Blue Grotto boat sinks during tour: viral video on American TV

It was supposed to be a dream excursion among the sea wonders of Capri, but it turned into a waking nightmare. A rowboat used for tours of the famous Blue Grotto began to sink after violently hitting the rock at the entrance. Panic erupted on board.

Texan travel creator Sherina Welch, 49, recounted the dramatic moments they experienced, sharing images and her testimony of the accident on TikTok and the international press. "We immediately knew something was wrong after the impact with the upper wall of the cave," she explained. Within seconds, the passengers found themselves lying on the bottom of the vessel, completely soaked and gulping down seawater in an attempt to stay afloat.

Adding to the chaos was the language barrier and the boatman's incredible reaction. While the other boatmen shouted instructions in Italian, creating great confusion, their leader continued rowing and even singing to show the cave, ignoring the tears and terror of the tourists.

Providential rescue and tensions between boatmen

The most critical moment, which lasted just a few minutes but felt like an eternity for the victims, was resolved only thanks to the timely intervention of a second boatman. Noticing the gravity of the situation, he approached the sinking vessel, signaling the passengers to board before it finally sank.

The incident comes amid an already tense climate in the Capri sea, where just a few days ago yet another heated argument erupted between operators in the sector over access to the natural cave.

The video has gone viral on the web in the last few hours and has been picked up by many foreign broadcasters such as People Magazine, Inside Edition and Goodmorning America.

The political controversy: "We're waiting for someone to die before we intervene."

The accident immediately reignited the debate over safety conditions and access regulations to one of the world's most famous natural sites.

Green-Left Alliance MP Francesco Emilio Borrelli took a harsh stance on the matter: "For years we have been denouncing the uncontrolled and dangerous management of entry to the Blue Grotto by the so-called 'boatmen'. This is an unacceptable situation, and we wonder whether we're waiting for a tragedy to take concrete action with strict controls and regulations."