That trapped soccer team in flooded cave system

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I've been trying to keep up with this but there is so much conflicting information.

1. Bring them medical personnel and 4 months worth of food and water and have them shelter in place and wait for the water to go down which could take months.

2. Pump out the water to speed things up.

3. Teach them to dive so they can dive out themselves.

4. Put them in some sort of diver helmet and lead them out under water.

None of the options are good but thankfully they are found and safe. Hopefully, the officials and parents are patient enough to wait for the best evacuation process.
 
Originally Posted By: JLTD
Simple. One by one, with an extra scuba tank and diver escorts. Should have had them all out by now.


Not me, man. Give me some food and water and toilet paper and I'll wait it out. SCUBA ain't for me.
 
Originally Posted By: JLTD
Simple. One by one, with an extra scuba tank and diver escorts. Should have had them all out by now.


I believe your comment is called "armchair quarterbacking."
 
Originally Posted By: Bud
Originally Posted By: JLTD
Simple. One by one, with an extra scuba tank and diver escorts. Should have had them all out by now.


I believe your comment is called "armchair quarterbacking."


If one kid panics and drowns and dies. What then? The other armchair quarterbacks will say that they should have waited.
 
Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for scuba divers and I'm pretty sure the major gear makers have reps servicing the resort towns. I'm sure they've heard the pleas of the Thai military needing full-face mask/regulator combos like this and it's good PR for them - or even a PADI/NAUI instructor can go in that cave and give those kids a quick lesson in scuba diving(which is BREATHE and don't hold your breath, how to clear your mask/reg and how to use a BC).

They did say there was another team combing the mountain side for another extraction method if there's a crevice that's big enough to hoist down climbers and their gear.
 
It appears to be a fluid situation (no pun intended) and they are still considering the options, including having them do what would be a difficult dive, after a crash course.

The flip side of that is trying to wait out the rainy season, but they'll be fighting the possibility of more water that could overwhelm the capacity to pump, and perhaps even jeopardize the safe spot.

I've always found caves fascinating, and even considered trying spelunking, but then decide to tempt fate with other activities that don't involve the possibility of suffocation or drowning.
 
Originally Posted By: JLTD
Simple. One by one, with an extra scuba tank and diver escorts. Should have had them all out by now.


From the news:

It would be a dangerous attempt, since none of the boys know how to swim. They were found in a dry section of the Tham Luang cave complex at least two and a half miles from the entrance. The water is 16 feet deep in some places and the boys would have to swim through narrow passageways to escape, potentially without oxygen tanks.

Another option is to leave the boys inside until flood waters recede but that could take weeks or even months.
 
My fear with the scuba attempt would be an all-out panic placing the professional or helper diver in extreme danger too. Now you risk two people. The long wait sounds better and less risky. But....

Eventually at some point very soon they are going to train those kids on scuba/swim in case the water rises and thus the possibility of a quick escape.
 
Their own President referred to the rescue as a cluster $#@&! Very unorganized, according to media reports. I'm very very glad the kids were located alive!


Respectfully,


Pajero!
 
I really haven't followed this story, but can someone explain how a soccer team ended up in a cave?
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I really haven't followed this story, but can someone explain how a soccer team ended up in a cave?


12 kids about 11 to 16 years old and their 25 year old coach went into a well known cave after a soccer game or practice. They rode their bikes there. The cave is popular place to go. It's real big but there are tunnels in the cave that are marked off limits and it's well known that these parts of the cave will flood in July during the rainy season. They either ignored the warnings or the warnings didn't start until the end of the month. They went into a dangerous area of the cave subject to flooding. It rained and the part of the cave they are in flooded very fast trapping them. They are in a dry area with deep water between them and the outside. Their bikes were found the day after they went in alerting that they were still in the cave and trapped. After 9 days of searching, they were found by rescuers.

The two amateur but experienced British cave divers, regarded as the best in the world, made a dangerous six-hour round trip to reach the team, who were weak having gone without food for 10 days. The rescuers had to pull themselves along the wall of the caves to brace against the strong currents.

I'll try to find a drawing of a cross section of the cave where they are trapped. It's hairy.

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Here are the two British heroes who dove down to find the trapped kids.

We all have hobbies we enjoy. Rick Stanton's just happens to be scuba diving into cold, lightless, claustrophobic, dangerous caves.

Stanton and his diving partner, John Volanthen, have been identified in the British media as the two British divers who first discovered the 12 children and football coach trapped in a cavern in northern Thailand.

1530658963676.jpg
 
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They seem to have time to train each kid in scuba. The upside is the 3 hr round trip they can start delivering food, lights so these poor souls can wait it out better. I am sure as time progresses experts will chime in with a viable plan of getting them out.
 
A friend of mine is from Thailand and he told me that June begins the rainy season. SOmetimes Bangkok floods and people are trapped in their vehicles. He recommended NOT visiting during the summer.

The kids will never forget this! I hope and pray for their safe extraction, including First Responders.



Respectfully,

Pajero!
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Kids can use SCUBA gear with ease.


It takes the world's best SCUBA cave divers 1.5 hours to get out. You think kids that can't even swim are going to SCUBA dive out of there easily?
 
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I retract my previous - the article I read said they were 100 meters from the exit....poor information indeed! Apparently they are safely away from any potential water level, so waiting it out does seem the best course.
 
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