UNDERWATER NIGHTMARE

It seemed impossible that anyone could be left alive. But an inner voice kept telling Nico that there was hope

- Christopher Matthews

The handsome 30-foot-long cabin cruiser bobbed at anchor in the crystal-blue water of the Adriatic, about 180 metres off the southern Italian coast. “You’ll see, it’s an incredible sight,” Antonio Giovine was telling his German friend Horst Hartmann. The day before, Antonio had gone scuba diving off the small coastal village of Polignano a Mare where they were vacationing. In an underwater passage in the reef, he had found a cave where fresh and saltwater mixed, creating strange optical effects.

On board the boat with Antonio and Horst was a group of relatives and friends, including Luciano, Antonio’s brother and the owner of the boat. Horst, a cheerful airport employee from Frankfurt, Germany, and Antonio, both 27 years old, had been friends for years and often spent holidays together. Both shared a passion for scuba diving. Antonio was self-taught, while Horst had completed a diploma course back home.

Luciano and Antonio had double air tanks, holding around 100 minutes of breathing time. Horst and a German friend had only one tank, or 50 minutes’ worth of air. But since they would dive no deeper than 30 feet, it was more than enough to take a quick look at the cave and get back to the boat. Horst was bringing his underwater camera and a flashlight. It was 3:30 on a beautiful August afternoon.

“Okay, let’s go!” Antonio shouted, flipping backward over the side. With Antonio in the lead, the four divers moved parallel to the reef for almost half an hour, while Antonio searched for a gap. He was about to give up when he found it and signalled the others to follow. Now they’d been underwater for 45 minutes. Horst and his friend were already using their emergency air supplies.