12 boys lost in flooded Thai cave

[Jayfarmlaw]

I wonder if the British divers have to use weight to submerge or do their big shiny brass balls provide enough negative ballast? Do their drysuits have to be specially fitted? Do they clang together with every frog kick? So many questions.... Nice job guys, nice job to the entire team. I fully expected this to be a recovery at this point. Damn glad I was wrong!

After a crappy Monday, this was some good news!

Jay

 

[chillyinCanada]

In 4 months, they could more than become scuba certified. (Tongue in cheek)

What about being able to get them to a chimney? Didn't some of the rescue divers enter the system that way?

 

[DandyDon]

What about being able to get them to a chimney? Didn't some of the rescue divers enter the system that way?

At least one was found, but not viable. It's about a half mile from the surface down to where the boys are. Rain water percolates down dissolving paths over millennia, but not big enough to crawl out.

 

[KevinNM]

Looked at the side view of the cave... wonder how long of a swim the first sump is?

It's very bad. It's very tight, very high flow, very low viz. The guys who made it in are incredibly experienced UK cave divers who are used to diving in really tight, very low or no-viz dives. I'm not a cave diver, but I have a lot more experience than any of the kids do and it would scare the hell out of me.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

I was asking about the first sump. If the side view is accurate then it is mostly a surface swim with a small section of underwater swim. That would appear to get them 1/2 way. If they are pumping the water out of the deep sump closest to the exit then it could become a surface swim if the rain slows/stops and they are pumping it out. Might not take that much to swim them out or put an 11 year old in a small inflatable raft. Thinking the mental stress of such young people not seeing their parents and other lives ones can’t be a good for them either.

 

[KevinNM]

A posting the Thai navy had looking for help a few days ago had this description "The passage is approximately 2-3 km long and you will be submerged for a distance of 10-15m at each flooded point. In addition, there is one very narrow channel where you will have to dismount your gear to continue. The last hike is up a 45 degrees slope that is slippery and muddy (see diagram)."

 

[MichaelMc]

The Guardian seems to be tracking the news with info seeming to come from the various cave diving experts.
Roughly: extraction is dangerous, it may be a while.... They have regular summaries. Medics are in, sending long term food in. Looking at air issues.

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

Edit:
From on earlier update it's warm in there.

From AFP(?) Q&A at 03:03:
"""
If they dive, they have no choice but to follow the steps that rescuers took though tiny passageways clogged with mud and silt. That journey takes a healthy - and skilled - Navy SEAL diver about six hours.
"""

08:23
"""
Bill Whitehouse, vice-chair of the British Cave Rescue Council which is helping the rescue efforts, played down speculation the boys could be taught to dive.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he suggested they could be guided through the water in “packages”
....
(talking about the divers that found them)
They estimated that a round trip to where the party was and back again is probably about three hours
"""(not sure those are the same start point.)

 

[chillyinCanada]

Really remarkable and they're going to get diving lessons. If nothing else, learning about the gear may help them mentally to believe they are a participant in their own rescue.

 

[MichaelMc]

"""Rescuers have asked for the donation of 15 small full face masks, according to the Thai News of MCOT."""
See above Guardian site.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Full face masks, interesting