Thai Students Trapped in Flooded Cave Found Alive

[Peally]

Hats off to you divers, but I don't have enough of a deathwish to spend that kind of time in an environment otherwise not permissible for human life. I see the appeal but, frankly, my commute feels like enough of an existential threat as-is. Bottom of the ocean after having seen at least 3 of the Jaws movies? Big old pile of nope right there.

Ditto. Space travel sound less nerve wracking.

[RoyGBiv]

I did my dive cert backwards. Instead of doing the basic stuff in a pool, like sane people, I took advantage of a business boondoggle to St. Thomas, stayed a few extra days and signed up for a local class. First time ever strapping on a tank I crawled out from the beach, followed the dive master maybe 50 yards, he pointed up and I was in about 40 feet of crystal clear Caribbean blueness. The only more unique feeling I've ever experienced was losing my virginity.

FF about 2 months... The St Thomas guy was NAUI and I wanted PADI, so he referred me to a local outfit near home to do my PADI open water. I joined up with a local class that had been training in the pool and this was their first open water dive...... In a gravel mine that had been converted to a swimming hole. Visibility was not great, but not terrible. Nothing like the Caribbean though. And the early April water temp was 52'F. Brrrr! 1/4" wetsuit was marginal.

Out of about 25 students, 3 were pretty freaked out about making the transition from pool to brown abyss. With only one dive master (another safety-first experience ), I hung back and coaxed the reluctant n00bs down the rope. It was a pretty cool setup... imagine the spiral inside of a gravel mine.... On one level they had an old school bus. Windows removed, seats removed and a target painted on top, with a rope up to a buoy. Follow the rope down through the dark water about 60 feet to the target on the bus. Do the cert stuff and float around a while. Coolest thing was a giant plate glass mirror they had propped up. Very cool to see yourself in a mirror, floating in 3D.

Best time I ever had diving was night diving for lobsters off the FL keys.... Much hilarity and stupidity involved. Watching a lobster "swim" after you chased it our of it's hole with a stick is seriously funny stuff. Staring off into the dark ocean at 50-60' is surprisingly claustrophobia-inducing. My dive buddies decided they wanted to hold the tow rope and search for lobster on the way in.... like chum. I was more than happy to drive the boat.

/tangent

I haven't read anything about the location in the cave where they were found... Depth? Surface condition? Is the location under a body of water that would prevent drilling, for example?

Hoping for a good outcome... at least they have a real chance...

Maybe a good video of the SCUBA passage would help prepare the kids to make their escape?... Shiver.

[BehindBlueI's]

When you're pushing your tanks and helmet in front of you, and you're scraping rock on all 4 sides of your body......yeah.

I would 100% no shit rather be shot at or in a building on fire.

[LOKNLOD]

I would 100% no shit rather be shot at or in a building on fire.

I’d rather be shot at in a building on fire while fighting a tag team of Chuck Norris and Mike Tyson , with my hands cuffed, than go anywhere close to a damn underwater cave.

[DamonL]

Diving in Haymarket quarry, I used to wear a flashlight and strobe turned on and I wore bright yellow fins so people could find me across a dive platform. It really sucked.

To take non-divers and have them do a no-viz cave dive is a truly challenging task. The skills and equipment alone is pretty intense.

[zuplex]

I've yet to see any news articles mention the feasibility of drilling down to the group. The Chilean miners that were trapped back in 2010 were 2,300 feet underground.

I'm sure there would be significant difficulties getting equipment in place and operating on that terrain, but that's still got to be a better option than trying to teach those kids how to cave dive in situ.

If they drilled an exit path above the cave, wouldn't that provide a kind of release valve for the air in the cave, allowing the water to rise in? I'm picturing going into a pool with a bucket over your head to create an air pocket, then drilling a hole in the bucket.

[RevolverRob]

Karst caves are not simple to drill into. Limestone is not a particularly stable rock and cracks and voids are common. Limestone that appears thick and strong could easily give way under the weight of a drilling rig. An unexpected rush of water could take out critical parts of the infrastructure. The best thing to do is actually the pump the water down and walk them out, if possible. Depending on the size of the passages to them, it might be feasible for divers to swim them out one or two at a time, using the line and working in teams. Not ideal and maybe as terrifying for the kids as being trapped in the cave. But hell, when I was 12 years old, cave diving sounded fun.

I, like others, would rather get shot at now.

[Chance]

From BBC News:

A former Thai navy diver has died while taking part in efforts to rescue 12 boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand.

Petty Officer Saman Gunan lost consciousness on his way out of the Tham Luang cave complex, where he had been delivering air tanks.

....

The death of Saman - a highly trained diver - on Thursday underscored the danger of moving from the chamber to mouth of the cave, and raised serious doubts about the safety of bringing the boys out through the cramped, flooded passageways.

The diver died after losing consciousness in one of the passageways, said Passakorn Boonyaluck, deputy governor of the Chiang Rai region, where the cave is situated.

"His job was to deliver oxygen. He did not have enough on his way back," Mr Passakorn said.

He said that Saman's dive partner tried to revive him but could not, and his body was brought out of the cave.

Saman, who was reportedly 38, had left the navy but returned to aid in the rescue operation. Said to be an avid runner and cyclist, he was part of the massive rescue operation launched after the group became stranded in the Tham Luang cave.

Officials said his funeral would be sponsored by the Thai king.

[TGS]

Called it.

[RJ]

Called it.

Damnit that sucks.

First thing I remember learning from my Rescue Diver course was “don’t be another victim.”

Very sad indeed. Rest In Peace Petty Officer Gunan.