Thai Cave kids | All 12 boys and coach rescued from cave | visiting United

Ekkie Thump said:
This seems like a good article on the current state of affairs as of yesterday: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/06/world/asia/thai-cave-rescue-divers.html

Main challenges of extraction:
  • 11 hour round trip, 6 hours there, 5 hours back. Probably a lot slower with each child.
  • 1 mile section nearest to the boys mostly flooded, but with occasional air pockets.
  • Longest section without air pockets approximately 400m, but very slow going.
  • Many obstacles including dead end passages. Zero visibility. Some gaps as narrow as 2 x 2.5' (60 x 75cm) for up to 15m in length.
  • Flooding is fed by multiple water sources = unpredictable, competing currents. These currents will worsen if and when it rains.
  • Three of the group (including the coach) reported by the local governor as getting weaker.
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This sounds terribly dangerous and to me it appears very unlikely, that most of them are going to make it.

The part with those narrow gaps is my personal horror vision. Never in a million years would I be able to dive through those.
 
HTG said:
This sounds terribly dangerous and to me it appears very unlikely, that most of them are going to make it.

The part with those narrow gaps is my personal horror vision. Never in a million years would I be able to dive through those.
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Yeah, the imigination is often a terrifying thing. Hopefully these kids don't suffer claustrophobia and there's a decent chance they don't - I mean they chose to go to a cave and they've managed to sit through a fortnight in a dark, small, entirely enclosed room without much food and without much light. They seem a sturdy minded bunch.

There's definite grounds for hope. The exit will be well staked out and the rescue divers must be familiar with the journey by now. These are some of the best cave rescue divers in the world. The biggest unknown will be the reaction and endurance of the children. I think if the kids stay calm and trust the experts to pull them through there's a good chance they make it. Retaining that faith in such hostile conditions though, especially if they hit even a minor snag, will be very hard though.
 
Vato said:
:lol: I'm sorry but this made me laugh.

I'm the same, I'm terrified of drowning.
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I once nearly drowned, was alone with a friend in a beach and we were both pulled by a rip tide. The gun to shoot myself in the head is the thing I remember most, I kept craving for it while I fought to stay alive. I just couldn't imagine what it would be to drown, at what point would my body be unable to move to stay afloat...

Unexpectedly (not really, when you understand rip tides, but I didn't at the time) the sea brought me and my friend back to shore. I threw up and collapsed in the sand after that. It's frightening.
 
Ekkie Thump said:
Yeah, the imigination is often a terrifying thing. Hopefully these kids don't suffer claustrophobia and there's a decent chance they don't - I mean they chose to go to a cave and they've managed to sit through a fortnight in a dark, small, entirely enclosed room without much food and without much light. They seem a sturdy minded bunch.

There's definite grounds for hope. The exit will be well staked out and the rescue divers must be familiar with the journey by now. These are some of the best cave rescue divers in the world. The biggest unknown will be the reaction and endurance of the children. I think if the kids stay calm and trust the experts to pull them through there's a good chance they make it. Retaining that faith in such hostile conditions though, especially if they hit even a minor snag, will be very hard though.
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Well, let’s hope your right and we can be optimistic. I really hope my feeling is wrong here.
 
Arruda said:
I once nearly drowned, was alone with a friend in a beach and we were both pulled by a rip tide. The gun to shoot myself in the head is the thing I remember most, I kept craving for it while I fought to stay alive. I just couldn't imagine what it would be to drown, at what point would my body be unable to move to stay afloat...

Unexpectedly (not really, when you understand rip tides, but I didn't at the time) the sea brought me and my friend back to shore. I threw up and collapsed in the sand after that. It's frightening.
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That sounds horrible indeed. I've always been told to not try to swim back to shore if that happens, but to swim sideways.
 
Rips are a sob. You have to fight your natural instincts, which can’t be easy.

Hopefully these Thais can get out safely.
 
Ekkie Thump said:
This seems like a good article on the current state of affairs as of yesterday: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/06/world/asia/thai-cave-rescue-divers.html

Main challenges of extraction:
  • 11 hour round trip, 6 hours there, 5 hours back. Probably a lot slower with each child.
  • 1 mile section nearest to the boys mostly flooded, but with occasional air pockets.
  • Longest section without air pockets approximately 400m, but very slow going.
  • Many obstacles including dead end passages. Zero visibility. Some gaps as narrow as 2 x 2.5' (60 x 75cm) for up to 15m in length.
  • Flooding is fed by multiple water sources = unpredictable, competing currents. These currents will worsen if and when it rains.
  • Three of the group (including the coach) reported by the local governor as getting weaker.
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Reading that it makes me wonder how on earth 1) they got to where they are? Did they crawl through that 60x75cm for 15m to escape the floods when going in to the cave? And 2) how the feck the divers managed to find them after negotiating all of those passages. It’s absolutely mental. It sounds a horrifically impossible task getting them out.
 
Some of the reporters on the site including Channel 4 are saying that the divers think the route is as ready as they can make it. Briefings done, kit tested, lighting where possible, air cylinders stored along the route. Staging points where potentially a different rescuer could take over, or where they can pause for a rest or food/drink.

They're now mulling over how many hours they can delay - at the moment the pumps are still taking the water level down, but hard rain (which is forecast) could soon flood it again. They're still hoping to find another route (a chimney down) but though they've found some very deep ones they've not found a route. But time's running out and the only option they know they've got is one kid at a time being taken through by a diver.
 
jojojo said:
Some of the reporters on the site including Channel 4 are saying that the divers think the route is as ready as they can make it. Briefings done, kit tested, lighting where possible, air cylinders stored along the route. Staging points where potentially a different rescuer could take over, or where they can pause for a rest or food/drink.

They're now mulling over how many hours they can delay - at the moment the pumps are still taking the water level down, but hard rain (which is forecast) could soon flood it again. They're still hoping to find another route (a chimney down) but though they've found some very deep ones they've not found a route. But time's running out and the only option they know they've got is one kid at a time being taken through by a diver.
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Get them out safely Thai Rescuers
 
jojojo said:
Some of the reporters on the site including Channel 4 are saying that the divers think the route is as ready as they can make it. Briefings done, kit tested, lighting where possible, air cylinders stored along the route. Staging points where potentially a different rescuer could take over, or where they can pause for a rest or food/drink.

They're now mulling over how many hours they can delay - at the moment the pumps are still taking the water level down, but hard rain (which is forecast) could soon flood it again. They're still hoping to find another route (a chimney down) but though they've found some very deep ones they've not found a route. But time's running out and the only option they know they've got is one kid at a time being taken through by a diver.
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Imagine being the one to make that call.

Fingers firmly crossed for everyone involved.
 
Arruda said:
I once nearly drowned, was alone with a friend in a beach and we were both pulled by a rip tide. The gun to shoot myself in the head is the thing I remember most, I kept craving for it while I fought to stay alive. I just couldn't imagine what it would be to drown, at what point would my body be unable to move to stay afloat...

Unexpectedly (not really, when you understand rip tides, but I didn't at the time) the sea brought me and my friend back to shore. I threw up and collapsed in the sand after that. It's frightening.
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Man, this really gives me the chills
 
iammemphis said:
Reading that it makes me wonder how on earth 1) they got to where they are? Did they crawl through that 60x75cm for 15m to escape the floods when going in to the cave? And 2) how the feck the divers managed to find them after negotiating all of those passages. It’s absolutely mental. It sounds a horrifically impossible task getting them out.
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1) Is really intringuing. They probably went through those parts calmly when they were still dry and the flooding was unpredictable. Either that or they went through another route which could have been easier when dry, but more dangerous when flooded (i.e., too deep, etc...)

As for 2), well, go and read about the pair of divers who first found them. They are cave divers who are specialists at rescuing cave divers. They're the absolute best in the world and set several records related to cave diving. The most amazing thing is that they aren't even professional, it's a side activity. But they go to wherever in the world there's someone in trouble:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Volanthen

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stanton_(cave_diver)
 
Arruda said:
1) Is really intringuing. They probably went through those parts calmly when they were still dry and the flooding was unpredictable. Either that or they went through another route which could have been easier when dry, but more dangerous when flooded (i.e., too deep, etc...)

As for 2), well, go and read about the pair of divers who first found them. They are cave divers who are specialists at rescuing cave divers. They're the absolute best in the world and set several records related to cave diving. The most amazing thing is that they aren't even professional, it's a side activity. But they go to wherever in the world there's someone in trouble:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Volanthen

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stanton_(cave_diver)
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Very interesting what the pair have done, whats even scarier is out of the rescue dives they have done not many seem to be successful, unless its retrieving bodies of those who have sadly died already. I visited the wooky caves in my childhood where they set their record, awesome place.
 



guardian said:
Cave site evacuated "for rescue operation"
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guardian said:
Thai authorities have announced that the evacuation of the area has occurred so that a “rescue operation” can take place.

“Assessing the situation now, it is necessary to evacuate the area for the rescue operation,” said Mae Sai police commander Komsan Sa-ardluan over a loudspeaker. “Those unrelated to the rescue operation, please evacuate the area immediately.”

The announcement came as dark monsoon rainclouds loomed over the mountainous north of the country early on Sunday, potentially heightening risks at the cave where rescuers were still waging a “war with water and time” to save 12 trapped boys and their assistant coach.

Officials also announced that during the operation no one is allowed to take photos and if any unsuitable photos come out the person will be held responsible.
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Last edited:
Rescue mission begins
The rescue mission is underway. 18 divers are involved.
 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/l...ave-rescue-operation-divers-trapped-boys-live

Officials have not confirmed whether the boys would need to dive during the mission, but have suggested that much of the route can be walked.

“Although there are some slightly difficult parts that we have to bend or crawl [in] we can say that we can just walk through,” Narongsak Osatanakorn, former governor of Chiang Rai province, who is heading up the rescue operation said of conditions in the cave.

“We have done extremely well as yesterday we were able to reduce the water level by 30cm, the record of what we’ve achieved.”
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Good to hear they were able to reduce the water level and feel confident that diving will be needed for only few areas. The wait will be a long one. Hopefully, we have good news by the end of this ordeal.
 
As he announced the launch of a rescue mission to free the children, the governor said:

Today we are most ready. Today is D-Day. Today at 10am, 13 foreign divers went in to extract the children, along with five [Thai] navy Seals.

As we look at the weather forecast, a storm is coming and torrential rain is expected, then our 100% readiness will decrease and we will have to pump the water out again,” he said.

As for the kid factor, the kids are very determined and they are of high spirit. All 13 kids have been informed about the operation and they are ready to come out. They firmly decided to come out with us.

The families of the kids have been informed and they agree with us.

We’ve rehearsed [the medical preparations] for the past three to four days. We even practiced with a real kid – practicing the position of O2 tank and the marking ... I assure you that we are very ready in this mission.

I ask you all to patiently wait for news and send support and wish them success.”
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Guess we'll have news in less than 6 hours.
 
Arruda said:
I once nearly drowned, was alone with a friend in a beach and we were both pulled by a rip tide. The gun to shoot myself in the head is the thing I remember most, I kept craving for it while I fought to stay alive. I just couldn't imagine what it would be to drown, at what point would my body be unable to move to stay afloat...

Unexpectedly (not really, when you understand rip tides, but I didn't at the time) the sea brought me and my friend back to shore. I threw up and collapsed in the sand after that. It's frightening.
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That's fecked. I got caught in one and luckily it pushed me into a jagged and painfully sharp rock. As I clung on in pain, rockegde splitting my skin, I figured a bit if blood and bruising was preferable to letting the tide take me out uncontrollably. I was lucky I happened upon the rock in the end.

Water is unforgiving.
 
Looking forward to hearing good news. Best of luck to all of the heroes involved in the rescue effort.
 
Feeling positive about this. They will all make it, have to with all the help and planning.

The rescuers better get a cabinet full of medals for this.
 
If they can stick to the outline schedule they've got, then the first of the kids will reach the cave exit around 3pm UK time. Then long delays before each subsequent evacuation - they won't want two kids in the same narrow or submerged stretches at the same time.

It sounds like it's the cave diving specialists who are leading the evacuation itself. A lot of handpicked, experienced people there, who know/trust each other. A combination of great skill, real bravery and good luck needed now.
 
Fingers crossed, let's go.
 
Vato said:
Feeling positive about this. They will all make it, have to with all the help and planning.

The rescuers better get a cabinet full of medals for this.
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Fifa have invited the kids and coach to the finals (if possible of course), I hope they'd invite the rescue team as well.
 
fergosaurus said:
That's great news, the task suddenly doesn't sound quite as daunting. Obviously it's still a very dangerous and risky operation but this has gave room for optimism.
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The rain gods need to keep away, that's the crucial factor!
 


CNN are saying the rain has eased off for now. There could be a lot of ups and downs before this story is over.
 
It seems to me they've chosen the exact right time to start. The water is at the lowest point it's been. Any rain now is forecast to be intermittent. Weather is forecast to get worse each day but Wednesday is when heavy rain is expected. Guardian reporting that the children have been split into 4 groups (4,3,3,3). I'm feeling pretty hopeful here.
 
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That passage with 38 cm wide... Jesus what a journey.
 
Arruda said:
That passage with 38 cm wide... Jesus what a journey.
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It's the most difficult bit for sure. Thankfully it looks like it's only 72 cm long - I think it widens out to about 60 x 76cm for a further 15m (other reports). Still tight, but much more manageable. I believe the dive masks they're using allow you to communicate underwater so the kids can be guided, pulled and talked through it. Authorities have mentioned that at no point will the kids be alone.
 
I think they'll all get alive. You can bet that they've thought of every little detail they could possibly think of. Good to hear the water levels have dropped too.
 
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