12 boys lost in flooded Thai cave

[Dan]

It's difficult to comprehend sending 13 international all star divers and five of your own best divers on an extraction that will take a few days to get all 12 kids and their coach out, and have a notion that they might just walk out and not need to dive, a notion that officials can't confirm.

I wish both teams the best of luck in the cave.

I can envision the following:
1. With the rain storm looming, they may get caught by the rising water level in the cave on their way out where they may have to dive.
2. It is wise to have at least one diver for every kid, carry the kid’s tank, walking or wading or swimming or diving along the way while breathing the air from the tanks (rather than breathing the oxygen depleted air of the cave).
3. Additional 5 divers with spare tanks in each chambers along the way are ready to assist for tank swapping whenever the ones that are being used run out.
4. They all simultaneously proceed together one behind another in tandem.

 

[Diving Dubai]

This is a Graphic from the UK Daily Mail Not always known for it's unbiased reporting and a tabloid rag, but... it's what I can find at the moment

 

[Dan]

Yes, I noticed that but is it really that deep in one or more sections? I am not so sure on that, that is, is / was there a misprint somewhere along the way? 90ft sounds awfully deep for what they are / have been doing.

Edit: I see several replies after my above seeming to imply 90ft but..........can anyone 100% confirm it's 90ft water depth or that part of the swim / sump is 90ft / 27m long? I'd be very interested to have that clarified.

No, based on what Zach of Blue World Academy says in this video, below. He spoke with a Danish cave diver who is there in the rescue mission.

 

[Kay Dee]

Re Gaurdian graphic, which from my understanding makes the restriction/s look better than they really are. Be that as it may though, it gives the general public an idea of what the rescuers are up against. So, pray tell folks, how you get Musk's suggested 1m tube or a small (even one person) mini mini submarine through even those restrictions? C'mon now!

Suggest some folks re-read a few of JohnnyC's posts and look at any of the pics / video showing real restrictions.

 

[Kay Dee]

The press seems unable to win.

No surprises there!

 

[MikeyIdea]

It's difficult to comprehend sending 13 international all star divers and five of your own best divers on an extraction that will take a few days to get all 12 kids and their coach out, and have a notion that they might just walk out and not need to dive, a notion that officials can't confirm.

I wish both teams the best of luck in the cave.

Thai news say that the kids must dive 300 to 400 metres to the area called Pattaya beach, they also said that water is not down much in that area, deepest they have to go around 5 metres. This is not an exact number at all, it could be more but it's certainly not anywhere near 30 or 20 metres even. New information: Diving to Pattaya Beach probably 200 - 250 metres

It's between Pattaya Beach and the intersection that the most difficult cave conditions are, 2 areas where only one person a time can pass. Thai news are not clear how much diving there will be during this part as water is down 30 cm but there will be diving too. New information: Not much diving

First group of 4 could be out around 9 PM Thai time

 

[aquacat8]

If the sumps are really shallow with no 90 foot deep area that gives hope! I want to be optimistic. Let’s not forget the kids climbed in there in the first place... they will be retracing their previous route. Also they survived the days in the dark. Every time a flashlight isn’t on them in the videos it’s dark. The dives will be dark too. May they have adapted somewhat to it. They’ve never been diving in clear water, so they don’t have those expectations. I know a Georgia boy who’s been blackwater diving, with no redundancy, and no buddy contact, groping in the dark for Megaladon teeth since his teens: he has heaps of them, huge ones, and his driveway is paved with pea gravel he brought up. Also kids are smaller than adults so the restrictions are larger to them. Kids can be amazing. Plus they have heroic cool older guys with them to emulate. They are athletes and they were adventurous enough to go into this cave dry for fun more than once. How old was Sheck Exley when he almost died cave diving alone on a steel 72 and got lost and wriggled out through a restriction? I think 17 or 18? Did he have any cave training—no he hadn’t invented it yet! Look what he went on to do... let’s hold hope for these boys!

 

[aquacat8]

One more thing: it’s a survival situation and people do amazing things to survive.

I don’t like the idea of drugging them or restraining them. No. Look what they did already. Let them learn and freely do what they can to survive.

If it were you would you want to sit there waiting, or would you want to learn to do what these men were teaching you, and move and act to get out?

 

[Tricia]

No, based on what Zach of Blue World Academy says in this video, below. He spoke with a Danish cave diver who is there in the rescue mission.

Thanks! This is an excellent video that explains the challenges much better than the general media does.

 

[KevinNM]

I wonder how extensive the legal work is that must be going on

Very little of the world has the concern for legalities, liability and the fine points of law that characterizes the US. I'm absolutely sure they want to get them out alive, I'm far less convinced that they care about whether how they are doing it is strictly legally allowed.