Inside story: Divers rescue man trapped in unexplored underwater cave

On August 4, 2026, cave divers Harry Gust and Rosalino Rivera from Playa del Carmen received a call from the president of Uxpanapa, Veracruz. They were asked to recover the body of Erasto Crisanto Valdez, a 31-year-old man who had gone spearfishing in a cenote on July 23 and never returned. The divers had searched for him but found nothing.

Gust and Rivera drove to Uxpanapa and walked 900 meters to reach what they called "La Cueva," which turned out to be a spring pouring out of a hillside, located in the state of Oaxaca. They faced a 100-meter-wide river, which was harder to cross than expected. Once they reached La Cueva, they discovered the cave passage had an average depth of 6 meters and visibility less than a meter. The floor was lined with "almost razor-sharp" rocks, 30 centimeters to a meter long and pointed like kitchen knives.

After searching the cave, Gust found a small spare air tank, a small bag, and three rocks likely left by the trapped diver. With limited air and mental fatigue, he tied off on a mushroom-shaped rock and signaled for help. The next day, he returned to find Valdez, who had been alive for nearly 16 days in total darkness.

The divers quickly rescued Valdez, who had been sitting in a niche by a stream. He was lucid and seemed to know how to use a diving mask and regulator. After a short checkout, they exited the cave in record time, around five minutes. Valdez was nearly blinded by the sunlight upon exiting, but quickly recovered and was taken to the hospital for recuperation.