Heartbreaking images shows the moment a caver almost drowned while neck deep in underground water – after one of his companions caused him to lose his grip and become completely submerged.
The incident took place in an unexplored and partially flooded cave at the Guadalupe River Ranch in Texas, and nearly resulted in the untimely deaths of both YouTubers.
The influencers – who post their caving under the pseudonym Underground Explorers – are seen swimming in an almost completely flooded section of the cave before going under, losing their all-important air pocket.
A camera recording the action goes underwater for a few seconds, after which even viewers probably held their breath.
Fortunately, the unnamed man quickly resurfaced, along with the friend whose panic prompted the close call, identified only as Jacob. Both were doing fine, but they quickly – and understandably – announced their intention to leave.
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Footage shows the moment a caver almost drowned while neck deep in underground water – after one of his companions caused him to lose his grip and become completely submerged
Luckily, the unnamed man quickly resurfaced – along with the friend whose panic prompted the close call, identified only as Jacob (seen here)
“Are you going, Jacob,” the influencer asks his partner in a particularly problematic part of the cave, before the other loses his cool and briefly pulls him underwater.
The clip, shared on Friday, quickly racked up thousands of views – with one half of the couple talking about the close call in an accompanying caption.
“While exploring (Guadalupe River Ranch) with Matt, we entered this sunken cave,” wrote the man who managed to remain calm even as his partner panicked.
“Jacob missed an air pocket and he panicked and pushed me down,” he added.
After the initial shock, the duo’s fellow explorers are heard repeatedly assuring Jacob, “You’re fine, you’re fine,” while the spelunker lets out a resounding “Oh my God” after realizing how close he is to exploring his last cave had come.
“I’m going back outside,” Jacob then announces, while his now emerged partner looks around calmly after returning to his air bag.
Some men even smile after discovering that the incident was nothing more than a scare – and even resume exploring the cave a few days later.
According to the duo’s social media, they’ve been documenting their exploits for over a year — and their interests were piqued by the unexplored cave system on the ranch that was recently picked up by fellow social media explorer Matt Carriker.
“Are you going, Jacob,” the influencer asks his partner in a particularly problematic part of the cave, before the other loses his cool and briefly pulls him underwater
“Jacob (seen here) missed an air pocket which caused him to panic and push me under,” he wrote in an accompanying caption
The clip, shared on Friday, quickly racked up thousands of views and shows the dangers of caving unprepared
The influencers – who post their caving under the pseudonym Underground Explorers – are seen swimming in an almost completely flooded section of the cave before going under, losing their all-important air pocket.
A camera recording the action goes underwater for a few seconds, after which even viewers probably held their breath
After the initial shock, the duo’s fellow explorers are heard repeatedly assuring Jacob (seen here) that you’re okay, while the spelunker lets out a resounding “Oh my God” after realizing how close he came to exploring. his last cave
The group immediately thought it would be a fun expedition, put on their wetsuits and gear and dived in.
The cameras attached to their heads showed the ensuing action – and the narrow confines of the labyrinth that awaited them, most of which was underwater.
After successfully navigating the cave for several minutes, the party reached a section where air bubbles were particularly scarce, fueling Jacob’s anxiety attack.
The scare generally only lasted a few seconds, but gave the group a glimpse of what could happen underground without the necessary preparations.
A few days later, Carriker — who has more than 4 million subscribers on YouTube and purchased the previously abandoned ranch this year — returned to the site, this time taking time to pump out the water that previously obscured their path.
Jacob, after suffering a small cut to the eye from the cave’s sealed ceiling, took to his personal YouTube after the scare – which appeared to have happened sometime last week – to show that he was okay.
Although visibly shaken, he remarks, “I almost died,” before laughing off the near-death experience with his comrades.
According to the duo’s social media, they’ve been documenting their exploits for over a year – and their interests were piqued by the unexplored cave system on the ranch that was recently picked up by fellow influencer Matt Carriker (seen here, also on the expedition). )
The group immediately thought it would be a fun expedition, put on their wetsuits and gear and dived in
The scare generally only lasted a few seconds, but gave the group a glimpse of what could happen underground without the necessary preparations.
A few days later, the group returned to the site, this time taking the time to pump out the water that previously obscured their path.
He is breathing heavily and visibly worse for wear. He is seen getting up and walking towards the cave’s exit, with his friend commenting, “We all made it out alive this time.”
Once outside, the group laughed even more about how close the couple came to death.
The original YouTube clip has been viewed nearly 50,000 times as of Tuesday, while it has been cut and reshared thousands of times on other online platforms.