Divers discover forgotten secret passages in iconic California caves with a bootlegger past

Talk about a blast from the past — and a deep dive into California’s underworld.Daring explorers have ventured into a treacherous, seawater-filled cave beneath San Diego’s iconic Sunset Cliffs, capturing eerie footage of what appears to be a long-forgotten staircase carved into the rock.

The footage has reignited an old mystery involving Prohibition-era bootleggers and a secret passage to a mansion.The jaw-dropping footage, shared by Turkish news account Bulvar Medya on X, shows explorers navigating the pitch-black cave as waves churn around them, illuminating the rocky interior with flashlights.In the video, two barefoot men squeeze through a claustrophobic, partially submerged opening barely wide enough for their bodies before emerging into a labyrinth of towering, rock-walled corridors.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story They make their way through the passages, pointing out what they describe as “carvings for candles” along the walls of the narrow chambers hidden deep inside the cliffs.

The explorers compared the space to the catacombs.The eerie scenes offer a rare glimpse inside the coastal caverns that have fueled decades of rumors about Prohibition-era smugglers, hidden escape routes and a secret tunnel leading to a mansion perched above the Pacific Ocean.But the most tantalizing question isn’t what’s beneath the waves, but where the mysterious passageways may have once led.According to local lore, the cave was once a clandestine hideout for rumrunners who used San Diego’s coastline to sneak illegal booze into the country during Prohibition.“The cave at Sunset Cliffs is said to have been used by bootleggers in the past and connected to a historic mansion by a secret tunnel,” the outlet wrote on X.

The cave, commonly known as Rum Runne...