Gonzalez was noticeably excited as she examined the pool with her dive light. Talking faster than normal, she exclaimed, “I can’t believe how clear this water is! This is totally different from where we came in; it must be some sort of spring.”
She stood up and began assembling her gear, this time attaching the tank to the back of her harness like a traditional scuba diver. Gonzalez was ready in record time. She looked over to Lewis, who was replacing a broken buckle on his harness, and then back to the pool, speaking over her shoulder, “I’m going to tie off then drop straight down, just to take a look around. We’ll know more about what’s down there so we can put a better plan together when I get back.”
It sounded like a good idea to Lewis; although, deep down, he knew Gonzalez just wanted to get in the water as soon as possible. “Sounds good to me. I’ve got my strap fixed so I only need to set up my tank — I’ll be ready when you get back up.” Lewis thought for a moment and changed his mind. “Actually, I’ll watch you; I can set up my tank while you fill me in when you get back.”
Gonzalez tied the loose end of her cave line to a nice-sized rock next to the pool. Waddling to the edge, she took a giant step, letting line spin off her reel as she rolled forward and descended. She looked like a skydiver dropping towards the bottom, arms and legs slightly spread as she glided downward. Once again, Lewis admired her grace underwater, watching her descend below the lip where the walls angled out of view. Suddenly, she vanished.
It took Lewis a moment to figure out what had happened: one second Gonzalez was slowly gliding towards the bottom, and then she was gone in the blink of an eye. This calm pool was simply a window to a fast-moving underground river below.
Lewis acted fast. “Pierre, get that rope off your shoulders and tie one end to that boulder over there,” he commanded, pointing to a huge rock sticking out of the ground. “That thin cave line isn’t going to hold her for long!”
As Pierre expertly tied off one end of the 100-meter long rope, Lewis tied the other around his waist. Grabbing his dive mask and the tank he had not yet set up, he jumped into the pool, plummeting to the bottom. The instant he dropped below the lip, he was thrust down the wildest waterslide he had ever seen — and this one was completely filled with water. He must have been moving at least 30 miles an hour! Luckily, the tunnel was again a relatively smooth tube so there weren’t any large stalactites or other deadly obstacles to avoid.
Lewis could see Gonzalez’s light up ahead. She must have caught hold of something because he was catching up fast. Lewis put his mouth up to the tank and turned the valve a little, drinking in a quick shot of air. He was about 20 feet from the light when Gonzalez lost her grip and began tumbling away. Lewis’s momentum allowed him to close the gap before Gonzalez got up to speed. He was able to grab a fin and then her harness, pulling her to him just as the rope went tight, jerking them both to a stop. Gonzalez instinctively latched on to Lewis as his grip almost failed.
With Gonzalez hanging on to his waist, Lewis tried pulling them both back up the rope but the current was too strong. To make matters worse, the turbulence was whipping them around like flags in the wind. Gonzalez kept slamming her back into the walls, almost losing her grip twice. Finally, she was able to get her harness clipped through the loop of rope tied around Lewis’s waist; now they were bound together. It was only a matter of time before a sharp rock would cut through the rope, allowing the water to sweep them away. Lewis took a few long hits of air from his tank to sooth his burning lungs.
If only they had some of Pierre’s climbing gear, they might be able to ascend the rope. Lewis again tried to pull them along against the current, this time using his feet against the sides for added propulsion. With her hands now free, Gonzalez added her strength, pulling alongside Lewis. Again, they got nowhere.
He could see the fear in Gonzalez’s eyes each time their masks banged together as their bodies whipped around. Her look of fear was joined by bewilderment as Lewis took another sip of air before he began undoing the laces on his shoes.
Back when he was a Boy Scout, Lewis had learned the basic techniques for rock climbing and roped rescue. His Scout leader had demonstrated a special knot called a Prusik knot, which was tied by wrapping a smaller cord, like his laces, around a fixed rope. The Prusik knot is unique because the loops can be slipped forward with your fingers, but the entire knot is locked in place when weight is applied to the loose ends of the cord.
It was difficult to hold the tank under his arm as he worked, but Lewis managed to remove his shoe lace without losing his only source of air, or his shoe. Lewis used the freed lace to tie a Prusik knot around the climbing rope, leaving a loop on the end as a sort of stirrup for his foot. After taking a short break for a few badly-needed breaths, Lewis started the unlacing process with the other shoe. The exertion was getting the best of him, making his lungs ache between the bursts of air. He wanted a break but knew that it was only a matter of time before the rope wore through, spelling their certain doom. As Lewis took another breath, the current whipped him hard into the wall, knocking the tank from his hands before he could tighten his grip. Panic nearly overtook him but Lewis calmed himself, quickly tying the second knot. His lungs burned like they were on fire by the time he signaled Gonzalez to share her air — they would have to buddy breathe from here on.
Just like he remembered from Scouts, Lewis was able to advance a knot with his fingers as he released the tension by lifting his foot. That same knot would lock in place when he pressed his weight back into the stirrup. This process, referred to as Prusiking, allowed the pair of divers to essentially climb the rope against the current, inching their way towards safety. After every two deep breaths, Gonzalez would pass the regulator to Lewis, taking her turn on the knots while Lewis took his breaths. They were steadily working their way forward when Gonzalez noticed that her tank was almost out of air.
Unsure of what to do, the rest of the team watched the fraying rope in horror, their lights shining into the pool. The divers could see the light ahead; it looked like they were actually going to make it out. After gaining a couple more feet, Lewis took the regulator offered by Gonzalez. He was able to get the tank’s final half-breath, feeling his mask tighten on his face as his lungs attempted to pull in the additional air he needed through his nose. He and Gonzalez worked the knots together, doing their best to conserve the last bit of oxygen in their lungs. Lewis’s vision began to blur, his brain starving for fuel. They both fought to avoid blacking out, pushing the knots further along as their movements got slower and slower.
Gonzalez shined her light on the base of the pool ahead, illuminating the path back up, now less than five feet away. The short distance was too much: her head fell to Lewis’s chest and her arms dropped to her sides as her body shut down. Lewis fought on for two more of the strange steps, mentally cursing the cave as darkness overcame his vision and his body went limp.
Chapter 6 — UP, UP AND AWAY
The next thing Lewis knew, he was lying on his side next to the pool, coughing up water. Gonzalez was still clipped to his waist, doing the same. “I hope to never do that again,” Lewis spat between coughs.
The others had spotted the beam from Gonzalez’s light and were able to work together, tugging the bound pair out of the current and up to safety. A stiff pat on the back from Craig had gotten each of them coughing and on their way to normal breathing. Later inspection of the rope revealed three regions within millimeters of being severed. A few fibers and some watchful friends had saved the divers’ lives.