Cave-diver survives 60 hours in air-pocket

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A cave-diver who ran low on air in a flooded cave on the Mediterranean island of Majorca survived for 60 hours in an air-chamber with a depleted oxygen content. 

Xisco Gracia, 54, a cave-expert who has been diving caves for 23 years, had been studying the topography within the Pirata-Pont-Piqueta cave system in Manacor on Saturday, 15 April. 

Also read: Spanish cave-diver’s death prompts calls for controls

He and his buddy Guillem Mascaro were 40m deep and about 900m into the system when their air supplies became depleted while they were trying to locate a broken guideline.

The two agreed that Mascaro should go back for help. Leaving Gracia in the chamber, which measured about 100m by 40m, and taking the remaining air cylinders, Mascaro managed to find his way out and raise the alarm.

However, it took rescuers until around midnight on the Monday to reach the trapped diver, hampered as they were by the cloudy water conditions.

Gracia later told press that breathing air with such a high carbon-dioxide content had caused him to hallucinate during his 60-hour ordeal. At intervals he had imagined seeing rescuers’ lights, and had become dispirited when nobody came.

Losing track of time, he thought he had been trapped for five days, and assumed that Mascaro had failed to get out to raise the alarm. 

For most of the time Gracia was in darkness while trying to conserve the batteries of his three torches, but he was able to drink from a freshwater pool within the chamber.

Rescuers eventually reached the chamber, and Gracia was brought out.

Kept in hospital overnight, he was reported to be uninjured apart from mild hypothermia.

Rescuers felt that the divers had followed the correct course of action. Sharing air in a bid to make their exit together “would have been suicide, and both would have died,” Enrique Ballesteros of Spain’s Underwater Activities Task Force told press.

 

@timpell49
#AskMark Mark great video love your content I recently had my cylinder hydro tested it was filled with air how long can you keep the air in the cylinder before you use it .Also dive shop can drain the air and fill with nitrox?
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@timpell49
#AskMark Mark great video love your content I recently had my cylinder hydro tested it was filled with air how long can you keep the air in the cylinder before you use it .Also dive shop can drain the air and fill with nitrox?
#scuba #scubadiving #scubadiver

Become a fan: https://www.scubadivermag.com/join

GEAR PURCHASES: https://www.scubadivermag.com/affiliate/dive-gear

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https://divernet.com/scuba-diving/your-worldwide-dive-show-guide-for-2025/

JANUARY 18-26: Boot Düsseldorf (International Boat Show)
FEBRUARY 1-2: Duikvaker
FEBRUARY 21-23: European Dive Show (EUDI)
FEBRUARY 21-23: Diving Resort Travel (DRT) Show, Malaysia
MARCH 1-2: GO Diving Show (The UK Dive Show)
MARCH 15-16: ADEX Ocean Festival / OZTek Australia
MARCH 28-30: Mediterranean Diving Show
APRIL 4-6: Asia Dive Expo (ADEX)
MAY 22-25: Thailand Dive Expo (TDEX)
MAY 31 – JUNE 1: Scuba Show
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NOVEMBER 11-14: DEMA Show

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The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional SCUBA Training or recommendations for every manufacturer. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace training from a qualified Dive Instructor or specific requirements from equipment manufacturers.
00:00 Introduction
01:35 Scuba.com Ad
02:35 Duikvaker
03:15 EUDI
04:23 DRT
05:04 GO Diving Show UK
06:24 ADEX OZTek
07:06 Mediterranean
07:34 ADEX
08:21 TDEX
08:51 Scuba Show
09:36 MIDE
10:06 GO Diving ANZ
11:09 Diving Talks
11:58 DEMA

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US diver Barrington Scott has set a verified Guinness World Record for the fastest time to scuba dive across all seven continents.Cartagena City Council says it is preparing to tighten access to the Cueva del Agua (Water Cave) system in southern Spain, following the death of a 37-year-old female diver there on 18 January. And an underwater habitat builder has just extended the record for longest time spent submerged. 

https://divernet.com/scuba-news/scuba-dash-across-7-continents-brings-world-record/
https://divernet.com/scuba-news/health-safety/spanish-cave-divers-death-prompts-calls-for-controls/ 
https://www.kentucky.com/news/nation-world/national/article299289964.html
https://divernet.com/scuba-news/pod-builder-completes-120-days-under-sea/

#scuba #scubadiving #scubadiver

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Website: https://www.scubadivermag.com ➡️ Scuba Diving, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Scuba Gear Reviews
Website: https://www.divernet.com ➡️ Scuba News, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Travel Reports
Website: https://www.godivingshow.com ➡️ The Only Dive Show in the United Kingdom
Website: https://www.rorkmedia.com ➡️ For advertising within our brands
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We partner with https://www.scuba.com and https://www.mikesdivestore.com for all your gear essentials. Consider using the affiliate link above to support the channel.

The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional SCUBA Training or recommendations for every manufacturer. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace training from a qualified Dive Instructor or specific requirements from equipment manufacturers.

US diver Barrington Scott has set a verified Guinness World Record for the fastest time to scuba dive across all seven continents.Cartagena City Council says it is preparing to tighten access to the Cueva del Agua (Water Cave) system in southern Spain, following the death of a 37-year-old female diver there on 18 January. And an underwater habitat builder has just extended the record for longest time spent submerged.

https://divernet.com/scuba-news/scuba-dash-across-7-continents-brings-world-record/
https://divernet.com/scuba-news/health-safety/spanish-cave-divers-death-prompts-calls-for-controls/
https://www.kentucky.com/news/nation-world/national/article299289964.html
https://divernet.com/scuba-news/pod-builder-completes-120-days-under-sea/

#scuba #scubadiving #scubadiver

Become a fan: https://www.scubadivermag.com/join

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Website: https://www.scubadivermag.com ➡️ Scuba Diving, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Scuba Gear Reviews
Website: https://www.divernet.com ➡️ Scuba News, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Travel Reports
Website: https://www.godivingshow.com ➡️ The Only Dive Show in the United Kingdom
Website: https://www.rorkmedia.com ➡️ For advertising within our brands
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We partner with https://www.scuba.com and https://www.mikesdivestore.com for all your gear essentials. Consider using the affiliate link above to support the channel.

The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional SCUBA Training or recommendations for every manufacturer. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace training from a qualified Dive Instructor or specific requirements from equipment manufacturers.

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Spanish Cave Closed After Fatality #scuba #podcast #news

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Aidan Karley
Aidan Karley
7 days ago

This report is somewhat confusing. As a cave-diver (occasional open water), it’s clear to me. But it may not be clear to others.

He and his buddy Guillem Mascaro were 40m deep and about 900m into the system when their air supplies became depleted

That may have been their depth when they noticed an air-supply problem (bottle failure? first stage leak?) but for certain they then returned to the internal air surface.

Gracia […]was able to drink from a freshwater pool within the chamber.

So, the chamber he was in was “permanently” above water level. Indeed, probably big enough to get out of the water, which would substantially ease the thermal problems. 60 hours in the water, even with an effective dry suit, would be a serious challenge without anything else added in.

The small range of tides in the Mediterranean are significant in this context. Almost anywhere else, tides would have seriously complicated matters.

Hope this clarifies things.

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