Near-drowning in an underground water tunnel and a warming light
A caller who gives their name as [name withheld], calling from San Diego, describes a near-drowning in 1982, when they were an 18-year-old student at Chico State in Northern California. They were pulled under and carried through what they call an underground tunnel of water about 60 feet long. They report seeing an intense, beautiful, warming light during the passage. They say that when they came out they were deeply saddened and did not want to return. They describe lasting effects: a sense of “something greater” and no fear of death. They also say they learned later that three people had died in the same tunnel.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2001-3.mp3”, starting at 1:18:04). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], calling from San Diego, tells Art Bell that in 1982, at 18 years old, they were a student at Chico State in Northern California. They say they were swimming under a waterfall in rocky pools they liken to a mini Grand Canyon. They saw a friend on a rock leaning over the pool as if to pull them up. They swam to the friend, who grasped their hand and pulled them up. They say they [quote withheld] and were sucked under feet first into what they call an underground tunnel of water, about 60 feet long. They say they felt scraping as they went down and [quote withheld] During the passage they report [quote withheld] and say they knew nothing about such experiences at the time. They say they popped out on top of a rock, their leg caught on a log, over a small waterfall, and heard someone say “there she is.” They were in shock and vomiting. They report being deeply saddened on coming out and not wanting to leave the experience, though they describe themselves as a happy person who was not depressed at the time. Asked how it affected their life, they report deep appreciation, [quote withheld] no fear of death, and a wish to accomplish something. They say they changed drastically for two to three months and were embarrassed. They later found case studies in a library. Asked how long it lasted, they say they do not know, then estimate about a minute, then a minute and a half to two minutes. They add that they were very thin and that five more pounds would have lodged them in the tunnel. They say they later learned three people had died there because they weighed over 130 pounds. Art Bell thanks the caller and ends the call.
Reported events, in order
- 0:05
The caller gives their first name as [name withheld] and says they are calling from San Diego, California.
- 0:21
The caller says the experience happened in 1982, when they were a student at Chico State in Northern California.
- 0:32
The caller says they were swimming at 18 years old under a waterfall and could see fish underneath.
- 0:38
The caller says they saw a friend on a rock leaning over the pool as if to pull them up. They swam to the friend, who grasped their hand and pulled them up.
- 0:53
The caller says they suddenly lost the grasp and disappeared.
- 0:57
The caller says they were sucked under an underground waterfall they describe as about 60 feet. They later clarify that it was an underground tunnel of water, about 60 feet long, and that they went in feet first.
- 1:03
The caller says they could feel scraping on the way down and [quote withheld]
- 1:51
The caller reports what they call the most incredible, beautiful, warming light during the passage. They add that they knew nothing about such experiences at the time.
- 1:59
The caller says they popped out on top of a rock with their leg caught on a log, over another small waterfall.
- 2:13
The caller says they heard someone say, “there she is.”
- 2:15
The caller says they were in shock and vomiting.
- 2:18
The caller says they were deeply saddened on coming out and did not want to leave the experience, though they describe themselves as a happy person who was not depressed at the time.
- 2:52
Asked how it affected their life, the caller reports deep appreciation, a sense of an “all-knowing” that there is something greater, no fear of death, and a wish to accomplish something.
- 3:35
The caller says they changed drastically for two to three months, got very quiet, did not understand the experience, felt embarrassed, and thought people would think they were weird. They then found case studies in a library.
- 4:02
Asked how long it lasted, the caller says they do not know, then says about a minute, then a minute and a half to two minutes.
- 4:14
The caller says they were very thin, that five more pounds would have stuck them in the tunnel, and that they learned later three people had died in it because they weighed over 130 pounds and had to be dredged out.
- 4:38
Art Bell thanks the caller, and the call ends.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 1:30
The caller says they were pulled under and sucked feet first into an underground tunnel of water in the river.
- observation· 1:51
The caller reports seeing what they call the most incredible, beautiful, warming light while being carried through the tunnel.
- observation· 2:18
The caller reports that on coming out of the experience they were deeply saddened and did not want to come out of it.
- interpretation· 2:52
The caller takes the experience to mean that there is “something greater” and says it left them with no fear of death.
- hearsay· 4:18
The caller says they later learned that three people had died in the tunnel because they weighed over 130 pounds.
- host statement· 0:00
The host tells the caller they are on his “clinical death line.”
- host statement· 2:28
The host states the caller is not the first to say that, given a choice, they would not have come back.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a clear, specific, firsthand story with a coherent sequence and an easy ordinary explanation for the central sensation. It is not backed up by anyone else, and the one outside claim that could be checked has no source. That keeps it near the level for [quote withheld] not higher.
Evidence for and against
- A firsthand story of an experience the caller says they went through themselves.
- Concrete specifics that could be checked in principle: the year (1982), the school (Chico State), the region (Northern California), the caller’s age (18), and physical details of the site.
- A coherent sequence: swimming, hand grasped, grasp lost, tunnel passage, coming up, rescue, aftermath.
- A well-known physical explanation (low oxygen during long time under water) fits the central reported element, the “beautiful warming light.”
- The one element that could be checked, three deaths in the tunnel, is given only as something they “learned later,” with no source, date, or names.
- The caller’s answers on duration are hesitant and shift: “I don't know,” then [quote withheld] then [quote withheld]
- Part of the transcript around the tunnel passage is broken into fragments of one or two words, so parts of the tunnel description are uncertain.
- The labels showing who is speaking are inconsistent in this part, so a few short lines cannot be reliably attributed.
- 0:21
- 1:51
- 4:02
What the model inferred (not said on air): The caller’s distress about being disbelieved is not evidence either way and did not affect the score. The idea of low oxygen is the scorer’s reasoning applied to the conditions the caller reports, not something the caller says.
The only support is the caller’s own word plus a few specifics that could be checked but never were on air. That falls in the 11 to 25 range (specifics given but not checked). There is no backing from anyone else on air and no examined material.
Evidence for and against
- Specifics that could be checked are given but were not checked: 1982, Chico State, San Diego, Northern California.
- No photograph, recording, document, or physical trace is claimed or examined.
- No second witness speaks on air. The friend and bystanders mentioned do not speak.
- The claim about deaths is presented as something they “learned later,” with no source.
- The automatic transcript may have garbled the name of the site (“near the Buttes”), which would reduce even the specifics that could be checked.
- No dates, names, or records beyond the year and school are supplied.
- 0:21
- 4:18
What the model inferred (not said on air): No outside check was made, and one could not change this score using the transcript alone.
The story has a real life-threatening situation and a reported death toll at the same site. But the heart of it is a comforting light, and the caller reports sadness at leaving it rather than fear. That places it low: above a purely comforting visit, but well below truly unsettling.
Evidence for and against
- There is a real physical threat: the caller reports being unable to breathe and being carried through an enclosed, flooded tunnel.
- The caller reports scraping along the inside of the tunnel and thinking they were going to die.
- The caller says three people died in the same tunnel.
- The light is described in positive terms: [quote withheld]
- The ending is not ominous. The caller survived and reports lasting comfort and [quote withheld]
- The time of day is not stated, which affects how the setting is imagined.
- 1:10
- 1:51
What the model inferred (not said on air): Creepiness is a judgment about how the story would land on a listener, not a claim about the events.
The core experience (a light, and reluctance to return) is stock. But the physical way it happened, being flushed feet first through a narrow flooded rock tunnel, is a distinctive detail that lifts the familiar frame. The score is provisional, since the archive is small at the pilot stage.
Evidence for and against
- The setting is unusual: the classic “tunnel” is here a literal flooded rock tunnel about 60 feet long that the caller was carried through feet first.
- The story is built around a specific physical detail, that five more pounds would have lodged the caller in the tunnel, rather than around the light itself.
- A warm light and reluctance to return are among the most common features of near-death stories.
- The caller says they later found [quote withheld] of similar experiences, so they present it as a known type.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive carries little weight in the pilot, so this figure is provisional.
- 3:38
- 4:18
What the model inferred (not said on air): Compared with the rest of the archive, novelty cannot be worked out here. The published value is an estimate and should be treated as provisional.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.75 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story, given live by telephone; Specifics stated but not checked on air (year 1982, Chico State, a general region, an estimated tunnel length, and time under water); No photograph, recording, document, or other physical evidence is claimed or examined; No second witness of the reported experience speaks on air. A friend and bystanders are mentioned but do not speak. The originality score blends the model's score (50) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A lack of oxygen to the brain during long time under water can produce happy sensations and a perception of light. The caller says they knew nothing about such experiences at the time, so an earlier expectation of a light is not a good fit, but the physical condition is. · The caller reports being under water and carried through a flooded tunnel for an estimated [quote withheld] before they came up, with no breathing possible during that time.
- The account itself explains the caller’s survival by the shape of the channel and by people pulling them out. Only the reported light is left unexplained. · The caller describes an ordinary physical rescue: a friend “grasped my hand,” they [quote withheld] and bystanders called “there she is.”
- The death toll may come from local lore or repeated retelling rather than from a source the caller could name on air. The transcript gives no way to check it. · The claim that three people died in the same tunnel is given as something they “learned later,” with no source, date, or names.
What stands out
The caller reports the classic near-death “light” not in a hospital or on an operating table but while being carried feet first through a flooded rock tunnel about 60 feet long. Ordinary details follow: scraping, a leg caught on a log, and vomiting right afterward. The caller also says they would not have chosen to leave the experience, which is what the host responds to.
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