Must Read Trapped Thai team gets dive lessons as rescuers plan for extraction

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Trapped Thai team gets dive lessons as rescuers plan for extraction

By Panu Wongcha-um

 

Boys from the under-16 soccer team trapped inside Tham Luang cave receive treatment from a medic in Chiang Rai, Thailand, in this still image taken from a July 3, 2018 video by Thai Navy Seal. Thai Navy Seal/Handout via REUTERS

 

CHIANG RAI, Thailand (Reuters) - Rescue teams in northern Thailand were giving crash courses in swimming and diving on Wednesday as part of preparations to extract a young soccer squad trapped in a cave and keen to end a harrowing 11-day ordeal.

 

A team of divers, medics, counsellors and Thai navy SEALS were with the 12 schoolboys and their 25-year-old coach, providing medicines and food while experts assessed conditions for getting them out, a task the government said would not be easy.

 

"The water is very strong and space is narrow. Extracting the children takes a lot of people," Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters.

 

"Now we are teaching the children to swim and dive," he said adding that if water levels fell and the flow weakened, they would be taken out quickly.

 

A video released by the SEALS on Wednesday showed two rescuers in wetsuits sitting on a elevated part of the cave beside the boys wrapped in emergency foil blankets. They appeared to be in good spirits, occasionally laughing. It was not immediately clear when the footage was taken.

 

 

A torch is shone on each boy, who one by one say hello and introduce themselves with head bowed and hands clasped together in a traditional "wai" Thai greeting.

 

A young player in the foreground wears what appears to be the red England soccer jersey worn by the team in Tuesday's World Cup victory over Colombia in Moscow. Another younger boy wears the blue shirt of English team Chelsea.

 

They were discovered by the SEALS and two British cave diving experts on Monday, having been incommunicado and in darkness since June 23, when a group outing at the caves led to a high-profile search and rescue effort.

 

News that the "Wild Boar" team had survived sparked celebrations and relief in a country transfixed by the drama, with almost blanket media coverage.

 

The rescue teams and volunteers were hailed as heroes in an outpouring of joy and relief on social media, and applauded by the country's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha.

 

Efforts to open a communications line between the trapped team located 4 km (2.5 miles) from the mouth of the cave suffered a setback after equipment fell into the water, Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osottanakorn said on Wednesday.

 

The authorities were keen to get the boys out as soon as possible, but not if it was unsafe.

 

"All 13 don't have to come out at the same time. Who is ready first can go first," he told reporters.

 

"If there are risks then we will not be extracting them."

 

The focus is now on monitoring water levels, rain forecasts and extraction procedures. As of late Tuesday, some 120 million litres of water had been pumped out of the cave.

 

Officials on Tuesday dismissed as speculation reports that the boys could be trapped for up to four months. Supplies have been prepared for that period of time, however.

 

(Additional reporting by Papitcha Tanakasempipat in CHIANG RAI and Chayut Setboonsarng, Pracha Hariraksapitak, Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Panarat Thepgumpanat in BANGKOK; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Darren Schuettler)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-04

[4MyEgo]

Can't wait for these young lads to get out in one piece, then I can take a deep breath

[BEVUP]

As I mentioned in another thread 

I reckon they will start 48 hrs before the rains 

Should give them a couple of days to reduce water & prep kids 

[darksidedog]

30 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

 

The authorities were keen to get the boys out as soon as possible, but not if it was unsafe.

I am sure the families and the kids themselves are desperate to get out as quick as possible, but I hope level heads prevail and they dont take unnecessary risks to do it too soon.

[Eligius]

30 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I am sure the families and the kids themselves are desperate to get out as quick as possible, but I hope level heads prevail and they dont take unnecessary risks to do it too soon.

Totally agree with you, Darksidedog. I am getting an uneasy feeling that things are being rushed. One can understand why (more rain on the way, etc.) - but to be honest, I have some misgivings. Still, I am  no expert whatsoever - whereas the people in charge ARE.

[jerry921]

18 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Totally agree with you, Darksidedog. I am getting an uneasy feeling that things are being rushed. One can understand why (more rain on the way, etc.) - but to be honest, I have some misgivings. Still, I am  no expert whatsoever - whereas the people in charge ARE.

There are experts, but I think there are people above them who are not. Hopefully those higher people will have the sense to let the experts make the calls and simply restrict themselves to press-conferences and grandstanding while completely delegating the rescue.

[steve73]

Whichever option is decided (hopefully ultimately by the guys at the rescue site with the kids), you can bet that the "people above them" will avoid any blame if there are problems, whilst they'll be first to claim the credit if it's a total success... These people above them have probably never seen the inside of a cave (other than perhaps a show-cave) nor worn a diving mask - their job is provide the support and ensure all equipment is made available as required.

 

[webfact]

Diving the top option to evacuate 13 despite risk

By The Nation

 

Army doctor Colonel Pak Loharachun on Wednesday prepares inside the cave to treat minor wounds sustained by the football team members.

 

Rescuers do not want to delay their exit due to upcoming rains and the possibility of more flooding in cave.
 

ALL 13 survivors are now familiarising themselves with diving gear as rescue planners concluded yesterday that they will have to dive through floodwaters to get out of the Tham Luang cave, where they have been stranded since June 23. 

 

“The fittest of the survivors will be the first to come out,” Narongsak Osotanakorn, the head of the rescue operations, said yesterday. “Others will follow.”

 

The former Chiang Rai governor spoke as the floodwater level inside the cave subsided thanks to the powerful pumps, well-connected tubes, and diversion of the natural water flow around the Tham Luang cave system. 

 

The easing of the flood situation has raised the prospects of helping the 13 footballers come out of the cave where they have spent 11 days.

 

“The floodwater level has been dropping by one centimetre per hour. If we can maintain this momentum, it should be safe enough to bring the kids out soon,” Narongsak said. On Tuesday, the US Cave Rescue Commission’s national coordinator Anmar Mirza said that while diving was the quickest option to bring the survivors out, it was also the “most dangerous” option.

 

But the option of letting the survivors stay inside the cave until the floodwaters completely receded was yesterday ruled out amid the significant risk of impending heavy downpours that could again leave the cave flooded. The 10-kilometre-long cave in Chiang Rai province is normally flooded between July and November every year. On Monday night, experienced cave divers from Britain found the missing football team at a spot about 5km from the cave’s entrance. 

 

The 13 survivors will stay put at their current location while detailed preparations are being made for their safe evacuation. They have been joined by Royal Thai Navy SEALs and are also supplied with soft food, water, light, medicine, thermal blankets and diving gear. 

 

Learning to dive

 

The survivors were yesterday taught to wear full-face masks and practice breathing. 

 

Medics, including Army doctor Colonel Pak Loharachun, have completed health checks for all team members and found them relatively healthy. A video clip released yesterday showed the footballers had minor wounds and were apparently eager to leave the cave. One footballer asked, “Can we go out today?” Pak told the boys to be patient, explaining that despite his diving skills it took him six hours to move from the third chamber of the cave to the current location of the survivors. 

 

The third chamber of the cave, which is about two kilometres from the entrance, is now operating as the forward command of the rescue operations. Lighting and communication devices have been installed there and also supplied with oxygen tanks, medicine and all other necessary supplies. 

 

From the third chamber to the flooded T-junction is a distance of about 800 metres. From that intersection, there is a narrow and completely submerged passage that requires rescue teams to dive to get through. The floodwater level there was nearly five metres as of press time. 

 

After getting out of this narrow passage, rescue teams have to climb and hike a stretch of 400 metres. This zone is dry. Then, they have to dive for about another 130 metres to reach the so-called Pattaya Beach. Then the team must walk further over the beach before making another 400-metre-long dive to reach the slope where the survivors have gathered. 

 

All these survivors will have to be taught to swim and dive before being escorted out. 

 

Even with diving experts by their side, the team will have to dive and swim on their own at some points in the journey out of the cave. 

 

The two Britons who first located the missing victims – Richard Stanton and John Volanthen – have remained with the rescue team to help with the safe evacuation. The other British expert, Robert Harper, who was in his 70s, had to leave Chiang Rai province yesterday, though, to undergo a medical check-up in his homeland. 

 

A rescue team from the United States Indo-Pacific Command has also vowed to support the operations at the Tham Luang cave until all 13 survivors are safely brought out.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30349329

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-05

[webfact]

Survivors to be extracted one by one: Chiang Rai governor

By Thai PBS

 

 

As rescue teams are weighing options on how to take the 13 survivors out of Tham Luang cave, outgoing Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn today floated the possibility of the boys being extracted one at a time as it would be difficult for them to be brought out together at the same time.

 

He said the extraction plan is being adjusted because there would be difficulty bringing all the 12 young footballers and their coach out simultaneously even if they are physically healthy.  The scenario is apparently based on the assumption that they may have to dive their way out of the flooded cave.

 

Nonetheless, the governor stressed that draining water out of the cave still remains top priority.  The rescue teams have been working around the clock to drain the flood waters out and block water from outside from flowing into the cave.

 

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/survivors-extracted-one-one-chiang-rai-governor/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-07-05

[Eligius]

The article says 'All these survivors will have to be taught to swim ...' - so it seems that they really cannot swim, as most reports have stated from the outset.

[Quack]

I guess they could give them really intensive training for 2 or 3 days, it's not like they have anything else to do. The risk of panicking could be dealt with by practising such scenarios first right there in the cave, just teach them what to do in an emergency then hold them underwater and recreate it a few times until they learn how to deal with it. Once they know what to do in a bad situation, the risks will be a lot less when they're guided out one by one. Kids are in most cases surprisingly good learners. I'm sure they'll make it out safe soon though it will be one hell of an experience for them

[klauskunkel]

15 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

"The water is very strong and space is narrow. Extracting the children takes a lot of people," Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters.

"Now we are teaching the children to swim and dive," he said

He could teach them how to float...

[steve73]

Most cave divers were cavers who learnt to Scuba, rather than divers who decided to go caving.

The fact that these kids have been in this cave a few times, and have already found their way through the tight passages (albeit when dry) in making their escape from the flooding will help considerably.  They just need the confidence to breath normally whilst wearing the mask - and not to panic... and a few trial dives in the water close to where they are will soon give them this... or at least weed out the ones who really can't manage and are likely to need much more assistance.

 

Be brave lads..!!

[AsianAtHeart]

Why can't they couple some form of full-body wetsuit (flexible, small, and streamlined), with some form of full helmet such that the entire suit is airtight, and connect the helmet to an air source from an external tank carried by one of the seals?  With such a suit, the kids could be towed through with one seal ahead, one behind, and knowledge of scuba would be almost unnecessary.

[Tug]

I wonder how much of the trip is underwater and how much has an airspace above also how strong is the current  good luck and hoping for safety for all

[Quack]

16 minutes ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Why can't they couple some form of full-body wetsuit (flexible, small, and streamlined), with some form of full helmet such that the entire suit is airtight, and connect the helmet to an air source from an external tank carried by one of the seals?  With such a suit, the kids could be towed through with one seal ahead, one behind, and knowledge of scuba would be almost unnecessary.

I guess these suits are bulkier and more difficult to maneuver through the tight passages, they may not even have them in kid's sizes? It's not something children normally do

[Old Croc]

I think there are many posters commenting on these various threads who have limited, or no, knowledge of scuba diving.

Not everyone can overcome the fear and feelings of claustrophobia being under water can bring. Not everyone can cope with compressed air being forced into the lungs. For a bunch of non-swimming kids bought up hundreds  of miles from the ocean there is a huge learning curve in teaching them to dive in a small amount of time and not all will overcome the fears. 

And they're not learning in, or escaping from, a swimming pool or even the ocean, they have to negotiate hugely difficult underwater passages with possibly nil visibility and strong currents in the most difficult environment there is.

Cave diving of this type scares the crap out of me, and I've spent a  large part of my life on or under the ocean.

[BEVUP]

The strong currents shouldn't be a problem for the kids as they would be assisted by them just needing to guide themselves along the rope

It's the return trip for the divers that is the problem concerning currents, another reason to speed this up 

[cornishcarlos]

I can't believe 12 boys between 11 & 16 yrs old, need to be taught how to swim !! That's pretty shocking IMO..

Add to that teaching them how to use dive gear, swim through tight squeezes and not panic !!!

This ain't over by a long shot..

Lets just hope no more rain comes their way too soon, need to get them all out and safe..

 

Edited July 5, 2018 by cornishcarlos

[Eligius]

13 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

I can't believe 12 boys between 11 & 16 yrs old, need to be taught how to swim !! That's pretty shocking IMO..

 

 

Yes, you are right. Apparently, it is pretty common for Thais not to be able to swim. I hope that after this event, the Authorities will ensure that swimming lessons are a compulsory part of the school curriculum (as they were when I was a kid in England, where being able to swim was regarded as one of the most important life skills that needed to be acquired). No expense should be spared on this.

 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Eligius

[cornishcarlos]

8 minutes ago, Eligius said:

the Authorities will ensure that swimming lessons are a compulsory part of the school curriculum

 

Hopefully not taught by people that can't swim, as is the case for English (teachers not able to speak English, maybe they can swim)

[Eligius]

10 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Hopefully not taught by people that can't swim, as is the case for English (teachers not able to speak English, maybe they can swim)

Yes, that is a valid point.

It's very eye-opening to me to see the difference in priorities as regards my upbringing in England and what the kids in Thai schools are taught (or not taught): it was banged into us again and again in England (by parents and teachers alike) that learning to swim was absolutely essential - that it could save your life. How right those English were in my young days!

 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Eligius

[Peterw42]

Would being able to swim, a hundred meters on the surface, make much difference in this scenario ? Yes it would give them confidence in or around water but is there a swimming on the surface aspect to this rescue ? I can swim from a young age but I would be pretty useless underwater in a cave. Normal freestyle doesnt work underwater. Forward propulsion usually comes from fins (flippers) and probably cant be used in the tight caves.

Edited July 5, 2018 by Peterw42

[BEVUP]

5 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Forward propulsion usually comes from fins (flippers) and probably cant be used in the tight caves.

Wont need them the current will do the job

[steve73]

29 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

I think there are many posters commenting on these various threads who have limited, or no, knowledge of scuba diving.

Not everyone can overcome the fear and feelings of claustrophobia being under water can bring. Not everyone can cope with compressed air being forced into the lungs. For a bunch of non-swimming kids bought up hundreds  of miles from the ocean there is a huge learning curve in teaching them to dive in a small amount of time and not all will overcome the fears. 

And they're not learning in, or escaping from, a swimming pool or even the ocean, they have to negotiate hugely difficult underwater passages with possibly nil visibility and strong currents in the most difficult environment there is.

Cave diving of this type scares the crap out of me, and I've spent a  large part of my life on or under the ocean.

Having been both a caver in my much youngers days, and more recently an OW diver, I would say the claustphobia experienced whilst caving (especially navigating the squeezes and boulder chokes) was much worse for me than that due to wearing a mask & BA.   And we know these kids are "cavers" already.

As to: "Not everyone can cope with compressed air being forced into the lungs."  In my experience you need to lightly "suck" the air from a demand valve, and even in positive pressure mode (which I will assume a full-face dive mask is - similar to a Firefighters rescue set - which I also have experience of using), you are not really aware of this.

I do agree that diving them out soon will not be easy, nor without risk, but the option of leaving them (and supporting divers/medics, etc.) in the cave for 4 months is IMO the much more risky option.  No one know how much more the waters will rise during the wettest part of the season, even with all the pumps they have.  They may need to climb much higher in the chamber they're in, to avoid fast rising waters, or may have nowhere to go.  Already tight sections could easily become blocked further during the rains, making extraction even in the dry season more difficult.  And I'm sure there could be other risks that could develop over that time.

 

Unfortunately, all too often I see a failure to make a decision (since no one wants to have made a bad decision) and then the situation can get out of control. 

No decision or a slow decision is often worse than making a bad decision, but somehow people don't recognize this.  And in a country where loss of face is such a big deal, many would rather delay a making a decision in the fear that it will be the wrong choice, than getting on with the job in hand.

 

I'm glad that the 2 UK guys are still around since they will be fully aware of this - I just hope that their experience and advice is being listened to.  

[chrisinth]

51 minutes ago, Tug said:

I wonder how much of the trip is underwater and how much has an airspace above also how strong is the current  good luck and hoping for safety for all

I'm also wondering that. To me it seemed that during the search phase, from the entrance to the boy's location, the searchers were faced with high water levels from the water ingress into the cave system and fighting against the current.

 

It would be logical to assume that on the way out, the current would be behind them, therefore not causing that much problem (dependent of course on the strength of said current). With the rain having held off, major water courses diverted and the water level dropping through extensive pumping (I understand at a rate of approx. 1cm per hour) the speed of the current should have slackened at least a little.

 

It would seem to me that this is approaching a good time to try for an extraction. I am sure that the SEAL's have been doing 'dry' runs, simulating the boys weight and body masses to see what is the best way to assist through the trickier parts. But, it all comes down to safety, and the physical state of the children, this has to remain the priority until the exercise is completed.

 

All the above has been said without knowledge of the cave system and the local effects of the water current, or cross-currents at various points of it's transit.

[Peterw42]

5 minutes ago, BEVUP said:

Wont need them the current will do the job

That sort of goes with my point, does being able to swim on the surface make much difference ? I would imagine the kids will be made Buoyancy neutral, weighted down, so as not being dragged along the roof of the cave.

[Eligius]

5 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

That sort of goes with my point, does being able to swim on the surface make much difference ? I would imagine the kids will be made Buoyancy neutral, weighted down, so as not being dragged along the roof of the cave.

I take your point - which seems sensible - but the experts (those Brits and other rescuers) keep saying that they need to teach the boys to swim first; so it seems that being able to swim is very useful, even in this unusual situation.

[mikekenya]

As an ex Commercial Diver I just wonder why a surface demand option has not been considered.

It would have many advantages over conventional SCUBA gear, especially with inexperienced children, in black water.

Firstly no SCUBA tank  having a limited supply of air, as an unlimited supply of air through an umbilical,  also easier for confined spaces.

Also a Dry Diving Helmet, an air supply through an oral nasal instead of having to grip a rubber mouthpiece between their teeth , which could get lost and then panic trying to find it.

The "dry hat" also has very clear communication system to a person on the surface monitoring the ascent, for a child to hear a reassuring adult voice would I believe install confidence.

Also the "dry hat" offers good protection from injury to the head from unseen rocks etc.

Surface demand is so much safer than SCUBA Gear , people can monitor every stage of the operation.

I operated mainly in the Arabian Gulf , but I am sure that there are some good commercial companies operating in the Gulf of Thailand , who have rigs on standby.

[steve73]

14 minutes ago, mikekenya said:

As an ex Commercial Diver I just wonder why a surface demand option has not been considered.

It would have many advantages over conventional SCUBA gear, especially with inexperienced children, in black water.

Firstly no SCUBA tank  having a limited supply of air, as an unlimited supply of air through an umbilical,  also easier for confined spaces.

Also a Dry Diving Helmet, an air supply through an oral nasal instead of having to grip a rubber mouthpiece between their teeth , which could get lost and then panic trying to find it.

The "dry hat" also has very clear communication system to a person on the surface monitoring the ascent, for a child to hear a reassuring adult voice would I believe install confidence.

Also the "dry hat" offers good protection from injury to the head from unseen rocks etc.

Surface demand is so much safer than SCUBA Gear , people can monitor every stage of the operation.

I operated mainly in the Arabian Gulf , but I am sure that there are some good commercial companies operating in the Gulf of Thailand , who have rigs on standby.

Not sure I really understand what you're saying here...

Are you suggesting that the divers drag over 3km of air-line & umbilical into the cave.. and then drag the boys out with this?

 

I agree the boys don't need to be encumbered with their own air tank, but that could be supplied via a 2-3m long "buddy-line" from a diver immediately in-front.  There are (I understand, at present) plenty of dry sections, and spare bottles where the tanks would be changed.. but if the rains come no-one knows whether the entire cave system will get flooded or how quickly....

Edited July 5, 2018 by steve73