The Most DANGEROUS Dive Site on Earth | Diving Gone Wrong

Thalassophobia is an intense phobia or fear of large bodies of water. This is the blue hole in the red sea, in the Sinai peninsula of Egypt. It is one of many of these blue holes around the globe, but this one is considered to be by far the most dangerous. And as I’m sure you’ll see, this is only highlighted by some of the horrifying incidents that have occurred here. Welcome to another edition of diving gone wrong.

Picture at 8:30 is not a real picture of Igor. Picture at 16:30 is not a real image of Yuri. This is a stock picture meant to demonstrate the position he was in. Additionally, the video Yuri took does not capture his last moments. The camera stopped recording before he passed away.

Attributions/Special Thanks for Photographs:
Mohamed Kamal, Dmitry Kuznetsov, James st. John, The TerraMar Project

And a huge thank you to the Scary Interesting team of writers, editors, captioners, and everyone else who make this channel possible.

[factorem]

To anyone wondering, that wheezing sound is just his regulator squeaking. They do that sometimes. He wasn't struggling or panicking or wheezing until he looked at his gauge and saw how deep he was. When you're in deep water like that, you can't tell how fast you're sinking at all. It can feel like you're sitting still, but you could be plummeting. Always keep track of your depth.

[CruelSeason]

The moment the camera shifts from Yuri’s struggle to suddenly being on the surface is one of the eeriest things I have ever seen.

[ivanbykov]

I almost died here.
I followed the descent through the tunnel called The Bells down to the arch (6:57 on the right). It was my 4th real dive, so I was very inexperienced. I followed the dive master and saw him disappearing into the arch. After I made it through the arch myself, I looked around and didn't see the dive master. I didn't have a proper diving computer and the mechanical gauge I had malfunctioned and got stuck at around 11 meters.
I didn't know that the arch is already on the verge of 30 meters (max depth of dive), so I assumed that dive master descended further and I can't see him, because of the cliff edge, so I proceeded. A few moments later I felt a strong tug on my fin and turned around. I saw the dive master vigorously showing ascend signs to me. It turned out that instead descending he swam sideways (just like he should have actually) and out of sight. He later showed me his dive computer. It registered a depth of 38 meters. It means that I was another 1.5-2 meters deeper than that. Had I continued my descent for another few seconds, I would have experienced severe confusion due to nitrogen narcosis and sank uncontrollably all the way to the bottom, because of compressed buoyancy control vest.
I would have ended up exactly like Yuri.

[Giantwaspface]

That dive video is pure, unfiltered nightmare fuel. It's genuinely chilling how it all goes wrong so fast.

[nicholasadams]

The final moments of the footage are terrifying. The sheer panic the moment he checks his depth gauge, the silt being kicked up from him struggling to ascend. My heart was pounding. RIP Yuri.

[nyanbinary]

It’s worth noting that Tarek said Yuri asked him about diving the blue hole, but Tarek refused and to take him without actual trimix training. I think it was Yuri’s last day or second to last day of his trip, so he didn’t want to wait and do the training. He did this against Tarek’s advice. It’s yet another really sad tale of an experienced SCUBA diver getting overconfident. This is always a rough video to watch, particularly for someone like me who has a fear of not being able to breathe. Hearing him struggle to breathe gives me so much anxiety.

[steelfabric]

I watch these diving videos to reinforce to me that I'm a landlubber, through and through.

[EricBussman]

The arch is a big reason why the hole is so dangerous. It provides a false feeling that it is the entrance to the top of the hole because of the sunlight shining through the arch. When you have nitrogen narcosis and you are panicked, you swim for daylight. That arch has killed many ppl

[NienkeJoe]

Tarek is a hero. Helping people recover their loved ones is not an easy job. I've seen divers do it and struggle with PTSS after the operation. It is really hard to find people in a place where they took their last breath, where their heart stopped beating and where the last contractions of their muscles stopped.
When people die, their loved ones want to have the body, so they can lay them to rest for their closure. People like Tarek help the family give that closure. And that is amazing.

[ZombieSazza]

Even tho Yuri’s case has been covered many times, I appreciate that you’ve actually explained what’s happening, how he doesn’t have the right oxygen, him struggling to breathe, his dive computer, him struggling to move around at the bottom, the buoyancy device sound, the panicked moving around. So many folk have included parts of his footage and never explained what’s happening, so I really appreciate the way you’ve covered Yuri’s case and taken the time to explain everything that’s happening from start to finish.

[Vivie]

I get another reason why blue holes are so dangerous — it’s incredibly disorientating: the sudden change in light to darkness, and aside from hugging a wall, you can’t tell which way goes where, especially if you’re becoming affected due to the pressure, nitrogen narcosis, etc.

[tribarr]

Fun fact- that lens cover that was added at the start of the dive video was a red filter. Divers add them to their cameras during dives because red is the first color to be absorbed by the water at depth.

[deepblue]

I’m a commercial diver and have probably close to 500 working dives that being said one of the primary causes of uncontrollable descent or ascent is the reduction/increase of buoyancy as the ambient pressure increases/decreases thus compressing/expanding the air bladders in you BC or air stored in a dry suit . As you get deeper it compresses more thus increasing your decent. In a panic a person may inflate them thus creating the reverse effect. It’s exceptionally more dangerous using lift bags that are holding up 100s or 1000s of lbs of equipment for construction. They can drag a diver down or shoot to the surface, flip then drop the equipment back on the diver. The ocean wants to kill you, never forget that.

[TheCoBBus]

I went diving in the blue hole in 2009 and it was really scary to go into the sea after looking at the graves that were done to the cliff side, knowing that for so many that has been their last place, and they have taken their last breath in that spot. Our diver coach was extremely strict about certain rules and had us all swim in a swarm of 10 and no one was allowed to go further then 2 meters from his/hers dive buddy. we dove to about 30 meters next to the walls, went around and came back up. it was really a different dive that day

[abrahamben-dayan]

I like that you narrarate these videos in a respectful manner, not playing it up with a scary tone of voice like some other youtubers. This is tragic, and you treat it as such. Thank you❤

[RittenhousesRifle]

It is highly probable that Yuri knew how dire his situation was. Especially in the last 1 to 2 minutes of his life. He seemed to be highly panicked and it was also reported that he was also trying to shed all of his equipment in an attempt to surface. Terrifying

[ragetobe]

I’ve dived 60m with air, it was a mistake and I was young and too keen to push boundaries, it never happened again. It scared me so much that I still have nightmares, I hadn’t planned stops for that depth and I was suffering from NN, I don’t know how I lived or even that I didn’t suffer. I was able to make it back to the surface safely. This kind of thing happens easily if you are allowed to dive alone or split from the group.

[OneRedKraken]

Edit: take note that this advice is 30 years old. As some replies point out the regulations are nowhere close to how they were when I was diving. So just make sure you consult expert and you should be fine.

Original comment : tip from an old diver. If you do not have any certification for scuba diving. Do not under any circumstances let yourself be convinced by a local dive shop that they'll let you go diving with a quick few lessons. You should only dive if you were certified by a recognized organization like PADI or whatever smaller ones there are. But never, EVER, accept training that is done on the spot before a dive. Thats a recipe for disaster.

Also, I like what one of my first instructors told me about diving. He said unlike other sports. This sport is a sport which you do not do to get in shape. Its a sport that you need to be in shape in order to be able to do it. In the best of situations it doesn't require that much effort. But if a quick current takes you or something bad happens. How healthy and fit you are will be a huge determining factor on whether you survive the problem or it takes you down.

What the hell was Yuri doing? For those who dont have diving experience. Doing a descent in open water without the use of a guide rope requires special training. Its really hard to guage how fast you are going down. The fact the first time he looked at his depth guage was when he was near the floor of whatever ledge he landed on seems insane to me.

[ranabayoumy]

I'm Egyptian and I've been to the blue hole several times, but only for snorkelling. I remember the first time staring down the abyss and it was just hauntingly beautiful. The first time I went there I wasn't aware at all of its morbid history, I just innocently snorkelled around the edges and enjoyed the reef and the fish. In fact, dahab and the blue hole are a very popular local vacation spot and it's surprising how almost no one knows how truly dangerous it is. When I found out I was horrified and it made my second visit there much more somber but still hauntingly beautiful.

Let's not get into the non existent safety regulations, basically anyone can get in the water and swim around the blue hole with no supervision. So I'm not surprised at all that there are no official records of the dives.

But still it's my favorite spot to swim around in Egypt and I wouldn't miss an opportunity to visit this enchanting site again! :)

Edit: Senpai has noticed me!!

[MikalMullaly]

Terrifying “found footage.” After having watched that (I couldn’t look away) I’m in awe at how many people are still willing to risk not just their life but Tarek’s as well. That was also narrated so very well. I’m shook.