Bill Whitaker, 60 Minutes' subterranean correspondent

In his five years reporting for 60 Minutes, correspondent Bill Whitaker has become something of a caveman.

On Sunday's broadcast, he journeyed two miles under the Earth to tell the story of a South African gold mine. First, he rode an elevator 450 stories underground, then he rode a chairlift down into a dark, narrow tunnel. 

That was just his latest stint underground. In his very first report for 60 Minutes, Whitaker climbed through El Chapo's escape tunnel, an underground labyrinth accessed by the Mexican drug lord's bathtub. He has also walked through an ancient villa that's been excavated in Italy's Herculaneum, a city buried when Mt. Vesuvius exploded.

But when it comes to underground dwelling, Whitaker says South Africa's Moab Khotsong gold mine will be hard to beat—even if it induced anxiety.

"I was wondering if I should tell the producer, 'You know, I can be claustrophobic,'" Whitaker said. "Luckily, I didn't have to 'fess up until just now."

The video above was originally published on November 11, 2018