12 boys lost in flooded Thai cave

[SeaHorse81]

I'm sure that regardless of how it gets written up by reporters who don't fully understand what they're writing about, the people on-site are doing what makes sense.

 

[grf88]

Diving them out has a high risk of fatalities. Leaving them in there until the monsoon season is over has a high risk of fatalities. One risk is immediate the other is delayed. I would not want to be the person making the decision.

 

[Divegoose]

They might need the time to get their 02 saturation up to normal

Possibly - wonder if the medics are checking the boys oxygen sats when monitoring their condition ? I would assume that would be standard protocol. Maybe need to get some actual oxygen tanks in to the boys, let them breathe pure oxygen, and get the sats up to where they should be.

Divegoose

 

[MichaelMc]

Not irresponsibly cheery on Dan's part, but the news crew that created it. A presumably earlier version of the diagram is here, "سباق مع الزمن" لإنقاذ الأطفال العالقين في كهف تايلاندي, more mono-chrome, without the green plants deep in a cave, but still with headlamps effective to at least 3'.

I'm not saying diving them is not the least worst option. They have experts there for that, either way. I do not envy them. I'm saying that diagram is not helping the public understand the task they face.

 

[Mrs. B]

Diving them out has a high risk of fatalities. Leaving them in there until the monsoon season is over has a high risk of fatalities. One risk is immediate the other is delayed. I would not want to be the person making the decision.

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

 

[npole]

It's sad to say, but behind this there's decisions that goes beyond the technical difficulties and they are related to the politic, in a country where how the common people would perceive the government participation could make a big difference in taking a decision.
Trying to save them now could lead to fatalities, but they could say: we did our best, the fate was against us. If they wait more and they will die for other reasons, the public opinion will accuse the government of not doing anything to try to save those kids.
That is the reason of why the government have pushed from the start to dive them out asap and refused the option to "wait for months".

 

[Dan]

There are more people now inside the cave. When heavy rain hits the area, raising water level in the cave, then there would be higher chance of more people could be trapped and would make the rescue mission even more difficult. They need to get on with the rescue soon.

 

[FinnMom]

This is very likely the typical jounalist error already noted, or the cave diver might have been using a rebe and his O2 may have indeed run out.

 

[FinnMom]

I read an article about a group of French divers ready to come in, take over and feeling confident that they could have everything wrapped up in less than 12 hours.

source: French divers offer to help Thai cave rescue

After days of searching, rescue teams on Monday (July 2) located a school group trapped in the Tham Luang cave in Thailand.


The 12 students and their teacher are safe on high ground but a storm is expected by Friday and they need to get out.

Volunteer specialist divers from the Spéléo Secours Français have offered to help.

"What we could bring is a dozen specialists trained for speleological dives using equipment dedicated to this environment who are able to dive in troubled water without any visibility," Olivier Lanet told Euronews.

"We have developed a stretcher which can be used to move a person through floodwater even if they are unable to move on their own. And this stretcher, once in the water, weighs nothing. It floats and can be easily maneuvered by two experienced divers."

The remaining danger, Lanet expalined, is that monsoon season is just starting and, once in full swing, water levels inside the cave network will rise and could fill the chamber where the boys have taken shelter.

"If that happens," Lanet says, "it would be catastrophic."

Lanet is optimistic his team could rescue the school group in less than 12 hours:

"It would take four hours to reach the victims, perhaps two hours to teach them the basics of diving and to make two attempts. And then, probably four or five hours to bring them to the surface."

If they want to take responsibility for the success or failure of a rescue by scuba, heck I'd let them.
I don't think it's anywhere near that simple, but I don't think they are any more likely to fail than any other group.
If they want the risk in their name, so be it.

We may soon have a problem with too many chefs making a terrible situation even worse.

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

When I heard about the death of the navy diver, that he lost contious during the dive, my tought was that he was diving a reabreather.

Then you probably have a oxygen and a diulent tank.