| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villagomez, Alejandro | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
Grutas de Tolontongo is a thermal resurgence cave of unknown extent located about 40 km NE of Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo, Mexico, north of Mexico City. In October Alejandro Villagomez (23) a very capable, experienced caver entered the cave alone to take a brief look. There is heavy water flow, perhaps 10-20 CFS, but due to the heat, Villagomez did not wear a wetsuit.
About 40 meters in is a waterfall less than a meter in height. Villagomez made his way up to this falls along the left-hand wall, in a swim but using handholds against the current. At the falls, where he intended to climb up he was suddenly sucked into the plunge of the water where the currents were all circulating back into the falls at the surface. He tried to swim away but could not. To breathe he was forced to spring from the bottom of the plunge pool to the surface; there he would grab a breath, be sucked down and repeat the process. On the third spring, he came up in the falls and got only water to breathe. At that point he was sure he would die. What could he do? Then, with lungs bursting with the desire to breathe, and held under by the currents, his thrashing efforts carried him free, and he popped to the surface. He then made his way out of the pool.
Heavy water flow is always dangerous. Villagomez's narrow escape from the plunge pool is due to the fact that somewhere in the hydrologic structure of the flow, some of the water must be going downstream. But making the right choice in a desperation situation is pure chance. Better to trust to companions, belays, flotation devices, etc.
Alejandro Villagomez, an experienced caver, narrowly escaped drowning after being sucked into a plunge pool in Grutas de Tolontongo due to heavy water flow and lack of safety equipment.