Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Fisherman Survives 15 Days Trapped in Mexican Underwater Cave
A fisherman named Erasto went fishing with his dad in Mexico.
He swam into an underwater cave to catch a fish.
He got lost inside the dark tunnels and couldn't find the way out.
He stayed trapped inside that cave for 15 days!
He drank fresh water from a little stream running through the cave.
He rested on a dry rock and spent his time praying and sleeping.
It was so dark that he lost track of time and thought only three days had passed.
Rescue divers from different countries came to help find him.
They found him deep inside the cave on August 7, weak but alive.
Erasto said his rescue was a marvellous miracle and was thankful to be with his family again.
Erasto Crisanto Valdez, a 31-year-old fisherman, survived 15 days trapped inside an underwater cave system in southern Mexico.
He became lost on July 23, 2026, after getting stuck while trying to catch a robalo while fishing with his father near San Francisco La Paz.
Valdez survived by drinking fresh water from an underground stream and waiting on a dry ledge in complete darkness.
He lost track of time and believed only three days had passed before rescuers found him on August 7 at a depth of more than 300 feet.
An international team of divers from Mexico, Germany, the US and the Dominican Republic carried out the rescue, which Valdez called a 'marvellous miracle'.
- Who
- Erasto Crisanto Valdez, a 31-year-old fisherman, rescued by international cave divers including American instructor Harry Gust and Mexican diver Rosalino 'Rosso' Rivera.
- What
- Survived being trapped for 15 days inside a dark underwater cave and was rescued alive.
- When
- Trapped on July 23, 2026, and rescued on August 7, 2026.
- Where
- An underwater cave system in southern Mexico, near San Francisco La Paz.
- Why
- He lost his orientation while trying to catch a robalo and could not find the cave's exit.
- Survivor
- Erasto Crisanto Valdez
- Age
- 31
- Location
- Underwater cave near San Francisco La Paz, southern Mexico
- Date trapped
- July 23, 2026
- Date rescued
- August 7, 2026
- Time trapped
- 15 days
- Rescue depth
- More than 300 feet
- Rescue team
- Explorers from Mexico, Germany, the US and the Dominican Republic