Getting Out Of The Cave

[easysurfer]

No, not a man cave but in the news about the situation of the Thai soccer team of kids and their coach. Found alive in a cave but now comes the difficult part...How to get them out.

One option is to teach them to swim. I don't know about this one conditions aren't too good . Another is to try and wait until the rain season ends, but this could be months.

Decisions, decisions.

Sure hope there is a safe outcome anyway.

 

[Jerry1]

I have no idea how hard it is to scuba, but I’d want to try that versus waiting months in order to walk out. Again, hoping for a good outcome.

 

[easysurfer]

A wrinkle is there's a part on the path out which doesn't fit scuba gear.

As long as I'm healthy inside, put me on the side to too chicken to try and swim out .

 

[swakyaby]

Did I hear the issues correctly? Nearly 2 1/2 miles of underwater/flooded caves, in murky water, with some areas so narrow that the divers had to chisel the path so they could get their scuba gear through?

 

[marko]

I have no idea how hard it is to scuba, but I’d want to try that versus waiting months in order to walk out. Again, hoping for a good outcome.

I think I'd take the wait myself. They said it could be four months.

Set me up with some comforts (food, clothes, light---lotsa light-- bedding.....and WiFi) and I can wait it out. Kinda like being snowbound in reverse.

They can bring in everything needed. With my life on the line (at age 14) I'd go with an unpleasant guarantee rather than a maybe.

What I don't understand is how they're getting good air at this point without it being pumped in.

 

[Helios]

I heard 1.2 miles zerovisability.
I havent dove for quite a few years, but I think an individual air filled container could ferry each boy out via a zip line set up. I think they have an airline already reaching them.
So much safer than training. Some people freak out during training, let alone cave diving. This way they wouldnt need to learn to swim.

 

[frayne]

Certified diver here who has done night dives in the open ocean. Can't even imagine cave diving with basically zero visibility trying to guide a novice through the maze they face. God speed and my two cents would be to wait out the monsoon season and walk out the same way they came in.

 

[NYEXPAT]

I imagine it would be faster to drill down from above ala Chile.

 

[braumeister]

Cave diving is the most hazardous sort, even in good conditions.

This is a real conundrum.

 

[97guns]

I’m in Thailand now and this is huge news, everyone is talking about it and coverage is on every channel. I saw it’s a 3 hour dive to get out of there and if they don’t think is safe enough the boys will have to wait 3 or 4 months for the rain season to stop

 

[travelover]

..... I think they have an airline already reaching them............

I hope it is not Frontier - I hate those guys.

 

[limeyx]

I heard 1.2 miles zerovisability.
I havent dove for quite a few years, but I think an individual air filled container could ferry each boy out via a zip line set up. I think they have an airline already reaching them.
So much safer than training. Some people freak out during training, let alone cave diving. This way they wouldnt need to learn to swim.

I do (did) SCUBA dive in caves and zero visibility even after extensive training can be horrifying so lets hope it doesn't come to them having to dive ...definitely not ideal

 

[Texas Proud]

Did I hear the issues correctly? Nearly 2 1/2 miles of underwater/flooded caves, in murky water, with some areas so narrow that the divers had to chisel the path so they could get their scuba gear through?

I never heard about chiseling, but yea, the rest seems to be correct...


Which leads to the question.... how did they get so far back? I mean really... who is going to take an inexperienced group of boys miles deep in a cave!!!

 

[Oz investor]

Harrison Ford

 

[Marita40]

I guess they can't drill down a vertical hole to the boys, as in other cave rescues? There's been no talk of this.

 

[garyt]

Certified diver here who has done night dives in the open ocean. Can't even imagine cave diving with basically zero visibility trying to guide a novice through the maze they face. God speed and my two cents would be to wait out the monsoon season and walk out the same way they came in.

Yea , I'm a diver too and I've done plenty of night dives and night dives wouldn't even be a comparison, imo. I'm kinda claustrophobic and I couldn't imagine diving in tight places.

 

[Newventurer]

Like Helios, I wondered about some air filled container, and possibly put the boys to sleep for the journey, maybe less risk for the emergency crews Puts a new twist on bonding exercise for the soccer team. That coach may just want to stay in the cave, not going to be pleasant for him once everyone is safe.

 

[DFDubb]

I'm full cave certified, though I'm not super into cave diving. After going through all of the training, I learned it's just not really my thing. I do go on 1 cave diving trip per year though.

That said, no way they're getting those kids out diving. With no experience and training, just about every person on the planet would panic and could likely kill the divers trying to help.

 

[donheff]

I used to dive a lot, including wreck dives, ice dives, and cavern dives, but never true cave dives. I don't know how anyone could get those kids out without panic induced disaster. The only approach I can even imagine is one kid at a time with a lead diver and not starting the next pair until the first has moved up to the next open air section. Getting backed up behind a panicked diver stuck in a small passage with no room to turn back would be a horror show.

 

[ERD50]

... Which leads to the question.... how did they get so far back? I mean really... who is going to take an inexperienced group of boys miles deep in a cave!!!

I heard that the cave flooded after they went in. The boys may have also taken off on their own.

Like Helios, I wondered about some air filled container, and possibly put the boys to sleep for the journey, maybe less risk for the emergency crews Puts a new twist on bonding exercise for the soccer team. That coach may just want to stay in the cave, not going to be pleasant for him once everyone is safe.

I'm full cave certified, though I'm not super into cave diving. After going through all of the training, I learned it's just not really my thing. I do go on 1 cave diving trip per year though.

That said, no way they're getting those kids out diving. With no experience and training, just about every person on the planet would panic and could likely kill the divers trying to help.

Good to hear from actual divers. I was also kind of wondering if a team of two divers could get them out one at a time, but there are very tight spots. This graphic explained a lot to me, from BBC, note "Some parts too narrow to wear scuba tanks":



-ERD50

 

[DFDubb]

With passages too narrow to keep your gear on, you have to remove it all, pass it through the restriction while still breathing off of it, then pass through yourself, assemble all of your gear back on, and proceed. This sounds a lot easier than it actually is. As soon as you remove your gear, your buoyancy changes and your body immediately wants to surface. Oh and by the way, they need to be able to do this w/o being able to see anything. This sort of thing is just not going to be possible for kids who have not trained for this.

 

[folivier]

The movie Sanctum is pretty realistic about divers getting stuck in a cave during a flood.

 

[Texas Proud]

I heard that the cave flooded after they went in. The boys may have also taken off on their own.


/snip/







-ERD50

I know that.... the question I posed is how did they get back 2 plus miles in the cave that has such narrow passages? They would have had to take a lot of lights and some food and drink for that long of a hike... we are talking many hours...



And who would go so far without knowledge of the cave? I never want to go into a cave without some very experienced guide or it is so marked that there is no way to get lost...

 

[ERD50]

I know that.... the question I posed is how did they get back 2 plus miles in the cave that has such narrow passages? They would have had to take a lot of lights and some food and drink for that long of a hike... we are talking many hours...



And who would go so far without knowledge of the cave? I never want to go into a cave without some very experienced guide or it is so marked that there is no way to get lost...

Agreed, it does seem really reckless.

-ERD50

 

[MRG]

Agreed, it does seem really reckless.

-ERD50

Many people don't understand the extreme danger of caving. Very sad.