7 ms·

A rescue diver on what it was like to save the Thai boys in the cave

91 points by curtis 8y ago

wallflower 8y ago
> So we decided to put them on a stretcher, with a full face mask, with pure oxygen on a positive pressure. Positive pressure means that any water getting into the mask would be flushed out. This first-person account seems to clarify that the kids were almost always on a stretcher while on land. But what about the underwater portions? I can't even imagine as a kid (or even adult) diving into the equivalent of no-visibility iced coffee. This Nytimes detailed recap seems to indicate the stretchers were also used during the "sumps" (underwater portions) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/world/asia/thailand-cave-rescue-seals.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/world/asia/thailand-cave-... The Thai Navy Seals released their video of the unprecedented rescue operation this past week. It has no sound, and it is a perspective into how many individuals contributed to the success of the team effort. You can see the sked described in the article (a stretcher used for search and recovery) and the zip line/winch/pulley systems that were used throughout. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM2u2phHr2k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM2u2phHr2k
- fwdpropaganda 8y ago
  I read an account elsewhere that claims that they were transported strapped to stretchers the entire time, including underwater, and that furthermore they were sedated (but conscious) to reduce probability that they would panic while being carried underwater. Trip of a lifetime.
- PeterisP 8y ago
  The article mentions that they were strapped down. So it wasn't them "diving", it was them being pushed/pulled underwater while tied down to a stretcher - which also prevents them from e.g. removing the face mask in panic. Makes sense that sedation would be necessary, these are perfect conditions for freaking out.
- ChristianBundy 8y ago
  Skeds are a pleasure to work with compared to other litter systems. For the curious, here's the product page for the one in the video (or similar): https://skedco.com/product/sked-reg-stretcher-od-green-stretcher-body-only/ https://skedco.com/product/sked-reg-stretcher-od-green-stret...
- jonhendry18 8y ago
  So basically they used an open version of Musk's submarine.
- tim333 8y ago
  It seems a little surprising to use pure oxygen. I wonder why that rather than air which is usually used in diving.
pencotts 8y ago
BBC interview with John Volanthen is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p8XFvRJD7Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p8XFvRJD7Q
- harryf 8y ago
  Meanwhile Vern Unsworth, one of the other divers, comments on Elon Musks submarine... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TmjpIkVDrU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TmjpIkVDrU
  - maxxxxx 8y ago
    He is not exactly nice on Musk....
  - blhack 8y ago
    Hearing all the negativity around this makes me a profound sort of sad. Here's a guy with some pretty unimaginable resources. He tries to use some of the resources for good, and a bunch of people go out of their way to get upset at him for it, and then laugh when what he tried to help with didn't work. People slinging all this mud are the reason others are hesitant to help.
    - watwut 8y ago
      I think that this guy issue is that on top of being in high pressure high stakes situation that require cooperation of huge amount of people, he had to deal also with that submarine thing. I don't know whether you had experience with clueless dominant people trying to help you, but it usually sux big time. And I mean, it sux and slows down in low pressure low stakes situations.
    - Itaxpica 8y ago
      People’s issue isn’t with Musk trying to help, it’s Musk trying to help as a thinly-veiled publicity stunt. If Elon Musk has reached out quietly to the Thai government and asked what he could do with his resources and connections to help, THAT would have been using his resources for good. Throwing a bunch of your money at a cool-sounding but absolutely useless project that nobody asked for while making a lot of noise on Twitter about how helpful you are is pure self-aggrandizement, and that’s what people are reacting to.
sakopov 8y ago
"The smallest space was actually 2 feet wide, so yes, it was quite high, 60 centimeters high." I can't imagine crawling in that space without having a panic attack, let alone trying to swim through it in murky water while dragging a child behind me. What an incredible feat.
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  You certainly need a very special psychology to be a cave diver.
Waterluvian 8y ago
Feels like some sort of cosmic luck that these were mostly skinny kids and not some missing team of professional wrestlers. Almost by nature of who they were, they possibly stood a far better chance of being rescuable?
curtis 8y ago
This longer BBC article on the rescue is the most complete report I've seen so far: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44791998 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44791998.
jeksus 8y ago
The article describing Musk's rescue plan: >The Engineering Behind Elon Musk's Bid to Save Thailand's Cave Boys https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-thailand-cave-boys-rescue-engineering/ https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-thailand-cave-boys-res...

91 points by curtis 8y ago

> So we decided to put them on a stretcher, with a full face mask, with pure oxygen on a positive pressure. Positive pressure means that any water getting into the mask would be flushed out. This first-person account seems to clarify that the kids were almost always on a stretcher while on land. But what about the underwater portions? I can't even imagine as a kid (or even adult) diving into the equivalent of no-visibility iced coffee. This Nytimes detailed recap seems to indicate the stretchers were also used during the "sumps" (underwater portions) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/world/asia/thailand-cave-rescue-seals.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/world/asia/thailand-cave-... The Thai Navy Seals released their video of the unprecedented rescue operation this past week. It has no sound, and it is a perspective into how many individuals contributed to the success of the team effort. You can see the sked described in the article (a stretcher used for search and recovery) and the zip line/winch/pulley systems that were used throughout. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM2u2phHr2k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM2u2phHr2k

fwdpropaganda 8y ago
I read an account elsewhere that claims that they were transported strapped to stretchers the entire time, including underwater, and that furthermore they were sedated (but conscious) to reduce probability that they would panic while being carried underwater. Trip of a lifetime.
PeterisP 8y ago
The article mentions that they were strapped down. So it wasn't them "diving", it was them being pushed/pulled underwater while tied down to a stretcher - which also prevents them from e.g. removing the face mask in panic. Makes sense that sedation would be necessary, these are perfect conditions for freaking out.
ChristianBundy 8y ago
Skeds are a pleasure to work with compared to other litter systems. For the curious, here's the product page for the one in the video (or similar): https://skedco.com/product/sked-reg-stretcher-od-green-stretcher-body-only/ https://skedco.com/product/sked-reg-stretcher-od-green-stret...
jonhendry18 8y ago
So basically they used an open version of Musk's submarine.
tim333 8y ago
It seems a little surprising to use pure oxygen. I wonder why that rather than air which is usually used in diving.

pencotts 8y ago

BBC interview with John Volanthen is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p8XFvRJD7Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p8XFvRJD7Q

harryf 8y ago
Meanwhile Vern Unsworth, one of the other divers, comments on Elon Musks submarine... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TmjpIkVDrU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TmjpIkVDrU
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  He is not exactly nice on Musk....
- blhack 8y ago
  Hearing all the negativity around this makes me a profound sort of sad. Here's a guy with some pretty unimaginable resources. He tries to use some of the resources for good, and a bunch of people go out of their way to get upset at him for it, and then laugh when what he tried to help with didn't work. People slinging all this mud are the reason others are hesitant to help.
  - watwut 8y ago
    I think that this guy issue is that on top of being in high pressure high stakes situation that require cooperation of huge amount of people, he had to deal also with that submarine thing. I don't know whether you had experience with clueless dominant people trying to help you, but it usually sux big time. And I mean, it sux and slows down in low pressure low stakes situations.
  - Itaxpica 8y ago
    People’s issue isn’t with Musk trying to help, it’s Musk trying to help as a thinly-veiled publicity stunt. If Elon Musk has reached out quietly to the Thai government and asked what he could do with his resources and connections to help, THAT would have been using his resources for good. Throwing a bunch of your money at a cool-sounding but absolutely useless project that nobody asked for while making a lot of noise on Twitter about how helpful you are is pure self-aggrandizement, and that’s what people are reacting to.

sakopov 8y ago

"The smallest space was actually 2 feet wide, so yes, it was quite high, 60 centimeters high." I can't imagine crawling in that space without having a panic attack, let alone trying to swim through it in murky water while dragging a child behind me. What an incredible feat.

maxxxxx 8y ago
You certainly need a very special psychology to be a cave diver.

Waterluvian 8y ago

Feels like some sort of cosmic luck that these were mostly skinny kids and not some missing team of professional wrestlers. Almost by nature of who they were, they possibly stood a far better chance of being rescuable?

curtis 8y ago

This longer BBC article on the rescue is the most complete report I've seen so far: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44791998 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44791998.

jeksus 8y ago

The article describing Musk's rescue plan: >The Engineering Behind Elon Musk's Bid to Save Thailand's Cave Boys https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-thailand-cave-boys-rescue-engineering/ https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-thailand-cave-boys-res...