Terrifying moment underwater tourist appears to fight for life in viral video as diver reveal what really happened
An underwater adventure almost turned into a nightmare for a tourist exploring a sunken playground when the helmet providing her air supply was dislodged.
A group of travelers at Xcaret Park in Mexico were participating in the Sea Trek experience when one guest lost her bearing and dismantled her crucial breathing apparatus.
Footage of the incident has garnered millions of views across the internet with safety warnings and theories about what happened - but a diver who claims to have been on the same trip has shared a new perspective on the incident.
Viral footage shows the visitors enjoying the water excursion, with one woman gesturing toward the camera before chaos quickly unfolds behind her.
Another woman seen in the background of the video clings to the guiderail when a stingray brushes below her feet below.
She's forced into a flip underneath the bar, sending her feet flying into the air as she her helmet comes loose.
When she turned her body, her helmet, which contained oxygen needed to immerse in the depths of the supervised area, slips off her head.
As she began to panic, the woman writhed in the water until scuba divers quickly responded to bring her to the surface as the other adventurers watched in shock.
While one video with nine million views claims the woman 'accidentally flipped upside down due to a strong air stream bubbling up from the sea floor', a woman who claimed to be in the video offered another explanation.
The woman said: 'The woman behind me fell due to loss of balance after a stingray passed her feet and she tried lift her legs ups therefore caused her to fall [forwards].
'She was okay and completely sound afterwards.'
Viewers had quickly offered their own thoughts about the unique underwater trip, with many agreeing she may have been spooked by the stingray lurking below.
'Having done this before, it would probably be enough the current is very strong down there' one person said.
'You actually see the girl jumps up into the air a few times to touch a stingray. She jumps too high and her legs go up so she's flipped upside down.'
'She looked at the ray that's when she tilted her head and was turned upside down like a beach ball,' another agreed.
'Definitely need to hold on and follow instructions!' a forth wrote.
The excursion is created by Sub Sea Systems and is offered at numerous vacation destinations.
Helmet diving is advertised as an easy adventure that anyone ages eight to 96 can participate in without having experience swimming.
The helmet is made of polycarbonate materials, which are unbreakable plastics and typically transparent.
The helmet is also weighted so that participants can walk underwater. If the helmet falls off, they not only use their oxygen source but won't be weighted to the bottom of the ocean.
'The helmet works similar to an inverted glass– the air remains as long as you don't turn the glass over,' Sub Sea Systems explained on their website.
'This concept, combined with a constant flow of air supply, continuously maintains a fresh turnover of air within the helmet.'
Sub Sea Systems said the helmet diving has over a 25 year track record of safe excursions with over three million people participating in the activity.
Thrill-seekers can try helmet diving at several locations, including Xcaret Park in Cancun. Xcaret has a water park, amusement park, and eco-archaeological attractions.
A training session is first held before participants try for themselves.
They are then guided to the seabed and follow a path marked by railings at the bottom of the ocean.
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