Deadly Gold: The Internet Is Horrified by Footage of Illegal Filipino Divers-Miners

A documentary video about underground gold mining in the Philippines, where workers undertake extreme dives to the seabed without any professional equipment, has sparked heated discussions on social media. Instead of oxygen tanks, men and even teenagers use a thin plastic hose connected to a rusty diesel compressor on the surface. Gripping the tube with their teeth, they blindly descend into murky water to depths of 20-40 meters and spend hours excavating underwater shafts in search of the precious metal. This artisanal practice, known as "compressor diving," is officially prohibited by law but thrives in impoverished regions due to widespread poverty. Netizens called the footage shocking, as any generator failure or sudden ascent to the surface is guaranteed to result in drowning or fatal decompression sickness.