A Spanish diver is lucky to be alive after spending 60 hours trapped in an air pocket after getting trapped in a cave when his oxygen tank malfunctioned.
According to the BBC, Xisco Gracia, was rescued from the Cova de Sa Piqueta near Manacor, Spain on Monday, more than two days after being trapped. Rescue efforts were hampered by the condition of the water, which was said to resemble "cocoa."
"I lost track of time. I thought it had been five days, too long, so I thought [my friend] could not get out and could not find me," Gracia told Diario de Mallorca, which the BBC translated from Spanish. "After so long breathing an air so charged with carbon dioxide, I sometimes saw some things, like lights or bubbles, and I thought [someone] had come to rescue me - but when they did not arrive, I was discouraged."
The BBC reported that Garcia is an experienced speleologist and geographer. Along with a colleague, Garcia examined the topography of the cave when his tank malfunctioned. His colleague managed to escape.
Garcia said that he survived by drinking fresh water from a shallow pool.
When Garcia was found, he was nearly a half mile from the entrance of the cave.
