12 boys lost in flooded Thai cave

[AfterDark]

All I can say is WOW!! I am so impressed by this rescue and only 1 death. Incredible, hero divers everyone of them. That is giving back to the max!

 

[Jay]

I'm curious re how the FFM works when the boys were heavily sedated. Their bodies are breathing, but how do they keep the reg flowing properly if their lips aren't around it? I read somewhere about keeping 'positive pressure'. Just curious.

Think I found the answer on a link in another thread: Diving masks from San Marcos company helped rescue of Thai boys from cave

"Our idea that you can breathe freely with no regulator in your mouth, that you have a wide field of vision that you don't have squeezing on your face because of pressure.

Fresh air comes in at the top, and exhaled air bubbles out below. Even if divers lose consciousness, the supply of air continues. That was a significant factor in the rescue, he said, because the boys were sedated to avoid panic.

 

[EireDiver606]

Here is what they have written in our newspaper.

One of them Jim Warny is Irish from Ennis in County Clare.

 

[TrimixToo]

<snip>

He also described one time when the visibility for him was, 'less than an inch'. Please can I ask the cave/tech divers on this forum what your methods are for monitoring and managing your gases when it is not possible to see your gauges?

(I would like to think you have a method apart from setting an audible alarm on an air integrated dive computer...)

I have never been in zero viz for an extended period of time (and *nothing like* a mile underwater!). It were going to be a regular thing I'd need a corrective lens strong enough to read my gauges against my mask. With 2 inches of viz I can read the needle well enough to see its position, which is enough. For limited periods of time in actual zero viz, I just estimate on the conservative side. I do dig in silty conditions often, but I can back away from the "fog" to read my gauges if I need to. Mostly, I don't. I know about how fast I'll use my gas at that depth and about how long I've been there.

I also have one regulator (used only to fill tires) that has an audible alarm that starts around 800 PSI. That's really too low to be useful, though, sort of like the low-gas light in your car when the next exit is 100 miles away. You need to be planning further ahead than that outside recreational settings.

 

[Dan]

@Greenjuice - good question about how they monitor their gas in an inch or two of visibility. THIS is why I think someone needs to bring back the DATAMASK! Yes, I understand air integrated is another possible point of failure, but if it's a redundancy, who cares?

Now I understand why some of the Thai Navy divers closed to OOA & Saman Gunan died.

 

[Dan]

I'm curious re how the FFM works when the boys were heavily sedated. Their bodies are breathing, but how do they keep the reg flowing properly if their lips aren't around it? I read somewhere about keeping 'positive pressure'. Just curious.

Think I found the answer on a link in another thread: Diving masks from San Marcos company helped rescue of Thai boys from cave

"Our idea that you can breathe freely with no regulator in your mouth, that you have a wide field of vision that you don't have squeezing on your face because of pressure.

Fresh air comes in at the top, and exhaled air bubbles out below. Even if divers lose consciousness, the supply of air continues. That was a significant factor in the rescue, he said, because the boys were sedated to avoid panic.

Luckily the sumps were not very deep. How the heck could the boys equalize otherwise with such mask? I would be in shear panic if my ears hurting.

 

[boulderjohn]

Please can I ask the cave/tech divers on this forum what your methods are for monitoring and managing your gases when it is not possible to see your gauges?

A dive computer like a Shearwater has an illuminated face that can be seen if you bring it close to your face. Shine your light on an SPG and it will glow for a while. Hold it near your face and you can see it.

You don't have to look at those things constantly. You just need to check it every now and then. When the visibility is down to an inch, you don't need to see it right then.

 

[Schwob]

Another "narrated summary story", maybe not with all the details divers really would be interested in but not everyone else:

The full story of Thailand’s extraordinary cave rescue - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44791998

 

[kotik]

Another "narrated summary story", maybe not with all the details divers really would be interested in but not everyone else:

The full story of Thailand’s extraordinary cave rescue - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44791998

It's awesome that the volume control on BBC's videos goes to 11--

 

[Dogbowl]

One thing I’m pleasantly surprised about is the attitude of the parents and community towards the assistant coach. What a breath of fresh air. This makes me want to meet these lovely Thai people.