They had taken their football boots off and left them (along with their backpacks and bikes) nearer the entrance. Who knows why! Actually, I wonder if that means they didn't have food or torches with them either, probably not much at all given football shorts don't have pockets.
I think most probably had a flashlight, but how good they were or how long they lasted I can't say. I suspect the coach made sure they rationed their use as much as they could. And being barefoot probsbly gave them better grip for climbing on slippery rocks...?
Interrsting to go back and read how they planned for the trip and what they did to hold out so long.
Before their rescue:
‘Where Have You Guys Been?’: Thai Cave Challenge Quickly Became a Trap
The drama started two weeks ago, when Ekkapol Chantawong, assistant coach for the Wild Boars soccer club, decided to take some players on a trip after a Saturday practice match.
“Ok everyone, drink a glass of water and please go to bed. Bicycle gang, see you at the school at 8:20,” he wrote in a group chat on Facebook Messenger on Friday, June 22, which was viewed by the Journal. “Don’t forget to have breakfast and pack lunch everyone.”
The next morning at 6:36, Mr. Ekkapol sent another message: “All, don’t forget to bring your flashlight.”
“I have one but it’s very lame, bro. Hahaha,” one boy replied.
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After soccer practice, Coach Ek made sure his players had water before drinking some himself, people who know the club say. He often took the team on excursions.
[June 23]
The Wild Boars divided into two groups for a practice match, then got ready to cycle to the caves.
Many had already been there several times, an experience some found daunting.
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Dom, the captain, is afraid of the dark, says his 13-year-old girlfriend, Nutchanan Ramkeaw, who says he once refused to go out to get something to eat because it was nighttime. He sees the cave trips as a challenge that he can brave in a group, she says.
Another boy, 13-year-old Songpon Kanthawong, known as Pangpond, had been too scared to venture further than the cave’s mouth in previous trips but was determined to join this time. [his mother forbade hus going, so he was not there]
[Entered cave @ 2 pm, @ 3 pm there was a suddend 1/2 hour rainfall, steady rain from 7 pm on; by 8 om parents were contscting the head coach; parents & cosch went to the cave @ 9 pm and saw all the bikes outside and alerted officials. Intense rain continued for several more days. ]
The boys brought some snacks and a little water, and each had a flashlight, Thai authorities say. They ate and drank sparingly; local press report Mr. Ekkapol stinted himself so his charges could have more. He told the boys not to use their flashlights at the same time, to conserve batteries.
When they ran out of water, Mr. Ekkapol warned the boys not to drink the muddy floodwaters and to sip water dripping from the cave instead, according to Thai authorities. He told the boys not to move around much to conserve energy, and taught them meditation techniques to stay calm.
On Day 10, as the 13 were sitting in darkness, two British cave divers who were surveying a passage inside the cave system stuck their heads out of the water and saw the group in front of them.
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Leading up to the rescue:
Divers Search Flooded Cave In Thailand For 12 Missing Boys And Their Soccer Coach
At the mouth of Tham Luang Nang Non cave, located in a verdant forest reserve that borders Myanmar, park officials found every indication that the boys and coach entered the cave but never came out: a motorcycle, 11 bicycles, backpacks, soccer shoes and sports equipment, The Bangkok Post reported.
Rescuers found footprints and handprints inside the cave, fueling hopes that the boys are still alive, Narin said, according to the AP. He added that their athleticism could help them survive the ordeal.
Sand, mud and flooding prevented the divers from accessing the passage to the chamber, a park official said.
Authorities have also asked nervous villagers to stop burning incense at the entrance of the cave out of concern that it could deplete oxygen inside,
The New York Times reported.
In the past, tourists have been rescued from flooded caves after the waters receded days later, officials told media outlets.
