All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team

By now, people across the nation of Thailand and around the world were watching the news coverage of the situation at Tham Luang, hoping and praying for the boys’ survival. However, morale at base camp was low; conditions hadn’t changed for several days, and rescue teams were no closer to reaching the boys. Everyone was starting to think that the soccer team was likely dead. Thanet continued to drill and pump water out of Sai Tong, working 18-hour days alongside his team. Water continued to be pumped at the cave entrance as well, with pipes from the Chevron oil company working around the clock.

On the morning of Sunday, July 1, the rains stopped and water levels started to recede. The Thai SEALs were now able to move forward to Chamber 3 once more and set up a base camp there. Rick and John made another dive, and a guideline had been laid at this point. They made it to Sam Yaek junction, located the passage the boys took to the main part of the cave, and then returned to Chamber 3. Conditions were still difficult, but based on clear skies in the forecast for the next two to three days, this seemed the best window to reach the boys.

Thanet talked to Vern about more possibilities for stopping the water that was flowing into the cave. Vern explained that if they could stop some of the water from entering Sam Yaek, especially the water flowing from Monk’s series, then the pumps would be more effective. Based on his knowledge of the cave, Vern knew that the water in Monk’s Series was colder and therefore entered from the surface. Thanet found a stream in the forest above Monk’s Series, and locals showed him where water disappears into sinkholes, likely soaking into the ground and flowing into Tham Luang. Thanet’s team used bamboo, rope, and plastic sheeting to make barriers over the sinkholes to divert water from entering the cave. They also carried long pipes into the jungle to divert water at waterfalls, and they built dams. All the materials they used had to be hiked in, and when they ran out of supplies, they started using bamboo poles as pipes and vines in place of rope. Eventually, a camera crew interviewed Thanet, and the coverage allowed the team to get the better equipment that they needed. Thanet and his team worked day and night to divert as much water as possible, sacrificing sleep and dealing with difficulties like foot fungus, sprained ankles, and dehydration.

On July 2, Rick and John prepared for a dive in which they’d attempt to go as far as possible to find the boys. Before they dive, Rick and John had to mentally prepare; Rick visualized every dive ahead of time, picturing things that could go wrong and identifying possible solutions. As Rick and John started their dive, they had to focus completely on the task at hand—a type of focus similar to that needed in the Buddhist practice of meditation. Both Rick and John used open-circuit breathing equipment for their dive in Tham Luang. This equipment is less complex and bulky than rebreathers and fits through narrow cave passages better, which means that less can go wrong while inside a cave. The only drawback is that with open-circuit equipment, exhaled oxygen isn’t recycled, so the oxygen supply runs out faster.

When Rick and John dove past Sam Yaek this time, they had to pause often to set up a guideline. They came first to the chamber where Vern thought the boys might be sheltering—but they found no one. They continued and eventually discovered an air space above them. When Rick removed his mask, he smelled human feces; they had reached the chamber where the boys were sheltered.

The boys were digging in the cave when Coach Ek thought he heard a male voice. The boys had thought they heard things before, like barking dogs, but these sounds were illusions since the boys were too far from the surface to hear anything. This time, though, Coach Ek was right. They shone their flashlight on the water and eventually found the faces of Rick and John. Adul, who speaks English, was able to have a basic conversation with the British divers and translate for the others. The boys had two main questions, to which Rick and John’s answers were both no. They didn’t have any food to give the boys, and the boys wouldn’t be able to leave the cave today. Rick and John explained that Thai Navy SEALs would come tomorrow with food and would bring a doctor. The boys gave the divers a hug, a rare show of affection and happiness since Thai people don’t normally hug strangers. John and Rick promised to return and dive the boys out of the cave. Even though they were confident in their ability to return to the boys, however, they were uncertain about how they’d get the boys out.

The boys’ families were elated to hear the good news that their sons were alive. Rick and John had a video of the team inside the cave that quickly went viral online. Even though the news was wonderful, rescue teams were still no closer to getting the boys out of the cave. Efforts to find alternate entrances to the cave had come up empty, and drilling was still impossible because it would take weeks or months to drill a hole big enough to extract the boys, and the drilling rig would have to be lowered into place by a helicopter. Another option was to drain the sumps enough to avoid the need to dive the boys out, but the rain would soon return, making it impossible to lower the water level. Another option was to wait out the rains and take food and supplies to the boys via dives.

Once Rick and John emerged from the cave with their happy report from where they found the boys in Chamber 9, six Thai SEALs and a Thai army doctor, Dr. Pak, prepared for a supply delivery dive. They didn’t talk to the British divers or the US Air Force before leaving, however, and the strength of the current was greater than they expected. Upon reaching the boys, they had only enough air supply left for three SEALs to return to the entrance.

The Wild Boars now had food (high-energy nutrition gels), medical care from Dr. Pak, and space blankets. On July 4, Rick and John did another supply dive and bring Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) packages. The boys also got a morale boost from the four men that were now staying with them. The SEALs played chess and checkers in the sand with the boys and kept their spirits up. The British divers reported their amazement at the boys smiles and upbeat attitudes, although in Thai culture a smile doesn’t always express happiness; it’s a way to show that one is keeping one’s cool and to make those around one feel at ease.

Ten thousand rescue workers, divers, military personnel, and volunteers now filled the mountain base camp outside Tham Luang. A group of local Thais had organically formed a crew that met needs without being asked. Chaiyon “Ay” Srisamoot and Anuphas “Noi” Patisen made it their responsibility to collect donations from the community and find items needed by rescue workers. Ay organized a makeshift shop of donations at base camp, and if someone needed something he didn’t have, he called around until he found it, even if it meant bringing items across the border from Myanmar or putting out a request on social media. Noi drove around town to collect donations, and locals soon joined in, bringing supplies on their motorbikes when roads to the base camp became congested with trucks and journalists. Another volunteer, Ruthaiwan “Nok” Padisen, a park ranger, made meals for the SEALs at dawn each day, and women named Tik and Laa shuttled John and Rick into town for food. Once Rick and John had located the Wild Boars, the king of Thailand sent food trucks to cook everyone meals, a resource which was needed because many volunteers had to take time away from base camp to find food. Other volunteers found additional ways to help, such as doing laundry for those at base camp, massaging sore backs and feet, and keeping the area clean.

The last option for extracting the boys from the cave was to dive them out. Rick and John requested that more cave divers they trusted be brought to Thailand so that extra help would be available if a dive rescue moved forward. Two of the divers to be flown in were Jason Mallinson and Chris Jewell, both some of the world’s best cave divers. As they started thinking through the risks of diving the boys out, panic was at the top of the list. Panic can make people act in ways that don’t make sense, and the heavy breathing that accompanies panic uses up air tanks quickly. While supply dives continued, the Thai leadership leaned toward keeping the boys inside the cave until the end of the rains. The oxygen levels in Chamber 9, however, made this a precarious choice. Now that four more adults had joined the boys, the oxygen supply per person had decreased. The Thai Navy SEALs decided to bring in an oxygen tube to pump oxygen into Chamber 9. This was frustrating for Major Hodges, whose team had just spent time and energy clearing away unnecessary cords and cables that filled the cave. One spot of bright news, however, was that the boys were able to write and receive notes to and from their parents. Jason Mallinson brought waterproof writing paper on a supply dive so that the boys could communicate with their families.

Joining the active-duty Thai Navy SEALs at Tham Luang were SEALs who had come out of retirement to help with the rescue mission. One of these nonactive SEALs was 38-year-old Saman Gunan. He went on a dive with a partner in Tham Luang to take extra air supply tanks to various points in the cave so that divers could replenish their air supply if they ran out. Saman and his partner were gone on their dive longer than expected, and when his dive partner finally returned, he brought Saman’s body with him. It was too late to save Saman. No one knows exactly what happened to cause Saman’s death, although many perilous conditions such as poor visibility, strong current, and the narrow cave passages likely were contributing factors. Although the tragic news of Saman’s death lowered morale at base camp, everyone still had a job to do, and time was running out. The weather report for the upcoming weekend warned that more rain was on the way.