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Freak equipment failure and safety lapses led to Cueva del Agua diver tragedy
Rare equipment failure combined with serious safety violations led to the tragedy that claimed life of 37-year-old Lorena in Cartagena
New expert reports have shed light on the tragic death of Lorena, the 37-year-old diver who died in the Cueva del Agua in Isla Plana on Saturday January 18. The judge overseeing the case now has two key documents that point to a rare equipment failure at the moment she lost her life, along with a series of serious safety lapses during the dive.
According to these reports, prepared by the Guardia Civil’s Underwater Activities Specialist Group (GEAS) and the commander of the Navy diving centre, Lorena’s emergency regulator was not functioning correctly when she died because a stone had become lodged in the exhaust valve.
Investigators describe this as an “extremely rare incident” that allows water to enter the airway and which can be resolved only by experienced divers with enough self-control not to panic in such a life-threatening situation.
According to the Navy commander, “the size of the stone and the characteristics of the regulator made it possible for it to have entered accidentally, and could have been a contributing factor to the accident had it occurred beforehand.”
These expert conclusions form part of the ongoing investigation in which Lorena’s partner, a 41-year-old instructor named Ismael, is still under scrutiny for alleged reckless homicide. He has not been arrested, but remains formally charged.
The new GEAS report draws on data from both divers’ computers, extensive follow-up dives made by specialist officers in the days after the incident and 23 GoPro videos recorded by the suspect himself. From this material, investigators have reconstructed the route taken by the couple and the conditions they faced inside the cave.
The Guardia Civil concludes that the pair ventured more than 30 metres beyond the ceiling level of the labyrinthine cave system, which is located near Cartagena’s La Azohía and Isla Plana. This distance places the dive firmly outside the scope of recreational diving and requires specialist cave diving training. Investigators maintain that Lorena did not have this training or the appropriate equipment for such an advanced and hazardous dive.
At the time of the incident, Ismael held a 2-star national instructor certification, which does not authorise cave dives or the teaching of cave diving. He also had certifications labelled ‘Intro to Cave Diving’ and ‘Technical Cave Diving’. However, the certification body ACUC told officers that while he had registered online for instructor status in these disciplines, the instructor responsible for signing him off never completed the process.
Ismael also had problems with his left arm, which the experts believe “could directly affect his ability to respond in emergency situations” in environments like the cave.
From the video analysis, GEAS specialists describe several concerning failures in the planning and execution of the dive. They highlight inadequate lighting management, which meant Ismael and Lorena couldn’t see each other clearly, and a lack of clear navigation planning. Instead of following a linear route with reels or exit markers at each junction, the couple carried out what investigators call a circular dive without any of the required safety precautions.
According to the Guardia Civil, this “violates basic cave diving protocols and creates an inherent risk” because it does not guarantee a safe return route.
Investigators now believe that at some point, Lorena entered the so-called “dead-end gallery” and became disorientated, likely thinking she was still in the “Inmunda” gallery. According to the report, her boyfriend re-entered this dead end section three times looking for her but tragically, Lorena ultimately died inside this gallery.
Image: Policía Local de Mazarrón
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