12 boys lost in flooded Thai cave

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I’m not a cave diver, so I hope this doesn’t expose too much of my ignorance. I’m not good at reading cave maps.
The search divers had to squeeze through a very tight passage. How did the boys get into the area they are now? Did they go through the restriction while it was dry or is there another passage?
 
John Volanthen, Richard Stanton and Robert Harper are being reported as the first ones to find the group. Listed as world renown. Not sure if that was the case beforehand but certainly should be now.
 
But one of the first rules of rescue is to not become a victim.
A good theme to teach, but really just a guideline - especially rescuing kids.

I think I read they have 45 feet of submerged cave to get through.

Hopefully they're trying to use some kind of surface supply/hookah rather than tanks.
It's be challenging to get the equipment to the point needed, but they have almost unlimited resources.

Drilling a shaft sounds more feasible than taking them out on scuba.
Getting drilling equipment atop a jungle covered mountain in monsoon season to drill half a mile deep?

The search divers had to squeeze through a very tight passage. How did the boys get into the area they are now? Did they go through the restriction while it was dry
It seems tourists commonly do it there. Easier for a tourist walking than a diver with tanks.
 
Drilling a shaft sounds more feasible than taking them out on scuba.

We know nothing about the terrain: drilling requires heavy machinery that may not be installed on the area, if you look at the map it's all forest. Also, it could lead to tunnel collapse.
Anyway, they said it could require months, but none of them have specified if that chamber is 100% safe from flooding or if there's the risk of being flooded with heavy constant raining (Monsons have just started and it will last for months). I'm not sure if they didn't specified a such important point to not create allarmism or if that place is really safe from flooding and have "infinite" breathable air.
 
We know nothing about the terrain: drilling requires heavy machinery that may not be installed on the area, if you look at the map it's all forest. Also, it could lead to tunnel collapse.
Anyway, they said it could require months, but none of them have specified if that chamber is 100% safe from flooding or if there's the risk of being flooded with heavy constant raining (Monsons have just started and it will last for months). I'm not sure if they didn't specified a such important point to not create allarmism or if that place is really safe from flooding and have "infinite" breathable air.

I know, but my thinking is that if the estimate for getting them out the way they came is around four months as has been reported in the media today, the engineering challenges in drilling a shaft might take less time than that to overcome. The whole world seems to be offering its expertise and equipment at this point.
 
I know, but my thinking is that if the estimate for getting them out the way they came is around four months as has been reported in the media today, the engineering challenges in drilling a shaft might take less time than that to overcome. The whole world seems to be offering its expertise and equipment at this point.

From what I have read, two of the reasons that drilling isn’t the first option is that (1) the heavy equipment needs something strong, flat and stable to stand on to work, so they’d need to build a concrete road or platform to put it on, (2) the chamber where the boys are is very small and not safe to drill into (my guess is they’re afraid of collapse).
 
From what I have read, two of the reasons that drilling isn’t the first option is that (1) the heavy equipment needs something strong, flat and stable to stand on to work, so they’d need to build a concrete road or platform to put it on, (2) the chamber where the boys are is very small and not safe to drill into (my guess is they’re afraid of collapse).

That's what I have read, too. Lots of logistical and engineering obstacles. Still, given the options and the timeline of four months, it sure isn't clear to me that diving them out is the option they will choose. Maybe a combination of methods: dive them into a nearby area that can be reached by drilling and/or a natural chimney?
 
I wonder if any of you have noticed when reading these reports, that it seems that the option favoured by the Navy is to teach the boys to dive and lead them out. As if it was the most obvious solution. But when the real cave divers are interviewed, such as from the UK or Australia or US cave divers, they think teaching them to scuba should be the absolute last resort, which we as divers understand why. Looks like the Navy doesn’t truly understand how dangerous that option really is. If you look at pics of all the Thai divers they are not in cave gear setup, but recreational gear setup. I don’t know how Thai Navy divers get trained but I’m drawing my own conclusions about their cave diving abilities/knowledge. I hope the Navy listens to the cave divers.
 
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The cave divers are the experts. Very tough conditions and water are in all the SEALS bailiwick, but there aren't many battle fields beyond no-mound passages, as the entry was described. I'm glad they have so many there. There were some reports of them chipping away at the passages to widen them. And I'm sure all the risky humping in cave conditions is being done by them. All the elite teams there are tough smart elite troops trained to go through hell for their mission. The Thai SEALS dictated mission may become 'get those kids out now'.

Edit: on the SEALs in rec dive gear. They have little operational need for open circuit gear, beyond clearing a boat prop back at base, or while launching vehicles from a sub. Past initial dive training, SEALS main dive gear is closed circuit. That open circuit gear might not even be their unit's. But it's all they need for most of what they seem to be doing, so that's what they use.
 
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I'm sure Thai SEALs are highly trained and motivated, carefully selected individuals, in an environment that encourages that behavior. It might be really easy for them to forget that rest of the world is not on the same level as them. They are goal oriented and goal right now is to get those kids out as soon as possible (practical). Right now, fastest route is to dive out. Not without risks, but they are ready to take it on. Rightfully? Not for me to say.
 

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