holiday. He is presently the Head of the Karst Management Unit of the National Parks and Wildlife Department in Sarawak, responsible for all matters relating to caves and karst regions in the state. He has been instrumental in the development of the Mulu caves, and a new National Park at Gunung Buda and takes part in all foreign caving expeditions in Sarawak. He is presently working on another proposed park in the karst regions of the Baram River. In total he has now taken part in over 35 major expeditions.