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

https://www.vox.com/2018/7/12/17564360/thai-cave-rescue-boys-mission-diver-ben-reymenants

by curtis • 8 years ago

91 40 8 years ago

wallflower• 8 years 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-...

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

fwdpropaganda• 8 years 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• 8 years 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• 8 years 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-stret...

jonhendry186• 8 years ago

So basically they used an open version of Musk's submarine.

tim333• 8 years ago

It seems a little surprising to use pure oxygen. I wonder why that rather than air which is usually used in diving.

pencotts• 8 years ago

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

harryf• 8 years ago

Meanwhile Vern Unsworth, one of the other divers, comments on Elon Musks submarine... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TmjpIkVDrU

maxxxxx5• 8 years ago

He is not exactly nice on Musk....

blhack• 8 years 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.

cma• 8 years ago

Given that they did use a stretcher and sedation, the submarine thing doesn't seem as far off now as when I first saw that linked video. Is a sked flexible to fit around twists in a way that the tube thing wasn't? Sked is obviously way less bulky overall, but is it still pretty rigid once rolled up?

jonhendry186• 8 years ago

And yet they actually used what could be seen as an open version of Musk's submarine.

ramblerman• 8 years ago

He can stick his submarine where it hurts.

Classy... Seems a bit unneccesary

JustSomeNobody4• 8 years ago

A very humble hero. Thanks for linking, I enjoyed this interview.

sakopov• 8 years 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.

maxxxxx5• 8 years ago

You certainly need a very special psychology to be a cave diver.

Waterluvian• 8 years 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• 8 years 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.

jeksus2• 8 years 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-res...

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

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