Thailand - FOUND ALIVE - Officials Believe 12 Boys And Coach Trapped In Cave , 23 June 2018

[sweetcaro]

From CNN...

Boys are with 7 Seals.

One is a doctor, one a nurse.

Learning to swim scuba dive. Apparently enjoying this a lot!

As well as energy gel they are going to receive soft easy to digest food.

 

[Amonet]

Something else to their advantage is that they've kept calm all this time, and they want out of that cave. They know how important this is and that once it's done they'll be safe. They're going to have experienced divers with them guiding them every inch of the way. They'll (imho) teach them some breathing exercises to help them through it, and they'll know they can rely on these people and that they have to rely on them.

I think they'll be okay. I think the main thing is to get them practising, dip them in the water while holding onto them tightly, and then hopefully get on with it before fear can set in.

 

[MsJosie]

Sky News Breaking‏Verified account @SkyNewsBreak

Police in Thailand say they will look into whether the 25-year-old coach of a youth football team could face legal action for leading them into a cave complex where they were stranded for 10 days

Sky News Breaking on Twitter

I wondered why the boys and adult were in the caves in the first place. It appears this cave floods and people knew this from past rains. I wonder if the adult knew this....giving benefit of doubt right now.....but....I will leave it there.

I do think the adult will face charges but not until all are out of the cave. None of them are getting any updated news from media so that is good.

Now if rescuers could find a way to walk out....not swim, it would be easier for the boys. The adult should be the last one out!

 

[Elainera]

From CNN...

Boys are with 7 Seals.

One is a doctor, one a nurse.

Learning to swim scuba dive. Apparently enjoying this a lot!

As well as energy gel they are going to receive soft easy to digest food.

bbm I can imagine! They are young and adventurous lads. They now know that the whole world is watching. They have the SEALs and other famous cave divers training them. It's probably a mix of fear and excitement by now.

 

[Hatfield]

Guardian Update: "Rescuers have asked for the donation of 15 small full face masks, according to the Thai News of MCOT. This will fuel speculation that rescuers are preparing to guide the boys through the water in full diving gear."

Thailand cave rescue: boys may spend months trapped underground, rescuers warn – live

Excellent news and that is going to be the way to do it
"Full Face Masks"

What this does I believe is it allows them to breath normally without having to worry about a mouthpiece falling out or anything. This will be the way to prevent fear of drowning in the boys that dont know scuba. Link shows what they look like.

Guardian Full Face Mask

My biggest fear is one of the boys panicking if water gets in the mask but I think they will be ok so long as they practice good before going out.

I think they will begin to take them out one at a time with the most comfortable boys first and then the other boys will know it is safe to get out and will gain confidence.

I dont think they will rely on the pumping because if torrential rains hit then the pumps may not be able to keep up.

Its an amazing story and one of the most amazing ones in a long time. Continued prayers for everyone involved.

 

[Elainera]

More from the Guardian:

"Rescue experts have suggested the safest option would be to supply the children and their coach with food and medical supplies and wait for the water level to subside, which could take weeks or even months. But the expected heavy rainfall could complicate that equation.

Even evacuating the boys using diving gear could take up to five to seven days, and experienced divers have warned that missteps underwater with untrained divers could be fatal for the boys and the rescuers."

Monsoon rains may force Thai cave rescue attempt this week

 

[Spellbound]

AP Explains: Getting soccer players out of Thai cave, safely

THE CAVE IS HUGE
Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province stretches under a mountainside for up to 10 kilometers (6 miles), much of it a string of narrow passageways that lead to wide chambers and then back to narrow passageways. The rocky and muddy ground makes several changes in elevation along the way. The British Cave Rescue Council, which has members taking part in the operation, estimates the boys are around 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) into the cave and somewhere between 800 meters (half a mile) to 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) below the surface. Other estimates put the boys as far as 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) into the cave.

....the rainy season typically lasts through October.

THE DANGER OF STAYING PUT
More monsoon rains are on the way. After a break in the weather in recent days, the Thai Meteorological Department forecast for Chiang Rai calls for light rain through Friday followed by heavy rain starting Saturday and continuing through July 10. Such storms could raise water levels in the cave again and complicate the supply missions or any potential extrication, if one was needed. Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said as a result of the forecast, the boys may need to swim out using diving gear. He said they would be brought out via the same complicated route through which their rescuers entered.

CREATING ANOTHER ENTRANCE
Along with the search efforts inside the cave, rescuers have searched on the mountainside for possible ways into the caverns below. Authorities said those efforts will continue. Backhoes and drilling equipment were sent to the mountain, but creating a shaft large enough to extract the boys would be extremely complicated and could take a long time. The British Cave Rescue Council said the boys are “located in a relatively small space and this would make any potential drilling attempt as a means of rescue very difficult.”

DIVING THEM OUT
Diving would be the fastest, but arguably most dangerous, extraction method. Mirza said that “trying to take non-divers through cave is one of the most dangerous situations possible, even if the dives are relatively easy.” By all accounts, the dives into the cave have been a challenge. Experts in caving and diving needed days to reach the boys. Getting the boys out could go faster due to the installation of dive lines, extra oxygen tanks left along the way and glow sticks lighting the path. Still, the British Cave Rescue Council said, “Any attempt to dive the boys and their coach out will not be taken lightly because there are significant technical challenges and risks to consider.”

 

[Gardenista]

I know this isn't realistic lol, but I keep wishing they could sedate them, attach a breathing apparatus then put them in some type of container/bag to get them out.

 

[thesensitivechild]

I know this isn't realistic lol, but I keep wishing they could sedate them, attach a breathing apparatus then put them in some type of container/bag to get them out.

AHHHHhHhHshhhHHhBdnjznhb

Ps. Grateful they are found. Now for them to get out.

 

[JDG]

Such joy at finding them alive, then the reality of rescue set in.

Risky to stay, risky to leave. I hope they get them all out alive and well.

 

[Elainera]

Guardian Update:
"Ben Raymenants, who was 400m behind the British divers when the boys were found, suggests they are too weak to attempt a dive rescue for the moment.

Speaking to Sky News he said: “The condition of the boys is quite stable. They are mentally quite fit, better than anticipated. They are very weak though. They did not have any solid food for 10 days, just drinking water dripping from the walls. There are now two navy Seal doctors giving them food slowly, enabling them to get their powers back. And then see if they can evacuate the boys.

“First the boys need to get their strength again, because right now they can’t do anything at all. They have muscle atrophy, they can barely stand up. So they are feeding them slowly to get back their strength.”

Raymenants described reaching the boys as “very taxing”.

He said:

It is an extreme cave system. It is very long, one of the longest in Thailand, and its a complex system of tunnels.

The Thai navy is not that specialised in cave diving, so we were taking turns with the British team in laying fixed ropes, 2.5km into that tunnel making a way to this room where we expected the kids would be.

Raymenants said the boys had made their way though the tunnel as part of a local initiation rite.

They had no food. They left their backpacks and their shoes before wading in there, trying to go the end of the tunnel like an initiation for local young boys to go to the end of the tunnel and write your name on the wall and then make it back.

A flash flood because of sudden heavy rain locked them in, with no shoes and no food. They had just one flash light which obviously ran out.

There was a 30-year-old map made by French speleologists, with some corrections from British speleologists. That was the only basis we had. It was pure speculation that they could be there in one of these two rooms. One is called Pattaya beach, and the other is another dry air pocket. It was all speculation and pure luck that they were there.

Raymenats outlined three options for getting the boys out:

One is to teach them to scuba dive. It is a least a 2.5km swim through narrow restrictions of a complex cave system. This is not the easiest solution.

They are also trying to pump the cave empty with giant pumps which was working to some extent. But they are expecting heavy rains in the next two days.

The last option is sitting it out and waiting. Two medical officers in the Thai navy have volunteered to have themselves locked in with enough food and supplies to sit there for three or four months until the water drops again.

He cautioned against the dive option:

This is one of the more extreme cave dives that I have done. It is very far, and very complex. There is current. The visibility can be zero at times. So getting boys through there one by one, and the risk that they will panic is there. They can’t even swim. This has been done before with pulling people out of wrecks alive. So it is not impossible, but the issue is the restrictions - just one person can fit through. So guiding a boy through in front of you could be quite challenging, especially if the rain picks up and there’s a strong flow and the visibility reduces to zero. When it starts raining the flow is so hard you can barely swim against it.

It took us four hours just to swim to the point where we had to tie off the lines. It is really long swim. So it is really hard to give an opinion on what is the best solution.

I think the weather is going to be the deciding factor."

Thailand cave rescue: medics reach boys – live updates

 

[creepcrusher]

Really hoping the weather is on their side and that the boys don’t panic. I feel getting all of them out safely will be another miracle. Glad to know they’re enjoying the swimming lessons.

 

[creepcrusher]

Guardian Update:
"Ben Raymenants, who was 400m behind the British divers when the boys were found, suggests they are too weak to attempt a dive rescue for the moment.

He cautioned against the dive option:

This is one of the more extreme cave dives that I have done. It is very far, and very complex. There is current. The visibility can be zero at times. So getting boys through there one by one, and the risk that they will panic is there. They can’t even swim. This has been done before with pulling people out of wrecks alive. So it is not impossible, but the issue is the restrictions - just one person can fit through. So guiding a boy through in front of you could be quite challenging, especially if the rain picks up and there’s a strong flow and the visibility reduces to zero. When it starts raining the flow is so hard you can barely swim against it.

It took us four hours just to swim to the point where we had to tie off the lines. It is really long swim. So it is really hard to give an opinion on what is the best solution.

I think the weather is going to be the deciding factor."

Thailand cave rescue: medics reach boys – live updates

SBM

This guy has convinced me that I don’t want those boys to dive. It’s too scary. Risky. Please let the weather be on their side!!!!

 

[Elainera]

SBM

This guy has convinced me that I don’t want those boys to dive. It’s too scary. Risky. Please let the weather be on their side!!!!

I'm also worried. I could more easily imagine them diving a short distance, but we are talking about kilometers here! Even the professionals needed hours for that distance. I guess there are breaks though in dry, higher spots and not all has to be done in one go. Still it will be very exhausting .... Ugh what a pickle!

 

[enelram]

I know this isn't realistic lol, but I keep wishing they could sedate them, attach a breathing apparatus then put them in some type of container/bag to get them out.

You and I are thinking similarly.
I keep thinking about a flexible mini submarine-pouch to encase
the boys- where oxygen is pumped in for breathing- and attached
to the pulley system to pull them out- one by one.
What I remember from scuba training is that you MUST remain
calm and keep your wits about you. quite an undertaking for
young non-swimmers and who are weak physically.

 

[creepcrusher]

I'm also worried. I could more easily imagine them diving a short distance, but we are talking about kilometers here! Even the professionals needed hours for that distance. I guess there are breaks though in dry, higher spots and not all has to be done in one go. Still it will be very exhausting .... Ugh what a pickle!

The Thai SEALS didn’t even have the proper training for it. These kids don’t even know how to swim. It seems so risky. Especially if they have a natural fear of water. I wish there was a way to get more pumps into the cave to dry it out and get them out that way.

 

[bluedivergirl]

I am still so worried about these boys.

The full-face mask is excellent. If you have a traditional regulator in your mouth, the current tugs at it, leaving you feeling it is about to come out of your mouth. When I first started diving, I would clamp down so hard my jaw would ache. I could barely eat my dinner!

The divers teaching these boys are establishing trust. I think the boys will want to emulate them.

I wonder if it is psychologically bad to separate them? Would it harm the weaker boys to have the stronger leave the group for safety?

 

[Gardenista]

You and I are thinking similarly.
I keep thinking about a flexible mini submarine-pouch to encase
the boys- where oxygen is pumped in for breathing- and attached
to the pulley system to pull them out- one by one.
What I remember from scuba training is that you MUST remain
calm and keep your wits about you. quite an undertaking for
young non-swimmers and who are weak physically.

Yes, exactly! I gave up scuba training when I panicked in the pool--a very controlled environment and very physically fit. I did the arm sweep thing and could not retrieve my regulator because it was hooked on my tank. I am reliving that panic reading this thread--it has me on pins and needles for these boys.

 

[Elainera]

Someone said earlier the coach should get out last, but maybe it would be helpful for the boys if he went out first? He is their coach, they trust him, they learn from him, they might feel if he did it we can do it too (like they learned football from him).

 

[Elainera]

Yes, exactly! I gave up scuba training when I panicked in the pool--a very controlled environment and very physically fit. I did the arm sweep thing and could not retrieve my regulator because it was hooked on my tank. I am reliving that panic reading this thread--it has me on pins and needles for these boys.

What's the arm sweep thing? I don't know anything about scuba diving.