Tunnel of Terror

Several years ago a young couple was sitting on the edge of a natural rocky shelf jutting out near the boat dock behind Ly Chee Restaurant. They were clearly in love, hugging and kissing, and dangling their bare feet in the water.

It was a hot day and the cool, freshness of the sea was clearly inviting. Stretching, to immerse a little more of her long, tanned legs into the alluring depths, the young girl slipped and fell in. The water was not deep; she could touch the bottom.

But what she hadn’t counted on was a strong current, for she had fallen in at the mouth of the tunnel that runs beneath the city of Manzanillo and empties into the lagoon near the electric power plant.

Her boyfriend, seeing her futile struggles, jumped in to save her. He, too, was swept away by the powerful current, and they both disappeared into the inky depths of the tunnel’s foreboding waters.

Sadly, a few days later, their lifeless bodies were discovered in the shallow lagoon near Las Ventanas.

More recently, on September 21, an International Beach Clean-up sponsored by Project A.W.A.R.E. (Aquatic World Awareness, Responsibility and Education), 26 divers entered the water in the La Perlita-San Pedrito area. The day’s goal was to remove and catalog as much trash as possible to determine the major polluters in the Manzanillo area.

Almost every diver in the water had hundreds of hours of diving experience. This was good, because experience, and knowledge of the ocean and its currents, along with physical fitness played a part in averting another tragedy at the mouth of the tunnel.

As the buddy team of Steve Stanton and Susan Dearing began collecting their second bag of trash for the day, they became aware of a mild current. Within less that a minute, the current doubled, then tripled in strength. It took only a moment to realize they were being swept, like the young couple, into the tunnel. PADI Instructor Susan Dearing began grabbing onto coral-encrusted rocks to pull them to safety. Holding onto Steve with one hand, and inching along a handhold at a time, they were finally able to exit the tunnel and secure a firm grip on a rocky point.

It was tough going, because with each attempt to get a handhold, the soft coral, which has been building up for years, would break off. Steve, without gloves, could only help by swimming as strongly as he could to help reduce drag. Though the dive team only had to swim about 7 meters, it seemed tantamount to climbing the Volcan de Colima with a 100-lb. pack.

Once at the surface and clinging to the rocks (Steve was still holding on to the bag of trash!), they were assisted across the mouth of the tunnel by Gerardo Montes, who appeared in a tiny dingy. Montes is the captain of the fishing boat “Esqualo,” and has lived in Manzanillo for many years. 

According to Gerardo, he has helped in numerous rescues at the tunnel, and has also seen his share of tunnel-related drownings, such as the heartbreaking story told here of the young lovers’ tragic end.

Throughout our life, God gives all of us challenges, and He delivers messages in many ways. This time God chose His messengers well. By allowing seasoned divers to experience the danger of the strong current at high tide, He gave the new ecological foundation, BUCEAA (Buzos Unidos Conservando El Ambiente Acuatico) its first mission: to install a safety net across the both ends of the tunnel.

According to Susan Dearing, co-director of BUCEAA, the estimated cost of 2 durable half-inch diameter polypropylene rope nets, securely anchored above and beneath the surface, is only $500. 

The net’s mesh will be wide enough to allow small fish to pass, but will prevent endangered sea turtles from getting pulled into the tunnel and trapped in debris.  Anyone who falls in by accident, or swimmers who are caught in a tide change, will be able to pull themselves across to safety. It will be anchored at the bottom so that divers never get near enough to the tunnel to get caught in the currents.

The photo to the right shows the other end of the tunnel, which opens into the lagoon. Many homes surround this area, most with small children. At low tide, the current runs from this side, back into the ocean. Refer to the map at the end of this article to see the u-shaped maze of the tunnel that runs underneath the city of Manzanillo.

If 500 people would give only 10 pesos or one dollar each, Manzanillo’s tunnel could have a safety net guaranteed to last 25 years, and no more lives of citizens or animals would be lost. To help, contact BUCEAA@yahoo.com for more information, or call Carlos Cuellar, general director of BUCEAA, at 044-314-358-0327 (cellular) or 333-0642 (office).