1
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,208
{\an8}FEMALE VOICE:
2
00:01:13,500 --> 00:01:15,166
We need sandbag...
3
00:01:16,041 --> 00:01:18,958
to stop water coming in,
and we need a generator...
4
00:01:20,208 --> 00:01:21,833
to pump water out.
5
00:01:22,583 --> 00:01:24,208
And we need to do it quick.
6
00:01:24,833 --> 00:01:28,000
If they've gone this way, no,
they die already.
7
00:01:32,625 --> 00:01:34,208
They know what to do, yeah?
8
00:01:46,291 --> 00:01:49,083
{\an8}MALE REPORTER:
9
00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:55,791
The boys,
aged between 11 and 16 years old,
10
00:01:55,875 --> 00:01:57,791
are all members of a Thai soccer team.
11
00:01:58,041 --> 00:02:02,041
{\an8}They became stranded in the dark tunnels
after a sudden and continuous downpour
12
00:02:02,291 --> 00:02:03,500
{\an8}blocked all exits.
13
00:02:03,666 --> 00:02:07,291
{\an8}MALE REPORTER 1:
14
00:02:07,875 --> 00:02:10,333
This rain is gonna get worse and worse
15
00:02:10,416 --> 00:02:12,541
and worse as the months go by,
four months of monsoon.
16
00:02:12,708 --> 00:02:16,416
It will flood out that cave system,
so there will be no hope of getting out
17
00:02:16,500 --> 00:02:18,083
if we don't get them out very soon.
18
00:02:23,708 --> 00:02:27,166
{\an8}BANCHA:
19
00:02:53,333 --> 00:02:55,500
Before they went into the cave complex,
20
00:02:55,625 --> 00:02:57,833
they were planning to celebrate
a birthday party,
21
00:02:57,916 --> 00:02:59,541
and that's what the boys were doing
22
00:02:59,625 --> 00:03:03,125
when they found suddenly
it was raining heavily outside the cave
23
00:03:03,208 --> 00:03:06,166
and the water level inside
started increasing.
24
00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:45,791
{\an8}MALE VOICE:
25
00:03:53,291 --> 00:03:58,375
{\an8}BANCHA:
26
00:04:28,583 --> 00:04:31,833
{\an8}APAKORN:
27
00:04:46,166 --> 00:04:50,291
{\an8}ANAN:
28
00:05:05,541 --> 00:05:09,708
{\an8}WORANAN:
29
00:05:17,791 --> 00:05:19,625
I've been involved very heavily
30
00:05:19,708 --> 00:05:21,541
with the exploration of the cave,
31
00:05:22,333 --> 00:05:24,666
{\an8}that's how I became known as
32
00:05:25,083 --> 00:05:27,625
{\an8}you know, locally,
the crazy foreign caver.
33
00:05:27,791 --> 00:05:28,791
Here's the junction.
34
00:05:28,958 --> 00:05:31,875
When I first started exploring
the Tham Luang system,
35
00:05:31,958 --> 00:05:34,541
it was just
over six-and-a-half kilometers long.
36
00:05:34,791 --> 00:05:37,833
{\an8}Over the years,
we've extended it to ten kilometers.
37
00:05:38,041 --> 00:05:42,916
{\an8}And today it's the fourth longest
cave system in Thailand.
38
00:05:43,083 --> 00:05:46,458
{\an8}Tham Luang is made up
of three main passages.
39
00:05:46,625 --> 00:05:51,166
{\an8}One runs from the entrance to Sam Yaek,
known as the T-junction.
40
00:05:51,291 --> 00:05:53,500
{\an8}Water had come in
from the right-hand branch,
41
00:05:53,583 --> 00:05:55,250
{\an8}and it blocked their route out.
42
00:05:55,750 --> 00:05:59,833
{\an8}So, the boys weren't actually missing,
they were trapped.
43
00:06:05,916 --> 00:06:07,708
{\an8}ANAN:
44
00:06:26,125 --> 00:06:28,916
The Navy SEALs, with, uh, respect,
45
00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,666
you know, they're a strong
disciplined outfit,
46
00:06:31,791 --> 00:06:38,583
but cave diving needs specific skills
and specific types of equipment.
47
00:06:39,291 --> 00:06:41,458
{\an8}APAKORN:
48
00:06:50,541 --> 00:06:52,291
We went to what we call the "war room."
49
00:06:52,583 --> 00:06:58,166
I waited for Governor Narongsak.
And in my normal blunt way, said to him,
50
00:06:58,250 --> 00:07:01,583
"Sir, you have one chance at this rescue."
51
00:07:01,916 --> 00:07:05,916
I told him that we need
expert cave divers out here.
52
00:07:06,916 --> 00:07:11,166
{\an8}He showed this note
to the Minister of Interior...
53
00:07:12,083 --> 00:07:15,625
saying these are the best cave divers
in the world.
54
00:07:39,958 --> 00:07:41,583
Get the smile on, Mr. Stanton.
55
00:07:45,750 --> 00:07:49,875
- Yep. How many?
- Two please, and quite a thick one.
56
00:07:51,083 --> 00:07:53,791
That's it, perfect. That's four quid.
57
00:08:03,916 --> 00:08:07,541
RICK: When I see a dark space in a cave,
it fascinates me.
58
00:08:07,791 --> 00:08:10,208
It's like, I wonder what's there.
59
00:08:10,791 --> 00:08:16,791
To most people, it's an alien environment.
It's dark, it could be claustrophobic.
60
00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,750
To most people, that would be a disaster,
61
00:08:19,833 --> 00:08:25,583
but this is the strange world that
I enjoy. Caving, cave diving.
62
00:08:27,333 --> 00:08:30,083
JOHN: You can look at a cave in two ways.
You could say,
63
00:08:30,166 --> 00:08:33,000
I'm under hundreds of feet
and tons and tons of rock,
64
00:08:33,125 --> 00:08:34,458
my life's in danger.
65
00:08:34,958 --> 00:08:40,125
Or you can say, my world
is this small passage, actually it's okay.
66
00:08:41,750 --> 00:08:43,375
I think this is actually
just a cunning ploy...
67
00:08:43,458 --> 00:08:45,500
For people of my generation
in the cave diving world,
68
00:08:45,583 --> 00:08:47,583
{\an8}Rick and John, you know,
they're sort of like
69
00:08:47,666 --> 00:08:50,041
{\an8}the figureheads, the idols to us.
70
00:08:52,250 --> 00:08:54,958
The first time I dived with Rick
was in this cave in New Zealand
71
00:08:55,041 --> 00:08:56,416
called the Pearse Resurgence,
72
00:08:56,500 --> 00:08:58,958
which is an extraordinarily
intimidating place.
73
00:08:59,041 --> 00:09:03,500
It's really deep, it's freezing cold,
it's black, like, it soaks up your light.
74
00:09:03,583 --> 00:09:05,708
{\an8}And I'd heard about the famous
Rick Stanton, of course.
75
00:09:05,791 --> 00:09:09,541
{\an8}But he turns up with this dry suit
that looks like it's 50 years old
76
00:09:09,625 --> 00:09:12,958
and he's got this homemade harness
with a big lump of lead
77
00:09:13,041 --> 00:09:17,083
between his shoulder blades
that are sort of sticky taped on.
78
00:09:17,500 --> 00:09:19,833
And he's got a homemade
side mount rebreather.
79
00:09:19,916 --> 00:09:22,208
I mean, both those words are terrifying.
80
00:09:25,750 --> 00:09:28,666
RICK: The side mount rebreather
was made from scratch
81
00:09:28,750 --> 00:09:30,875
because there wasn't such
a thing available.
82
00:09:31,666 --> 00:09:36,125
All the components were made by me
on a lath or a mill.
83
00:09:39,041 --> 00:09:42,541
RICHARD: And so, Rick, using
this extraordinary bit of homemade kit...
84
00:09:43,291 --> 00:09:47,541
jumped in the cave
and casually swims down to a new record.
85
00:09:49,791 --> 00:09:51,458
And we're all just going, "Far out,
86
00:09:51,541 --> 00:09:53,791
there's no way
I'll ever be like that guy."
87
00:09:57,958 --> 00:10:04,375
John and I have been involved
in some very significant caving events,
88
00:10:04,625 --> 00:10:07,166
which could take you right to the edge.
89
00:10:08,333 --> 00:10:10,250
And just going to those places...
90
00:10:11,625 --> 00:10:13,791
you can't fail to have a bond.
91
00:10:16,500 --> 00:10:19,125
RICK: John's one of these people
that's done a lot of activities,
92
00:10:19,208 --> 00:10:23,041
and does them
all with a huge degree of success.
93
00:10:23,708 --> 00:10:27,125
First it was marathons,
then he got on to ultramarathons.
94
00:10:28,666 --> 00:10:32,291
Very competent climber.
Really good kayaker.
95
00:10:34,166 --> 00:10:36,083
FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
Doing all of these dangerous things,
96
00:10:36,250 --> 00:10:39,000
has that made relationships
difficult for you?
97
00:10:39,375 --> 00:10:40,458
Well, I wouldn't...
98
00:10:40,541 --> 00:10:43,375
Just because an activity
is seen as dangerous
99
00:10:43,625 --> 00:10:46,291
doesn't mean to say that you do it
in a dangerous manner.
100
00:10:46,416 --> 00:10:49,666
But to answer your question,
probably yes.
101
00:10:55,500 --> 00:10:59,250
{\an8}AMP:
102
00:11:48,041 --> 00:11:49,958
I don't know how to explain this.
103
00:11:51,416 --> 00:11:53,000
Did you fall in love?
104
00:11:53,333 --> 00:11:54,333
Yes.
105
00:11:56,458 --> 00:11:59,166
{\an8}
106
00:12:14,125 --> 00:12:18,458
{\an8}AMP:
107
00:12:18,708 --> 00:12:20,541
{\an8}
108
00:12:20,750 --> 00:12:25,208
{\an8}
109
00:12:31,041 --> 00:12:34,041
Amp called me and she said,
"Have you heard?
110
00:12:35,166 --> 00:12:37,875
"There's a football team
trapped in a cave."
111
00:12:38,291 --> 00:12:42,708
{\an8}
112
00:12:48,541 --> 00:12:50,250
I was thinking
this has actually got our name
113
00:12:50,333 --> 00:12:51,458
all over it.
114
00:12:51,708 --> 00:12:54,875
We realized that we had a contact
on the ground,
115
00:12:55,166 --> 00:12:59,375
a British guy, Vern Unsworth.
He knew the cave very, very well.
116
00:12:59,625 --> 00:13:05,041
Vern had got the critical note
to the Thai Minister of Tourism and Sport.
117
00:13:05,666 --> 00:13:08,250
Vern rang and said,
"You're coming to Thailand
118
00:13:08,375 --> 00:13:10,583
and you're on the half-past nine flight
that night."
119
00:13:10,708 --> 00:13:12,041
They flew us out business class,
120
00:13:12,125 --> 00:13:15,541
which was quite an experience.
I quite liked that.
121
00:13:16,708 --> 00:13:18,875
RICK: That was great,
because we are volunteers,
122
00:13:18,958 --> 00:13:19,958
we don't get paid.
123
00:13:21,500 --> 00:13:23,833
JOHN: We arrived in Chiang Rai airport.
124
00:13:25,583 --> 00:13:29,708
RICK: There was a big sign-up that said,
"Welcome to the World's Best Cave Divers."
125
00:13:30,250 --> 00:13:33,166
And we were marched out to this sign
and had to pose in front of it.
126
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,666
All very embarrassing.
127
00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:48,541
RICK: When we arrived at the cave site,
there was complete chaos.
128
00:13:50,750 --> 00:13:52,375
I've had a full career
in the fire service,
129
00:13:52,458 --> 00:13:56,541
I've been to big incidents,
I've seen chaos, but not to this scale.
130
00:13:59,708 --> 00:14:04,041
We were followed around by press cameras,
there were rescue people everywhere.
131
00:14:05,208 --> 00:14:07,500
Where's the people
that are supposed to be leading us?
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00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:10,458
JOHN: Somehow we managed to find Vern.
133
00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,666
He said they'd seen the cave
134
00:14:12,875 --> 00:14:15,500
progressively flood
in the last three days.
135
00:14:16,083 --> 00:14:18,833
VERN: Just too much flow.
It was a difficult time.
136
00:14:19,541 --> 00:14:21,125
Some people were thinking,
137
00:14:21,208 --> 00:14:25,041
"Are their kids still alive?"
You know, "Where can they be?"
138
00:14:25,916 --> 00:14:29,208
We decided that we wanted to go in
and see as much as possible
139
00:14:29,291 --> 00:14:30,666
before it flooded further.
140
00:14:31,666 --> 00:14:35,000
As we walked in the entrance chamber,
which was a huge chamber,
141
00:14:35,083 --> 00:14:40,083
there were electric lights blazing,
hoses, pumps and telephone wires.
142
00:14:40,208 --> 00:14:43,166
Although the governor
was in charge of the incident,
143
00:14:43,291 --> 00:14:47,583
he had devolved all responsibility
for the diving to the Navy SEALs,
144
00:14:47,750 --> 00:14:49,916
and they were very clear
that they wouldn't let us go in the water.
145
00:14:50,041 --> 00:14:52,958
Our area of expertise is different.
146
00:14:53,041 --> 00:14:56,125
{\an8}At that point,
it's really not safe to go in.
147
00:14:56,250 --> 00:15:00,958
{\an8}The UK team still insisted.
It got quite heated.
148
00:15:02,291 --> 00:15:04,458
You understand
there are 13 children...
149
00:15:04,541 --> 00:15:06,041
- I don't care, okay?
- ...in the cave?
150
00:15:07,125 --> 00:15:09,333
The argument went all the way up top.
151
00:15:10,833 --> 00:15:12,666
He actually told the UK guy,
152
00:15:12,750 --> 00:15:16,083
"If you die in there,
don't expecting us to go fetch your body."
153
00:15:17,041 --> 00:15:20,208
JOHN: If you are the Thai Navy SEALs,
and suddenly,
154
00:15:20,291 --> 00:15:23,416
two scruffy-looking,
middle-aged men turn up,
155
00:15:23,500 --> 00:15:25,833
I can see how that really is a bad...
156
00:15:26,750 --> 00:15:28,541
start to a relationship.
157
00:15:33,041 --> 00:15:36,791
When we got out, it really was raining.
Absolute monsoon on steroids.
158
00:15:38,083 --> 00:15:41,416
We were taken back to the hotel
in the back of an open pickup.
159
00:15:42,250 --> 00:15:45,000
Literally cowering behind the cab
to try and get out of the rain.
160
00:15:46,333 --> 00:15:48,708
John and I had to share a double bed.
161
00:15:49,541 --> 00:15:50,958
We...
162
00:15:52,416 --> 00:15:55,333
One... We did top and tail.
163
00:16:04,791 --> 00:16:08,583
RICK: So, the next morning, John and I
set off from the entrance chamber
164
00:16:08,916 --> 00:16:11,875
with all our equipment,
our cylinders on our harness.
165
00:16:12,166 --> 00:16:14,041
Nobody came in the cave with us.
166
00:16:18,125 --> 00:16:20,208
Only 200 meters from the entrance,
167
00:16:20,708 --> 00:16:23,750
the water met the rock
and it was a proper sump dive.
168
00:16:29,666 --> 00:16:33,250
From the entrance chamber,
now to the second and third chamber,
169
00:16:33,333 --> 00:16:35,625
was a river, a raging river.
170
00:16:51,333 --> 00:16:53,833
JOHN: So, the term I would use
is "white water caving."
171
00:17:01,833 --> 00:17:03,333
Very poor visibility.
172
00:17:04,416 --> 00:17:06,541
Really brown, really chocolaty brown.
173
00:17:07,625 --> 00:17:11,833
There's a ton of man-made hazards as well.
Telephone wire...
174
00:17:12,750 --> 00:17:14,625
cables. All sorts of things.
175
00:17:38,500 --> 00:17:41,208
We surfaced
in what became known as "Chamber Three."
176
00:17:47,416 --> 00:17:48,708
{\an8}MALE VOICE 1:
177
00:17:48,791 --> 00:17:51,833
{\an8}MALE VOICE 2:
178
00:17:52,083 --> 00:17:55,041
We thought
we'd found four of the football team.
179
00:17:57,708 --> 00:17:59,125
{\an8}SURATIN:
180
00:18:05,833 --> 00:18:09,875
They were pump workers.
They had been asleep on the sandbank,
181
00:18:09,958 --> 00:18:13,500
missed the evacuation
and got flooded into the cave.
182
00:18:13,583 --> 00:18:15,166
And nobody knew they were missing.
183
00:18:17,750 --> 00:18:20,041
We didn't know if that chamber
was going to flood completely
184
00:18:20,125 --> 00:18:21,625
in hours or minutes.
185
00:18:21,791 --> 00:18:24,583
We needed to dive
these four guys out immediately.
186
00:18:25,833 --> 00:18:27,500
{\an8}
187
00:18:28,916 --> 00:18:32,125
They were terrified,
but they didn't have another option.
188
00:18:34,875 --> 00:18:37,916
We just gave them a regulator
from one of the cylinders
189
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,458
that was still attached to us.
190
00:18:45,875 --> 00:18:47,958
So, we have to keep them very close to us
191
00:18:48,083 --> 00:18:50,083
or the regulator in their mouth
is going to be pulled out
192
00:18:50,166 --> 00:18:51,791
and they're not going to be able
to breathe.
193
00:18:57,458 --> 00:19:00,583
RICK:
It's highly disorientating being led,
194
00:19:00,666 --> 00:19:02,458
basically blind, underwater.
195
00:19:04,333 --> 00:19:06,416
It was quite brutal,
they were banging their heads,
196
00:19:06,500 --> 00:19:08,541
we were moving them around,
trying to find the right hole
197
00:19:08,625 --> 00:19:09,625
for them to go through.
198
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,208
JOHN:
All of the pump workers reacted the same,
199
00:19:17,666 --> 00:19:19,791
the second they thought
they were under airspace,
200
00:19:19,958 --> 00:19:22,250
they kind of bolted up
without any thought.
201
00:19:29,208 --> 00:19:31,125
{\an8}SURATIN:
202
00:19:43,416 --> 00:19:46,041
I described it
as an underwater wrestling match.
203
00:19:55,250 --> 00:19:57,083
After getting the pump workers out
204
00:19:57,166 --> 00:19:59,083
we didn't turn around
and go back in the cave,
205
00:19:59,166 --> 00:20:00,333
it was too dangerous.
206
00:20:02,583 --> 00:20:04,500
The four water workers,
they were underwater
207
00:20:04,583 --> 00:20:07,041
for only 30, 40 seconds...
208
00:20:07,583 --> 00:20:09,791
but they still panicked
and they were adults.
209
00:20:10,916 --> 00:20:13,750
Now, we were talking
about a group of children.
210
00:20:14,041 --> 00:20:17,166
We didn't think it was possible for us
to dive the children out.
211
00:20:17,875 --> 00:20:21,000
Even if they were alive,
it can't be done.
212
00:20:22,375 --> 00:20:24,708
Now, what the hell are we gonna do now?
213
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:41,833
The Thais were all praying
214
00:20:41,916 --> 00:20:44,166
for success in the mission.
215
00:20:44,541 --> 00:20:49,875
{\an8}They believed that success could only come
if they had the permission
216
00:20:49,958 --> 00:20:51,750
{\an8}from the guardian spirit.
217
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,791
I know as soon as I got down,
I had to pay respects to those shrines.
218
00:20:59,125 --> 00:21:02,166
{\an8}WORANAN:
219
00:22:07,916 --> 00:22:10,791
It has been
seven days since this team of 12 Thai boys
220
00:22:10,875 --> 00:22:14,041
and their football coach has been missing
in this vast cave complex.
221
00:22:14,125 --> 00:22:16,208
REPORTER 2:
Water levels in the cave have been rising,
222
00:22:16,291 --> 00:22:19,500
going up overnight
by six inches every hour.
223
00:22:19,583 --> 00:22:21,916
REPORTER 3: High water levels
have made the search very challenging,
224
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,000
but divers use huge pumps
to reduce some of that water.
225
00:22:30,208 --> 00:22:33,291
{\an8}BANCHA:
226
00:22:47,458 --> 00:22:49,375
Now, volunteers have been traveling
227
00:22:49,458 --> 00:22:51,916
to northern Thailand
to help with the rescue operation.
228
00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:54,125
REPORTER 2: This has become,
really, a worldwide rescue effort.
229
00:22:54,208 --> 00:22:57,833
Volunteers from Europe,
Australia, Asia and the U.S.
230
00:22:58,083 --> 00:23:00,375
{\an8}
231
00:23:05,166 --> 00:23:08,041
{\an8}WALEEPORN:
232
00:23:19,083 --> 00:23:22,291
{\an8}APAKORN:
233
00:23:28,750 --> 00:23:33,416
Today, I am training
in the Khao Yai National Park.
234
00:23:34,291 --> 00:23:38,000
{\an8}WALEEPORN:
235
00:23:55,208 --> 00:23:57,541
- You need gasoline for...
- One thousand...
236
00:24:03,041 --> 00:24:05,791
JOHN: That evening,
we met the American military
237
00:24:05,875 --> 00:24:07,750
who had deployed from Japan.
238
00:24:09,625 --> 00:24:12,500
Rick and John
were very laid back, you know?
239
00:24:12,833 --> 00:24:15,333
{\an8}They were definitely not
what you're used to seeing
240
00:24:15,416 --> 00:24:18,958
{\an8}in the military.
Shorts and flip flops and T-shirts.
241
00:24:20,291 --> 00:24:21,583
But, as I started speaking with them,
242
00:24:21,666 --> 00:24:24,375
I realized that they were very,
very highly skilled.
243
00:24:24,791 --> 00:24:28,541
I had gone in myself to Chamber Three
where I had to do a couple of short dives,
244
00:24:28,708 --> 00:24:31,666
but I was thinking to myself,
"Man, this is absolutely horrible."
245
00:24:31,916 --> 00:24:36,125
I remember John kind of laughed at me
because he knew the next question I had,
246
00:24:36,250 --> 00:24:38,041
"Why would someone do this for fun?"
247
00:24:40,583 --> 00:24:42,958
Cave diving for me is relaxing.
248
00:24:43,750 --> 00:24:45,375
Nobody tells you what to do...
249
00:24:46,125 --> 00:24:49,125
your time is your own.
It's very liberating.
250
00:24:49,208 --> 00:24:52,500
But having said that, most of the time
it is jumping into a muddy hole.
251
00:24:52,583 --> 00:24:53,750
That's exactly right.
252
00:25:04,333 --> 00:25:07,708
RICK: Caving is clearly
about the exploration side of it.
253
00:25:10,041 --> 00:25:12,458
Some of the dives we do,
you could be hours in,
254
00:25:12,666 --> 00:25:16,875
totally reliant on artificial light,
artificial heating.
255
00:25:18,041 --> 00:25:19,625
It's like being in space.
256
00:25:20,541 --> 00:25:22,958
Probably the purest adventure
you could have.
257
00:25:27,375 --> 00:25:31,125
It takes a peculiar type of person
to be a cave diving explorer.
258
00:25:37,208 --> 00:25:39,833
RICHARD: What makes someone want to be
an explorer?
259
00:25:40,833 --> 00:25:44,958
I think it's two parts ego,
one part curiosity,
260
00:25:45,708 --> 00:25:47,666
one part, um...
261
00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:55,041
um, lack of confidence in yourself
and a need to prove yourself.
262
00:25:57,958 --> 00:26:00,125
You know, maybe I was no good
at footy and cricket,
263
00:26:00,208 --> 00:26:03,166
but at least I can, you know,
cave dive quite well.
264
00:26:04,250 --> 00:26:07,416
I think it's fair to say all of us
were not team players.
265
00:26:07,500 --> 00:26:10,416
None of us are very good
with ball skills.
266
00:26:10,833 --> 00:26:12,125
I was a loser.
267
00:26:12,541 --> 00:26:14,500
I'm terrible at team sports.
268
00:26:14,958 --> 00:26:18,500
I think "doesn't play well with others"
is the phrase that you're looking for.
269
00:26:19,875 --> 00:26:22,583
RICK: I was quiet and shy
and didn't like confrontation.
270
00:26:23,083 --> 00:26:24,500
I wasn't so sociable.
271
00:26:24,625 --> 00:26:27,833
I was bullied a bit as a teenager, yeah,
'cause I was a little bit different.
272
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,000
I've got a lazy left eye.
273
00:26:30,291 --> 00:26:32,916
{\an8}Which, when I was younger,
actually pointed in the wrong direction.
274
00:26:33,416 --> 00:26:35,458
{\an8}Which is quite funny looking back on it
275
00:26:35,541 --> 00:26:39,166
'cause it was quite a big part
of my life at the time,
276
00:26:39,250 --> 00:26:40,958
like, it was quite a self...
277
00:26:42,416 --> 00:26:45,916
I was quite self-conscious about it,
you know? Kids are mean.
278
00:26:48,541 --> 00:26:51,333
JOHN: There's no question
that in my younger years
279
00:26:51,833 --> 00:26:54,750
I started off
perhaps emotionally challenged.
280
00:26:55,333 --> 00:26:58,583
Yeah, I wasn't the most social person.
A bit of bullying at school and stuff,
281
00:26:58,666 --> 00:27:01,166
but the worst people
I've blocked out of my mind.
282
00:27:02,500 --> 00:27:05,833
{\an8}But once I get underground,
that all disappears.
283
00:27:08,458 --> 00:27:11,916
JOSH: Can't see anything,
just my bubbles.
284
00:27:12,791 --> 00:27:13,875
Isolated.
285
00:27:14,166 --> 00:27:16,833
It's the place where I,
kind of feel comfortable
286
00:27:16,916 --> 00:27:18,500
and feel like, I...
287
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,000
feel safe.
288
00:27:22,750 --> 00:27:24,333
Quiet and peace.
289
00:27:25,666 --> 00:27:28,875
Get away from everything
in normal society.
290
00:27:29,041 --> 00:27:31,416
Back to the age of the cave man.
291
00:27:39,541 --> 00:27:41,416
JOSH: It comes back
to that kind of ability
292
00:27:41,583 --> 00:27:43,500
to expand your comfort zone...
293
00:27:44,958 --> 00:27:47,458
but probably
some people's worst nightmares.
294
00:27:54,416 --> 00:27:57,541
It's about controlling
your emotions and your fear...
295
00:27:59,041 --> 00:28:01,958
because panic is death in the cave.
296
00:28:11,958 --> 00:28:16,750
{\an8}There is still a reason for optimism.
Medical experts say it is possible
297
00:28:16,875 --> 00:28:19,958
{\an8}to stay alive for this period of time
without food.
298
00:28:20,458 --> 00:28:24,916
But in an operation like this, every hour
is important. And every hour...
299
00:28:25,208 --> 00:28:28,250
{\an8}Even when it's not raining,
rescuers say water is continuing
300
00:28:28,333 --> 00:28:29,750
{\an8}to seep into the cave.
301
00:28:29,958 --> 00:28:33,125
They're up in the mountains right now
trying to divert it away.
302
00:28:34,416 --> 00:28:38,375
{\an8}You have to hike, and then you have
to actually look for places
303
00:28:38,791 --> 00:28:40,750
{\an8}where the water, like, disappears.
304
00:28:42,083 --> 00:28:45,416
If we found cracks,
we laid out plastic bags,
305
00:28:45,583 --> 00:28:48,708
and divert the water
by using sandbags and a pipe.
306
00:28:52,333 --> 00:28:54,541
You know, just behind us,
there's some heavy equipment
307
00:28:54,625 --> 00:28:58,083
that's just been brought in here
to pump out more water from the caves.
308
00:28:58,166 --> 00:28:59,833
And Howard, we were talking yesterday
309
00:29:00,083 --> 00:29:02,375
about the British divers
who've gone out there.
310
00:29:02,583 --> 00:29:06,458
I asked them for an update,
but they walked past, very stony-faced.
311
00:29:06,666 --> 00:29:08,250
They've been very media shy.
312
00:29:08,333 --> 00:29:10,208
Actually, they've been keeping
their heads down
313
00:29:10,291 --> 00:29:11,833
and getting on with the job.
314
00:29:15,250 --> 00:29:18,625
RICK: The next morning,
we decided to see if we could progress.
315
00:29:19,958 --> 00:29:23,750
Now there was another guy on the scene,
a Belgian guy called Ben Reymenants.
316
00:29:28,083 --> 00:29:31,166
We met Ben when he was coming out
from his dive.
317
00:29:32,041 --> 00:29:34,916
The three of us are chest deep
in water in this little pool.
318
00:29:35,083 --> 00:29:37,583
He said it was impossible
to make progress.
319
00:29:38,041 --> 00:29:39,083
{\an8}The flow was so strong,
320
00:29:39,166 --> 00:29:42,416
{\an8}that if I would've turned my head,
my mask would've been ripped off.
321
00:29:42,833 --> 00:29:44,500
My watch had broken against the rocks.
322
00:29:44,708 --> 00:29:47,833
My dry suit was leaking.
I couldn't properly breath.
323
00:29:48,125 --> 00:29:49,416
"This is suicide. What am I doing?"
324
00:29:57,791 --> 00:30:00,125
JOHN: We essentially agreed
that the conditions
325
00:30:00,208 --> 00:30:02,291
in the cave were impossible.
326
00:30:03,833 --> 00:30:05,291
The monsoon had come early,
327
00:30:05,666 --> 00:30:08,750
and it wasn't going to let up
for many months.
328
00:30:18,500 --> 00:30:23,541
JOHN: There was a very strong feeling
that the children couldn't be still alive.
329
00:30:24,083 --> 00:30:26,583
It just didn't... it didn't seem possible.
330
00:30:27,500 --> 00:30:28,833
We lost hope.
331
00:30:29,791 --> 00:30:32,791
{\an8}FEMALE VOICE 1:
332
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:39,125
{\an8}FEMALE VOICE 2:
333
00:30:39,208 --> 00:30:40,458
{\an8}FEMALE VOICE 3:
334
00:30:46,125 --> 00:30:49,708
The American contingent
also felt it's a lost cause.
335
00:30:51,125 --> 00:30:55,333
We were really kind of just sat around
waiting for a body recovery.
336
00:30:55,875 --> 00:30:57,875
{\an8}
337
00:31:04,833 --> 00:31:07,333
{\an8}COMMENTATOR:
...fancied Belgium come face to face
338
00:31:07,416 --> 00:31:10,833
with the only Asian team left
in the competition...
339
00:31:11,375 --> 00:31:14,291
RICK: People had their mobile phones
and were looking at the World Cup.
340
00:31:15,791 --> 00:31:18,750
We just sat around.
We were quite despondent,
341
00:31:18,833 --> 00:31:21,416
with the fate of those children
in our thoughts.
342
00:31:23,708 --> 00:31:26,291
We started to wonder,
"Do we actually need to be here?"
343
00:31:26,875 --> 00:31:31,666
We reached out to the British consular,
saying, "Can he sort some flights out?"
344
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:33,625
And that didn't go down very well.
345
00:31:36,791 --> 00:31:39,791
{\an8}
346
00:31:48,541 --> 00:31:50,541
{\an8}APAKORN:
347
00:31:52,708 --> 00:31:55,750
{\an8}APAKORN:
348
00:32:00,250 --> 00:32:01,833
{\an8}APAKORN:
349
00:32:12,708 --> 00:32:17,375
{\an8}SOMSAK:
350
00:32:31,583 --> 00:32:35,583
{\an8}WALEEPORN:
351
00:32:47,375 --> 00:32:50,833
{\an8}SINGHANAT:
352
00:33:14,750 --> 00:33:17,041
{\an8}WORANAN:
353
00:33:35,833 --> 00:33:37,625
They're doing everything possible
354
00:33:37,708 --> 00:33:40,583
to stem the flow of water
into the cave system.
355
00:33:44,208 --> 00:33:48,416
Standing here four days ago
I would've been knee deep in water.
356
00:33:48,916 --> 00:33:50,791
It's quite a feat of engineering.
357
00:33:53,375 --> 00:33:56,291
{\an8}SINGHANAT:
358
00:34:07,958 --> 00:34:09,875
Rick and I went
to the Americans and said, "Look,
359
00:34:10,125 --> 00:34:12,083
"We want to get back in the game.
Can you help us?"
360
00:34:13,166 --> 00:34:16,166
So, eventually, the Thais
allowed us back in the cave.
361
00:34:17,541 --> 00:34:18,791
On that Sunday morning,
362
00:34:18,875 --> 00:34:22,333
Ben had done quite a bit of work
continuing the line of the SEALs.
363
00:34:22,833 --> 00:34:26,250
I give credit to Ben and the SEALs
for persevering
364
00:34:26,333 --> 00:34:28,708
when we thought
it was absolutely impossible.
365
00:34:30,916 --> 00:34:34,416
I am extremely disappointed in myself...
366
00:34:35,208 --> 00:34:39,916
that we kind of gave up when we did.
That shouldn't have happened.
367
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:45,791
RICK: We laid line on Sunday.
368
00:34:47,166 --> 00:34:51,458
The next day, John and I took another
two bags of rope to continue it.
369
00:34:53,625 --> 00:34:58,083
One of the golden rules of cave diving
is to have a continuous line
370
00:34:58,166 --> 00:35:00,000
between you and safety.
371
00:35:11,666 --> 00:35:14,666
After two or three hours,
we reached a junction.
372
00:35:16,208 --> 00:35:19,250
Which is about 800 meters
beyond Chamber Three.
373
00:35:20,916 --> 00:35:24,500
Tham Luang is one
of the longest caves in Thailand.
374
00:35:27,541 --> 00:35:31,666
The cave lies under
the Doi Nang Non mountain range.
375
00:35:37,625 --> 00:35:41,083
From the entrance,
it's 800 meters to Chamber Three.
376
00:35:42,583 --> 00:35:47,875
Chamber Three had enough dry land
that the SEALs were in residence there.
377
00:35:49,625 --> 00:35:53,666
And then beyond that, you were largely
in the water the whole way.
378
00:35:54,500 --> 00:35:56,708
The next feature is the T-junction.
379
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:00,291
Two underground rivers
unite at the T-junction
380
00:36:00,375 --> 00:36:02,041
and then flow to the entrance.
381
00:36:03,416 --> 00:36:08,125
We thought the possible places
where the kids could've found sanctuary
382
00:36:08,333 --> 00:36:10,375
was a place called Pattaya Beach.
383
00:36:12,291 --> 00:36:14,208
Pattaya Beach is the most
comfortable area.
384
00:36:14,416 --> 00:36:16,250
It was the highest area as well.
385
00:36:19,958 --> 00:36:22,583
RICK: We progressed by feel
and dead reckoning.
386
00:36:22,791 --> 00:36:25,250
We've no idea what we're going to find.
387
00:36:26,166 --> 00:36:29,250
So, I was just feeling around in the murk.
388
00:36:31,875 --> 00:36:35,458
We had no idea whether we were going
to encounter dead bodies.
389
00:36:35,916 --> 00:36:38,583
We were stealing ourselves
from that eventuality.
390
00:36:39,250 --> 00:36:41,708
I know what I was prepared to bump into
391
00:36:41,791 --> 00:36:44,166
because I'd visualized it very,
very carefully.
392
00:36:45,541 --> 00:36:49,708
I'm a great believer in visualization.
I try and put emotions in a box.
393
00:36:50,500 --> 00:36:52,083
I can visualize a shelf,
394
00:36:52,333 --> 00:36:55,416
and I put the box on the top shelf
and I leave it there,
395
00:36:55,666 --> 00:36:57,000
and I do what I need to do.
396
00:37:05,250 --> 00:37:09,166
As we got to any airspace,
I took my mask off and had a sniff.
397
00:37:10,208 --> 00:37:12,125
Caves have got a very neutral smell.
398
00:37:12,208 --> 00:37:15,875
You'd easily smell people
that had been in there for ten days,
399
00:37:16,375 --> 00:37:18,333
defecating, decaying.
400
00:37:21,541 --> 00:37:22,708
Rick and I had already discussed
401
00:37:22,791 --> 00:37:25,458
that we would lay the thick line
as far as we could.
402
00:37:25,541 --> 00:37:28,458
and then I had a reel
of 200 meters of thinner line.
403
00:37:28,666 --> 00:37:32,541
We would use these to give us
maximum possible reach into the cave.
404
00:37:38,708 --> 00:37:41,791
RICK: Everyone had held their hopes out
that the children were at this place
405
00:37:41,875 --> 00:37:43,375
called Pattaya Beach.
406
00:37:44,458 --> 00:37:47,375
We did know from the survey
that was the only section of the cave
407
00:37:47,541 --> 00:37:49,000
that traveled due east.
408
00:37:52,416 --> 00:37:55,375
So, when our compasses
started to point east...
409
00:37:58,583 --> 00:38:01,041
we were at the mythical Pattaya Beach.
410
00:38:02,666 --> 00:38:04,041
Everything was underwater.
411
00:38:06,375 --> 00:38:09,166
We actually retraced our route there
a few times.
412
00:38:09,833 --> 00:38:13,583
But there was absolutely nowhere
a group of people could have survived.
413
00:38:17,041 --> 00:38:19,041
I was getting quite keen to turn around
414
00:38:19,125 --> 00:38:22,541
because I was way beyond
any sensible air margin.
415
00:38:23,666 --> 00:38:26,833
Rule number one,
use a third of your air on the way in,
416
00:38:26,916 --> 00:38:29,500
a third on the way out,
and you keep a third for spare.
417
00:38:31,083 --> 00:38:34,333
But I just had
this powerful feeling that...
418
00:38:36,458 --> 00:38:40,291
just that it was time to push.
It was the right time to push.
419
00:38:48,666 --> 00:38:51,000
So, we continue upstream...
420
00:38:52,791 --> 00:38:54,166
trying to follow the flow.
421
00:39:29,333 --> 00:39:31,291
RICK: It was instantaneous.
422
00:39:31,625 --> 00:39:33,833
A pungent smell.
423
00:39:34,458 --> 00:39:35,750
Silence.
424
00:39:36,791 --> 00:39:40,166
We both assumed
we were smelling decomposing bodies.
425
00:39:41,500 --> 00:39:43,333
There's something unpleasant here.
426
00:39:46,916 --> 00:39:50,125
And then, suddenly, I saw a light flash.
427
00:39:58,458 --> 00:40:00,375
John immediately got out the camera.
428
00:40:04,875 --> 00:40:07,083
John, light it up. Yeah, best you can.
429
00:40:09,416 --> 00:40:11,250
How many of you?
430
00:40:11,541 --> 00:40:12,958
- Thirteen.
- Thirteen?
431
00:40:13,083 --> 00:40:14,583
- Yeah, thirteen.
- Brilliant.
432
00:40:14,708 --> 00:40:15,750
Yeah, yeah.
433
00:40:17,458 --> 00:40:20,416
Believe. Believe.
434
00:40:21,666 --> 00:40:24,708
On the audio, there's me saying "Believe."
435
00:40:25,458 --> 00:40:27,833
That was me trying to tell me,
"This is real.
436
00:40:28,375 --> 00:40:29,916
"This is actually happening."
437
00:40:32,291 --> 00:40:33,958
{\an8}JOHN: No. Not today.
438
00:40:34,166 --> 00:40:35,833
- Please?
-Not today.
439
00:40:36,083 --> 00:40:37,291
We have to dive.
440
00:40:37,625 --> 00:40:39,416
We are coming. It's okay.
441
00:40:39,500 --> 00:40:41,333
-It's okay.
-Many people are coming.
442
00:40:41,500 --> 00:40:44,958
Many, many people.
We are the first. Many people come.
443
00:40:47,791 --> 00:40:50,041
JOHN:
Tomorrow. No, no, no. What day is it now?
444
00:40:51,541 --> 00:40:53,791
{\an8}BOY 1:
445
00:40:53,916 --> 00:40:56,041
-I don't know...
-Monday, Monday.
446
00:40:56,166 --> 00:41:01,375
Okay but one week and Monday.
You have been here ten days.
447
00:41:02,416 --> 00:41:05,000
Ten days. You are very strong.
448
00:41:06,583 --> 00:41:07,791
Very strong.
449
00:41:08,875 --> 00:41:12,916
{\an8}BOY 2:
450
00:41:13,041 --> 00:41:16,375
{\an8}JOHN: I don't know.
Okay, get back. We come. We come.
451
00:41:18,041 --> 00:41:19,833
{\an8}JOHN: I know. I know. I understand.
452
00:41:20,500 --> 00:41:23,166
We come. Okay. We come.
453
00:41:25,083 --> 00:41:29,708
{\an8}BOY 3:
454
00:41:33,083 --> 00:41:34,458
We took our equipment off
455
00:41:34,541 --> 00:41:37,625
on the other side of the passage
and made our way over to them.
456
00:41:40,791 --> 00:41:44,583
RICK: I mean, clearly, John has a son.
And I haven't got children.
457
00:41:44,875 --> 00:41:47,958
I've structured my life to avoid children
as much as possible.
458
00:41:48,708 --> 00:41:50,375
But John is a cub master,
459
00:41:50,500 --> 00:41:52,375
so he's used to dealing
with groups of children.
460
00:41:52,458 --> 00:41:54,291
Say... Thumbs up. Say, "Yay!"
461
00:41:54,375 --> 00:41:55,500
- Yay!
- Yay!
462
00:41:55,583 --> 00:41:58,125
RICK: He got them to do
a motivational exercise.
463
00:41:58,208 --> 00:41:59,458
Everybody say, "Yeah!"
464
00:41:59,541 --> 00:42:00,625
- Yeah!
- Yeah!
465
00:42:00,750 --> 00:42:03,833
Excellent. Say, "Hello, Americans."
466
00:42:04,125 --> 00:42:05,583
- Hello, Americans.
- Hello, Americans.
467
00:42:05,666 --> 00:42:07,208
Hello, Thai Navy.
468
00:42:07,416 --> 00:42:09,166
- Hello, Thai Navy.
- Hello, Thai Navy.
469
00:42:09,541 --> 00:42:11,375
Say, "Hello, Australians."
470
00:42:11,500 --> 00:42:13,291
- Hello, Australia.
- Hello, Australia.
471
00:42:13,541 --> 00:42:14,916
Hello, Chinese.
472
00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:16,208
- Hello, Chinese.
- Hello, Chinese.
473
00:42:16,291 --> 00:42:17,875
And thank you, everybody else.
474
00:42:17,958 --> 00:42:19,958
- And thank you, everybody.
- And thank you, everybody.
475
00:42:20,041 --> 00:42:21,791
Okay. We see you soon.
476
00:42:22,708 --> 00:42:26,125
RICK: As we left, pretty much all of them
came and hugged us individually.
477
00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:30,250
JOHN: I made them a promise
that I would come back.
478
00:42:31,666 --> 00:42:33,583
I am really happy you're here.
479
00:42:33,666 --> 00:42:35,375
We are happy too.
480
00:42:35,625 --> 00:42:38,125
-Yes. Thank you so much.
-Thank you so much.
481
00:42:38,250 --> 00:42:40,250
-Okay.
-So, where you come from?
482
00:42:41,208 --> 00:42:43,416
-England, UK.
-Oh.
483
00:42:45,458 --> 00:42:47,708
RICK: As we went round the corner
and kitted up,
484
00:42:48,041 --> 00:42:50,833
total silence between me and John,
just...
485
00:42:50,916 --> 00:42:53,208
...looking to each other's faces thinking,
486
00:42:53,416 --> 00:42:55,958
"We may be the only ones
that ever see them."
487
00:42:57,833 --> 00:43:00,000
That was a distinct possibility.
488
00:43:06,041 --> 00:43:09,166
The whole journey back,
all I was thinking was,
489
00:43:09,375 --> 00:43:11,625
"What on earth are we going to do now?"
490
00:43:20,750 --> 00:43:25,125
I surfaced first in Chamber Three
where the Thai Navy SEALs had their base.
491
00:43:25,375 --> 00:43:27,291
- Thirteen alive.
492
00:43:27,416 --> 00:43:28,708
They're okay. Yeah.
493
00:43:32,458 --> 00:43:33,750
You close.
494
00:43:33,916 --> 00:43:34,875
{\an8}DIVER 2:
495
00:43:35,041 --> 00:43:36,500
{\an8}JOHN:
We've got a message. This is...
496
00:43:36,583 --> 00:43:37,833
{\an8}DIVER 3:
497
00:43:38,041 --> 00:43:39,083
Good job, man.
498
00:43:39,333 --> 00:43:42,083
{\an8}DIVER 3:
499
00:43:50,125 --> 00:43:52,500
The SEALs
immediately relayed the news
500
00:43:52,583 --> 00:43:53,833
to the outside.
501
00:43:54,750 --> 00:43:56,375
Shortly after we exited,
502
00:43:56,583 --> 00:43:59,458
the footage was released
all over the world.
503
00:44:00,125 --> 00:44:02,083
FEMALE REPORTER:
Live images coming out of Thailand.
504
00:44:02,458 --> 00:44:03,625
{\an8}JOHN:
505
00:44:03,833 --> 00:44:05,291
Dramatic breaking news.
506
00:44:05,458 --> 00:44:06,791
{\an8}JOHN: You are very strong.
507
00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:09,416
{\an8}FEMALE REPORTER: A true miracle.
508
00:44:09,583 --> 00:44:11,375
{\an8}-
- The moment.
509
00:44:11,916 --> 00:44:14,250
{\an8}
510
00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:24,583
{\an8}
Thailand's prayers have paid off.
511
00:44:27,541 --> 00:44:28,958
{\an8}-
512
00:44:32,708 --> 00:44:34,333
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
513
00:44:34,416 --> 00:44:36,500
Your troops are doing
a really good job.
514
00:44:36,583 --> 00:44:37,916
Back at you too.
515
00:44:38,458 --> 00:44:40,125
What a remarkable turn of events.
516
00:44:40,708 --> 00:44:42,583
{\an8}FEMALE VOICE:
517
00:44:56,333 --> 00:45:00,166
I would like to say thank you to everyone.
518
00:45:05,208 --> 00:45:06,625
-We are team.
-Family.
519
00:45:06,708 --> 00:45:08,208
Yes, team, yes.
520
00:45:08,625 --> 00:45:12,916
That night, there was as battle meeting
at the American camp with the Thai Navy.
521
00:45:13,625 --> 00:45:17,166
This was a formal meeting
with Rear Admiral Apakorn.
522
00:45:17,833 --> 00:45:22,250
BEN SVASTI: Rick and John told the Thais
finding the boys was the easy part,
523
00:45:22,333 --> 00:45:26,250
and they really didn't have a clue
how to get those kids out.
524
00:45:27,791 --> 00:45:31,916
RICK: Rear Admiral Apakorn thanked us
for our role of being path finders.
525
00:45:32,583 --> 00:45:36,583
And he said, "The Thai SEALs
would take over chain of command
526
00:45:36,666 --> 00:45:39,458
"and you will just be
in an advisory role."
527
00:45:41,708 --> 00:45:43,916
{\an8}AMP:
528
00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:52,833
Suddenly, it was like a navy going to war.
529
00:46:04,875 --> 00:46:08,625
{\an8}
530
00:46:18,875 --> 00:46:23,416
{\an8}WORANAN:
531
00:46:32,208 --> 00:46:35,583
The Thai Navy SEALs
carried in vast quantities of equipment,
532
00:46:35,666 --> 00:46:37,750
the piles of diving cylinders.
533
00:46:37,916 --> 00:46:40,666
The task was absolutely massive
and crucial.
534
00:46:56,333 --> 00:46:59,708
JOHN: They had a lot of people
and a lot of equipment.
535
00:47:00,083 --> 00:47:03,125
But we started to hear
that their first set of divers
536
00:47:03,208 --> 00:47:04,875
had run into problems.
537
00:47:08,750 --> 00:47:13,208
{\an8}ANUPONG:
538
00:47:26,750 --> 00:47:29,583
{\an8}APAKORN:
539
00:47:56,291 --> 00:47:58,583
{\an8}
540
00:48:00,875 --> 00:48:05,041
{\an8}SAMAN:
541
00:48:08,666 --> 00:48:10,166
{\an8}SAMAN:
542
00:48:17,416 --> 00:48:20,125
{\an8}BHAK:
543
00:48:44,375 --> 00:48:45,666
The four that were left
544
00:48:45,791 --> 00:48:48,000
were effectively trapped in
with the children.
545
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:53,291
{\an8}BHAK:
546
00:49:08,166 --> 00:49:09,333
{\an8}ANUPONG:
547
00:49:15,541 --> 00:49:18,666
{\an8} Authorities there are looking
at all of their options,
548
00:49:18,750 --> 00:49:19,708
{\an8}none of them easy.
549
00:49:19,791 --> 00:49:23,375
{\an8}Right now, the preferable option
is to keep them down there.
550
00:49:23,458 --> 00:49:26,041
It could be months
to get those boys out safely.
551
00:49:26,291 --> 00:49:28,333
FEMALE REPORTER 1: Sending in supplies
and waiting until the season
552
00:49:28,458 --> 00:49:31,875
of the monsoons and flooding is over,
they said that could be till October.
553
00:49:32,083 --> 00:49:34,375
The search also continues
in the hills and jungle
554
00:49:34,458 --> 00:49:37,333
above the cave complex.
Workers looking for any way
555
00:49:37,416 --> 00:49:39,875
to get into the cave
beyond the flooded sections.
556
00:49:40,625 --> 00:49:42,500
FEMALE REPORTER 2:
Another possibility they're looking at
557
00:49:42,625 --> 00:49:46,333
is drilling new entries into the caves
so they can pull them out.
558
00:49:46,750 --> 00:49:48,333
FEMALE REPORTER 3:
Creating the shaft large enough
559
00:49:48,625 --> 00:49:52,000
will be extremely complicated
and could take a long time.
560
00:49:52,083 --> 00:49:55,791
MALE REPORTER 2: The only real alternative
is to pump out the water.
561
00:49:56,041 --> 00:50:00,166
They're pumping out
something like 1.6 million liters of water
562
00:50:00,250 --> 00:50:02,000
{\an8}and it only went down one centimeter.
563
00:50:03,416 --> 00:50:05,000
{\an8}GOVERNOR NARONGSAK:
564
00:50:10,333 --> 00:50:13,250
There's almost a one in a billion chance
565
00:50:13,500 --> 00:50:15,750
that any of these things
could have worked.
566
00:50:17,291 --> 00:50:19,458
And so the Americans were getting worried,
567
00:50:19,625 --> 00:50:22,875
and they were asking us,
"Was there anything that we could do?"
568
00:50:23,208 --> 00:50:27,000
We said we didn't think it was possible
for us to dive the children out.
569
00:50:27,083 --> 00:50:29,541
The experience with the four pump workers
570
00:50:29,750 --> 00:50:32,416
was an indication of that,
where they couldn't even hold it together
571
00:50:32,500 --> 00:50:35,708
for 30 seconds,
let alone two-and-a-half-hours.
572
00:50:36,416 --> 00:50:37,958
We said it can't be done.
573
00:50:39,666 --> 00:50:41,708
I was like, "Well, what if it could?"
574
00:50:42,875 --> 00:50:45,000
What does the impossible look like?
575
00:50:49,958 --> 00:50:52,041
RICK: When we got back
to our resort that night,
576
00:50:52,333 --> 00:50:54,125
we continued thinking it through.
577
00:51:02,208 --> 00:51:05,708
I texted an old friend,
Dr. Richard Harris from Australia.
578
00:51:10,291 --> 00:51:12,458
RICHARD: It was on a Thursday,
the 5th of July,
579
00:51:12,541 --> 00:51:15,708
when I started
exchanging messages with Rick.
580
00:51:17,666 --> 00:51:20,833
I said, "Is it possible
to anesthetize the children?"
581
00:51:22,250 --> 00:51:26,416
{\an8}My immediate response to Rick
was, "Absolutely not. It's not possible."
582
00:51:27,708 --> 00:51:30,166
Early one morning,
Harry's phone had been
583
00:51:30,291 --> 00:51:33,541
{\an8}pinging away all night, and I had a look,
and I saw the message from Rick saying,
584
00:51:33,625 --> 00:51:38,166
{\an8}"What do you think about sedating
the boys and diving them out?"
585
00:51:38,250 --> 00:51:44,166
{\an8}And I actually laughed.
I laughed. It just sounded ludicrous.
586
00:51:44,750 --> 00:51:48,166
I could think of a 100 ways
a child would die very quickly.
587
00:51:48,958 --> 00:51:53,458
For example, to maintain your airway,
you know, you need to keep their chin up.
588
00:51:53,583 --> 00:51:56,375
At any time during the dive,
the child's airway could obstruct.
589
00:51:56,791 --> 00:51:59,750
They would asphyxiate.
Their sinuses could fill up with blood.
590
00:51:59,833 --> 00:52:01,625
They could drown in their own saliva.
591
00:52:01,791 --> 00:52:04,083
Honestly, I could talk for an hour
about the ways
592
00:52:04,166 --> 00:52:06,000
that I thought these kids could die.
593
00:52:08,916 --> 00:52:12,625
RICK: So, the next morning,
we had a proper voice conversation,
594
00:52:12,750 --> 00:52:16,708
and he said he was willing
to consider it, give it some thought.
595
00:52:23,416 --> 00:52:27,375
At the same time, we realized
it's two days since we'd found them
596
00:52:27,458 --> 00:52:29,250
and no proper meals had gone in.
597
00:52:31,875 --> 00:52:36,541
We took it upon ourselves to scrounge
some ration packs off the Americans.
598
00:52:38,916 --> 00:52:42,333
{\an8}AMP:
599
00:52:51,500 --> 00:52:52,500
{\an8}
600
00:52:52,916 --> 00:52:55,916
{\an8}
601
00:53:05,291 --> 00:53:07,500
It just seemed a bit ludicrous to me,
602
00:53:07,916 --> 00:53:09,708
relying on bracelets.
603
00:53:10,458 --> 00:53:15,083
BEN SVASTI: I said, "Rick, those kids
really believe in spirits.
604
00:53:15,375 --> 00:53:19,583
"It will improve their morale.
It really is important."
605
00:53:19,791 --> 00:53:21,416
Then he calmed down. He said,
606
00:53:21,583 --> 00:53:25,166
{\an8}"Okay, just leave... Put 'em in.
I'll take them in there."
607
00:53:33,375 --> 00:53:35,125
JOHN: It was a desperate struggle
608
00:53:35,458 --> 00:53:38,833
dragging these two huge bags of food
against the current.
609
00:53:41,708 --> 00:53:43,583
My most difficult dive yet.
610
00:53:49,500 --> 00:53:52,708
When we got to the children
they were really excited to see us.
611
00:53:52,875 --> 00:53:54,166
Their morale was good.
612
00:53:55,083 --> 00:53:58,083
We passed the bracelets
out to the boys one by one.
613
00:53:58,333 --> 00:54:01,375
And they knew what they were,
reaching their hands out to get them.
614
00:54:02,333 --> 00:54:05,500
Dr. Bhak put two of the boys
to work stacking the food
615
00:54:05,583 --> 00:54:08,166
in neat, orderly piles,
they didn't tear into it.
616
00:54:10,541 --> 00:54:13,916
{\an8}BHAK:
617
00:54:24,750 --> 00:54:26,541
As they were eating,
618
00:54:26,625 --> 00:54:30,250
both John and I felt the air
was starting to feel a little bit stale.
619
00:54:31,125 --> 00:54:32,458
I think it's recording.
620
00:54:32,625 --> 00:54:36,833
RICK: The effort of climbing the slope,
the panting that was required.
621
00:54:38,791 --> 00:54:40,458
Let's just do a count down. Hang on.
622
00:54:43,791 --> 00:54:48,041
So, I turned the oxygen monitor on
and it immediately went into full alarm...
623
00:54:49,416 --> 00:54:51,500
and registered 15 percent.
624
00:54:52,375 --> 00:54:55,416
For the oxygen, anything under 18 percent
625
00:54:55,500 --> 00:54:57,750
is not sustainable to life
in the long term.
626
00:54:59,875 --> 00:55:02,416
RICK: I couldn't look the children
in their eyes.
627
00:55:09,541 --> 00:55:11,791
{\an8}FEMALE REPORTER:
Breaking news right now out of Thailand.
628
00:55:11,875 --> 00:55:14,958
{\an8}MALE REPORTER: We just found out that
a Thai Navy SEAL working to save
629
00:55:15,041 --> 00:55:19,041
{\an8}those young boys inside that deep,
dark cave has died.
630
00:55:19,208 --> 00:55:20,416
{\an8}
631
00:55:20,500 --> 00:55:23,666
{\an8}The man who died was young, he was fit,
he was a former Navy SEAL.
632
00:55:23,750 --> 00:55:27,458
{\an8}Authorities say, "38-year-old Saman Gunan,
who'd rejoined the SEALs
633
00:55:27,708 --> 00:55:31,000
{\an8}"solely to help the search,
died from lack of oxygen."
634
00:55:33,791 --> 00:55:38,125
{\an8}APAKORN:
635
00:55:46,125 --> 00:55:47,833
The bundle of neoprene wetsuits
636
00:55:47,916 --> 00:55:49,166
was really buoyant
637
00:55:49,333 --> 00:55:51,750
and it would've been
a huge burden to take in.
638
00:55:52,875 --> 00:55:57,166
On his way back, he ran out of air
fairly close to the third chamber.
639
00:55:59,500 --> 00:56:01,500
{\an8}APAKORN:
640
00:56:16,416 --> 00:56:19,500
{\an8}WALEEPORN:
641
00:56:54,041 --> 00:56:55,541
{\an8}ANAN:
642
00:57:19,833 --> 00:57:21,333
Unfortunately, it was Saman.
643
00:57:21,416 --> 00:57:23,375
It could've been another one earlier on.
644
00:57:24,333 --> 00:57:26,000
Saman is in the SEALs.
645
00:57:26,166 --> 00:57:29,250
They were operating in an environment
they're not used to.
646
00:57:30,833 --> 00:57:32,583
None of them had dived in caves
647
00:57:32,666 --> 00:57:35,125
and the kit they had
was completely unsuitable.
648
00:57:36,666 --> 00:57:38,875
They were unbelievably brave.
649
00:57:49,083 --> 00:57:53,083
The moment Saman Gunan died,
the Rear Admiral said,
650
00:57:53,208 --> 00:57:55,291
"We won't be diving
to the boys any further."
651
00:57:55,500 --> 00:57:58,750
And from that time on,
there was no further diving
652
00:57:58,833 --> 00:58:01,041
by Thai SEALs beyond Chamber Three.
653
00:58:02,208 --> 00:58:06,666
The Thai Navy SEALs
put everything they had into it.
654
00:58:06,958 --> 00:58:09,625
They risked their lives,
I would say, more than the Brits.
655
00:58:10,125 --> 00:58:15,041
But they didn't have the skill set,
and they couldn't quite figure out
656
00:58:15,250 --> 00:58:18,833
why these old men were a lot better
at doing it than them.
657
00:58:20,041 --> 00:58:24,333
But no special force in the world
has those skills.
658
00:58:24,541 --> 00:58:28,333
Only this private group of people
who do it as a weekend hobby.
659
00:58:31,250 --> 00:58:36,041
RICK: The moment I found the boys,
Amp said that I totally changed.
660
00:58:36,375 --> 00:58:40,333
The responsibility despite not officially
being on my shoulders
661
00:58:40,458 --> 00:58:42,416
was morally on my shoulders.
662
00:58:44,166 --> 00:58:45,625
It had to be us.
663
00:58:52,458 --> 00:58:56,208
RICK: In the morning, I had
a chat with Harry. I told him the truth.
664
00:58:56,291 --> 00:58:58,958
I said sedation was the only option.
665
00:58:59,791 --> 00:59:03,583
He said he'd come out to help us,
but not to sedate them.
666
00:59:04,666 --> 00:59:07,875
Maybe I sounded like I just thought
this would be a good jolly
667
00:59:07,958 --> 00:59:11,583
or a good adventure to Rick.
Because he said to me on the phone...
668
00:59:11,958 --> 00:59:14,750
"If you come here,
and you dive to the children,
669
00:59:14,958 --> 00:59:16,541
"and you're not prepared to sedate them,
670
00:59:16,625 --> 00:59:18,958
"you will see the children
and they will die."
671
00:59:24,541 --> 00:59:29,375
This plan, still so preposterous.
Surely this is not gonna work.
672
00:59:29,916 --> 00:59:32,666
And the thought of just bringing out
the bodies of these kids
673
00:59:32,750 --> 00:59:34,458
was just too much for me.
674
00:59:36,208 --> 00:59:39,666
How many times
have you had to remove bodies...
675
00:59:40,208 --> 00:59:41,833
which have been left in caves?
676
00:59:44,833 --> 00:59:48,750
It's not quite double figures,
but I think it's around nine, I think.
677
00:59:51,083 --> 00:59:54,166
RICK: I went to Mexico in 1994
678
00:59:54,541 --> 00:59:57,125
in a very deep cave,
1,000-meter-deep cave.
679
00:59:57,541 --> 01:00:00,541
My best friend was operating
as a diver on that project
680
01:00:00,791 --> 01:00:03,166
and he had an incident and he did die.
681
01:00:06,083 --> 01:00:11,208
It was traumatic, 'cause he was such
a close friend, and it was so hands-on.
682
01:00:11,291 --> 01:00:14,208
He wasn't in a stretcher,
he wasn't wrapped up.
683
01:00:17,958 --> 01:00:23,333
Despite Harry's skepticism, I became more
and more convinced this was the only way.
684
01:00:24,458 --> 01:00:27,208
So, the next morning,
I told Derek the concept.
685
01:00:28,291 --> 01:00:30,875
I told him it's a horrible idea.
And then Rick said,
686
01:00:30,958 --> 01:00:32,458
"What if it's the only idea?"
687
01:00:33,541 --> 01:00:35,000
I was highly skeptical.
688
01:00:35,458 --> 01:00:38,208
But I believed in their talents
and their abilities.
689
01:00:42,125 --> 01:00:43,875
{\an8}AMP:
690
01:00:47,583 --> 01:00:48,583
I asked,
691
01:00:48,666 --> 01:00:50,333
"If you could put together
the best team in the world
692
01:00:50,416 --> 01:00:54,000
"of guys that you would need to do this,
who would it be?"
693
01:00:56,416 --> 01:00:57,750
{\an8}CHRIS: I had a message from John saying,
694
01:00:57,916 --> 01:01:01,000
{\an8}"We don't think the time and treatment
can affect the evacuation.
695
01:01:01,083 --> 01:01:02,791
"That means we need you
and you need Jason."
696
01:01:03,791 --> 01:01:06,625
I was climbing
the internal structure of a building,
697
01:01:06,791 --> 01:01:09,250
{\an8}checked my phone, and Chris says,
"We're flying out tonight."
698
01:01:12,666 --> 01:01:15,333
I was a couple of days
from the end of my holiday,
699
01:01:15,416 --> 01:01:17,250
{\an8}on my way down a mountain in Italy.
700
01:01:17,666 --> 01:01:20,291
I get a text saying,
"How soon can you be ready?"
701
01:01:20,458 --> 01:01:22,958
{\an8}I was ringing my boss to get time off.
702
01:01:26,416 --> 01:01:29,500
{\an8}I was actually meant to attend
my friend's stag do on that Saturday.
703
01:01:32,750 --> 01:01:36,458
RICHARD: When I realized I was gonna be
headed over to Thailand,
704
01:01:36,708 --> 01:01:39,125
I went in to visit my dad
in the nursing home.
705
01:01:41,000 --> 01:01:45,541
FIONA: His dad, he didn't understand
the cave diving thing.
706
01:01:46,291 --> 01:01:49,958
Definitely less than me,
and they had a bit of a long running joke.
707
01:01:50,125 --> 01:01:53,083
He would constantly ask
when I was gonna give up cave diving,
708
01:01:53,166 --> 01:01:56,666
'cause it worried him, obviously.
And I'd always joke with him, saying,
709
01:01:56,750 --> 01:02:00,083
"Oh, actually, that was my last dive,
I'm finished now."
710
01:02:00,208 --> 01:02:01,916
And he'd go,
"That's great. I'm so relieved."
711
01:02:02,000 --> 01:02:03,875
And then he'd look at me
and then roar with laughter
712
01:02:03,958 --> 01:02:05,833
as he'd realized I was pulling his leg.
713
01:02:05,916 --> 01:02:09,083
So, we had a good chat,
and then I headed off the next day.
714
01:02:23,541 --> 01:02:25,541
RICHARD: So, when we arrived at the cave,
715
01:02:25,625 --> 01:02:30,041
we step out of this minivan
to a sea of cameras staring us down.
716
01:02:31,416 --> 01:02:33,791
I found it really frightening actually.
717
01:02:35,041 --> 01:02:39,458
We found John and Rick,
and they looked a bit shagged.
718
01:02:41,125 --> 01:02:42,833
The first thing I said was,
719
01:02:42,916 --> 01:02:46,333
"Look, I've got to dive the cave,
get to the end, see the kids myself,
720
01:02:46,500 --> 01:02:49,041
"convince myself that there's no other way
to get them out."
721
01:02:50,791 --> 01:02:54,125
RICHARD: My partner, Craig,
and I swam to the children.
722
01:02:55,500 --> 01:02:57,458
{\an8}It was just a muddy hole, really.
723
01:03:03,000 --> 01:03:06,041
As I surfaced,
the filth floating on the water
724
01:03:06,250 --> 01:03:08,833
meant we were in the final chamber
where the kids were.
725
01:03:10,583 --> 01:03:13,083
When I realized I was actually
about to meet these boys,
726
01:03:13,166 --> 01:03:15,958
of course,
I thought about my own children.
727
01:03:17,416 --> 01:03:20,125
I was slightly horrified
how thin they looked.
728
01:03:20,708 --> 01:03:24,125
And I could hear a couple
of them coughing, pretty wet coughs.
729
01:03:25,500 --> 01:03:28,708
They looked weak to me,
but it's incredible to me still
730
01:03:28,791 --> 01:03:34,000
that there was not one trembling lip,
not a tear, not any sign of any concern.
731
01:03:36,500 --> 01:03:40,166
{\an8}BHAK:
732
01:03:57,083 --> 01:03:59,083
I just spent
the whole time swimming out
733
01:03:59,166 --> 01:04:02,250
and thinking about what we were gonna do.
734
01:04:02,625 --> 01:04:05,333
And I guess that's when I decided that,
735
01:04:05,458 --> 01:04:09,000
"Yeah, I'm just gonna have
to get on board with this plan."
736
01:04:15,750 --> 01:04:18,750
{\an8}At that point, we need the bodies,
the guys who were able
737
01:04:18,833 --> 01:04:21,708
{\an8}to help alleviate some
of the work load off John and Rick.
738
01:04:23,375 --> 01:04:26,875
{\an8}We were kind of a team
that's living in Thailand already.
739
01:04:27,375 --> 01:04:32,583
{\an8}Kind of the technical dive instructors.
Most of us were from Europe.
740
01:04:33,291 --> 01:04:35,500
We rolled them in immediately
into our team.
741
01:04:36,583 --> 01:04:39,958
The team was ready,
but the Thai authorities
742
01:04:40,166 --> 01:04:46,083
were still unwilling to make a decision
and give the go ahead.
743
01:04:47,291 --> 01:04:52,500
{\an8}
744
01:04:54,375 --> 01:04:57,500
Conditions worsening,
air supply dwindling,
745
01:04:57,583 --> 01:05:01,750
and the other concern looming
is the monsoon rain in the forecast.
746
01:05:03,250 --> 01:05:06,833
{\an8}JOHN: We now had two ticking clocks,
the oxygen and the weather.
747
01:05:06,916 --> 01:05:09,000
{\an8}...afternoon as we get thunderstorms
that developed,
748
01:05:09,083 --> 01:05:11,750
{\an8}this is a tell-tale sign
of the monsoons really.
749
01:05:18,958 --> 01:05:23,125
The Thai Navy SEALs want zero risk.
That's not gonna happen.
750
01:05:24,708 --> 01:05:28,250
But what appeared to tip the balance
was a gentleman called, "Josh Morris."
751
01:05:29,625 --> 01:05:32,708
JOSH MORRIS: When I arrived, I said,
"I have a climbing and caving school,
752
01:05:32,791 --> 01:05:35,875
"and I speak Thai."
Thanet and I were working together.
753
01:05:35,958 --> 01:05:41,416
{\an8}Then I bumped into Vern, who let me know,
kind of, things weren't so hunky-dory.
754
01:05:42,333 --> 01:05:45,541
I have access to, like... So, I...
755
01:05:45,791 --> 01:05:48,583
-So, they won't listen to us now.
- I just bumped into him this morning,
756
01:05:48,666 --> 01:05:51,833
and I'd be happy to communicate for you.
Shall I take notes?
757
01:05:52,041 --> 01:05:56,541
John was visibly stressed.
And he said, "If it rains,
758
01:05:56,750 --> 01:05:59,208
"and the waters come up,
nobody's getting in that cave.
759
01:05:59,333 --> 01:06:01,500
"The conditions are terrible in there.
760
01:06:01,583 --> 01:06:03,291
"They're in those blankets
and everybody looks happy,
761
01:06:03,375 --> 01:06:05,541
"but the room stinks,
762
01:06:06,041 --> 01:06:09,250
they don't have any food, they've got
cuts, like, they're gonna get sick."
763
01:06:09,500 --> 01:06:12,500
I said, "What are you talking about?
I haven't heard any of that.
764
01:06:12,666 --> 01:06:14,541
"How much food do they have?"
And he said,
765
01:06:14,750 --> 01:06:16,083
"They've got about a 100 meals."
766
01:06:17,166 --> 01:06:20,208
- Oxygen is at what level now? Do we know?
- So we measured it at 15.
767
01:06:20,291 --> 01:06:23,458
But we're not... It could be 16 percent.
768
01:06:24,375 --> 01:06:26,166
You know we play it safe.
769
01:06:26,541 --> 01:06:29,916
How about the dive?
How do you guys feel about that?
770
01:06:30,125 --> 01:06:34,041
It's exceptionally, exceptionally risky.
But they haven't got any other chance.
771
01:06:34,166 --> 01:06:35,333
You don't think there's any chance?
772
01:06:35,416 --> 01:06:37,000
- If they don't dive...
- Are you recording?
773
01:06:46,208 --> 01:06:49,083
DEREK: Finally, we got the audience
we needed that night.
774
01:06:49,708 --> 01:06:52,375
The Minister of the Interior came,
and everybody ended up
775
01:06:52,458 --> 01:06:55,250
in the room together,
and I helped to translate.
776
01:06:56,125 --> 01:06:57,958
DEREK:
We just walked them through the plan.
777
01:06:59,000 --> 01:07:01,125
I think the biggest questions
that people were having still
778
01:07:01,208 --> 01:07:06,000
was, like, the risk, you know? And like,
I told 'em, "It's extremely risky.
779
01:07:06,083 --> 01:07:08,541
"But if you could get one kid back
to their parents alive,
780
01:07:08,666 --> 01:07:10,333
"that to me would be a success."
781
01:07:12,708 --> 01:07:14,375
RICHARD: They asked me lots of questions.
782
01:07:14,583 --> 01:07:17,333
"Why was I choosing this drug?
Why was I choosing these doses?"
783
01:07:17,416 --> 01:07:21,208
And I had to keep emphasizing to them,
"Look, this is my best guess,
784
01:07:21,333 --> 01:07:26,041
"nobody's ever done it before,
I am totally open to a better suggestion."
785
01:07:26,541 --> 01:07:29,208
I remember feeling like
a used car salesman
786
01:07:29,333 --> 01:07:33,291
who was trying to sell an old bomb
to some unsuspecting people...
787
01:07:33,583 --> 01:07:37,125
um, and I just... I felt like just a liar.
788
01:07:37,833 --> 01:07:40,125
DEREK: They kept asking,
"Can we just leave them in there?"
789
01:07:40,208 --> 01:07:42,083
That kept coming back on the table.
790
01:07:42,208 --> 01:07:44,083
And I said,
"Well, we're running out of oxygen."
791
01:07:44,166 --> 01:07:47,375
Also, we calculated 2,000 meals
we'd have to bring in.
792
01:07:47,541 --> 01:07:50,958
And once the rain started again
you couldn't swim against those flows.
793
01:07:53,041 --> 01:07:56,166
JOSH MORRIS: And then Thanet and I
ended back up in another meeting.
794
01:07:56,333 --> 01:07:58,416
At one point I said to the minister,
795
01:07:58,625 --> 01:08:01,166
"The only guarantee I can give you
is that if you don't dive,
796
01:08:01,250 --> 01:08:02,375
"everyone will die.
797
01:08:03,291 --> 01:08:07,000
"I don't envy you, sir.
Both choices are terrible,
798
01:08:07,250 --> 01:08:09,000
"but one is worse than the other."
799
01:08:18,625 --> 01:08:21,500
Still, the following morning,
we didn't have the go ahead,
800
01:08:21,583 --> 01:08:24,708
but we came up
with an actual, logistical plan,
801
01:08:24,791 --> 01:08:28,208
the real nuts and bolts
of how it was going to work.
802
01:08:30,458 --> 01:08:34,833
How we were going to transport the boys
to how we were gonna package them.
803
01:08:35,791 --> 01:08:38,541
The cylinder was going to go
on the front of the child, not the back.
804
01:08:39,666 --> 01:08:43,083
So that when they were floating face down,
that tank would act like a keel.
805
01:08:44,375 --> 01:08:47,458
We worked out that you needed
positive pressure masks...
806
01:08:48,166 --> 01:08:51,208
so if you made a leak,
it'd go outwards and not inwards.
807
01:08:51,833 --> 01:08:54,458
And the Americans happened
to have four of these masks.
808
01:08:55,625 --> 01:09:00,541
So, that meant we'd go in multiple times.
We had to go in every day, for three days.
809
01:09:01,291 --> 01:09:03,041
JOHN: There was a demonstration
that was done,
810
01:09:03,416 --> 01:09:05,541
the Americans called it a rock drill.
811
01:09:05,625 --> 01:09:08,458
A big drill called
the rehearsal of concept.
812
01:09:09,291 --> 01:09:12,500
We kind of simulated the extraction
as best we could.
813
01:09:12,791 --> 01:09:16,750
{\an8}- MALE VOICE 1:
- MALE VOICE 2:
814
01:09:17,166 --> 01:09:18,541
{\an8}MALE VOICE 3:
815
01:09:18,750 --> 01:09:19,958
If the water comes up...
816
01:09:20,083 --> 01:09:23,375
It was useful, but it was more useful
for people making the decisions.
817
01:09:23,458 --> 01:09:26,416
They suddenly realized that, sort of,
there is some method to the madness,
818
01:09:27,000 --> 01:09:29,166
and maybe we could pull it off.
819
01:09:31,541 --> 01:09:34,875
One of the foreign affairs guys
from Australia came up to me and said,
820
01:09:34,958 --> 01:09:38,625
"Look, in the...
in the interest of full disclosure,
821
01:09:38,708 --> 01:09:41,041
"I just need to tell you
that if something goes wrong
822
01:09:41,250 --> 01:09:43,750
"during the rescue, it's not impossible
823
01:09:43,833 --> 01:09:46,625
"that you could end up
in the Thai judicial system."
824
01:09:46,708 --> 01:09:48,208
And I said,
"What? You mean, 'imprisonment'?"
825
01:09:48,291 --> 01:09:50,333
And he said, "Yeah,
that's sort of the worst-case scenario,
826
01:09:50,458 --> 01:09:51,791
"and the rules here are pretty harsh."
827
01:09:53,708 --> 01:09:55,250
If things had gone wrong,
828
01:09:55,458 --> 01:09:59,333
public opinion would have turned
against them very quickly.
829
01:10:00,958 --> 01:10:03,291
RICK:
There was an extraction plan in place.
830
01:10:04,458 --> 01:10:07,375
To put us in a van,
drive us cross-country on back roads
831
01:10:07,458 --> 01:10:10,875
to the embassy compound.
So, all very James Bond-esque.
832
01:10:12,166 --> 01:10:14,125
FEMALE REPORTER:
There is a green privacy screen
833
01:10:14,208 --> 01:10:16,916
that has now been put up,
blocking the entrance to the cave.
834
01:10:17,000 --> 01:10:21,666
{\an8}This is perhaps another indication
this rescue could be incredibly close.
835
01:10:25,875 --> 01:10:28,916
It was about 2:00 in the morning
that the Minister for the Interior said,
836
01:10:29,000 --> 01:10:31,791
"Okay, assume the plans
going ahead tomorrow,
837
01:10:32,208 --> 01:10:34,458
"um, and we'll give you the green light
in the morning."
838
01:10:36,333 --> 01:10:38,541
We had a debrief every night,
839
01:10:38,625 --> 01:10:42,416
and on the night
before the first rescue day,
840
01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:46,916
which incidentally
was our 28th wedding anniversary...
841
01:10:47,458 --> 01:10:50,875
But I spoke to him that night,
and he outlined what they were gonna do.
842
01:10:51,041 --> 01:10:52,916
It was a terrible conversation,
'cause he said, "Look,
843
01:10:53,125 --> 01:10:54,875
"I don't think it'll...
844
01:10:55,583 --> 01:10:58,500
"work, I think they'll probably drown
under anesthetic."
845
01:11:00,500 --> 01:11:04,541
I slept very badly that night.
Lying in bed, I thought,
846
01:11:04,666 --> 01:11:08,583
"Who am I to take this chance
to get the kids out this way?"
847
01:11:10,291 --> 01:11:15,250
But to walk away and leave them in there,
that's impossible, you can't do it.
848
01:11:16,291 --> 01:11:19,375
The other thing that gave me
the courage to go through with this
849
01:11:19,541 --> 01:11:21,041
was my dad.
850
01:11:21,625 --> 01:11:24,166
My dad was a doctor,
he was a vascular surgeon.
851
01:11:24,666 --> 01:11:27,041
The thing I've got from my father
more than anything
852
01:11:27,125 --> 01:11:28,916
was the way to treat other people.
853
01:11:29,500 --> 01:11:31,750
You know, he's a very generous man.
854
01:11:32,958 --> 01:11:37,833
It was a good lesson to me
to try and treat people the way he did.
855
01:11:45,416 --> 01:11:48,125
{\an8}POLICE OFFICER OVER PA:
856
01:11:52,750 --> 01:11:54,916
Reporters say
they've been ordered to get back.
857
01:11:55,000 --> 01:11:56,958
REPORTER 2:
There are rumors floating around the camp
858
01:11:57,041 --> 01:12:00,416
that this rescue
could even be happening as soon as today.
859
01:12:00,541 --> 01:12:03,291
The relatives
can only watch and wait anxiously.
860
01:12:03,375 --> 01:12:05,458
REPORTER 4:
For a final rescue, Thai medical teams
861
01:12:05,541 --> 01:12:06,791
are running rescue drills...
862
01:12:07,375 --> 01:12:10,083
RICHARD:
I got the Thai medical people, overnight,
863
01:12:10,166 --> 01:12:13,416
to prepare all the drugs
into prefilled syringes.
864
01:12:13,833 --> 01:12:16,166
I had to basically teach
the rest of the divers
865
01:12:16,333 --> 01:12:19,083
how to top up the child
with another injection.
866
01:12:20,291 --> 01:12:22,333
The boys were gonna be sedated
in the final chamber,
867
01:12:22,416 --> 01:12:25,541
but it would take more than two hours
to dive them out.
868
01:12:25,708 --> 01:12:27,833
So, that sedative would wear off.
869
01:12:28,208 --> 01:12:32,166
It would be necessary for us
to readminister that sedative.
870
01:12:33,083 --> 01:12:35,333
RICHARD:
So, we had a little anesthesia 101 class.
871
01:12:35,625 --> 01:12:38,000
Basically I just said,
"Stick it in their leg,
872
01:12:38,083 --> 01:12:41,458
"preferably on the outside of their thigh,
jab it through the wetsuit,
873
01:12:41,583 --> 01:12:43,333
"and it doesn't matter
if you hit the bone.
874
01:12:44,291 --> 01:12:48,375
"Nothing could possibly go wrong."
Once again, lying through my teeth.
875
01:12:48,708 --> 01:12:50,958
It's just to really give them
the courage to do it.
876
01:13:02,208 --> 01:13:06,791
{\an8}
877
01:13:10,708 --> 01:13:15,583
I have ten divers ready to go
in the next 30 minutes.
878
01:13:20,958 --> 01:13:24,416
The ropes team will consist
of six Americans,
879
01:13:24,541 --> 01:13:29,375
five Australians, five Chinese,
and six rope-specialist civilians.
880
01:13:30,541 --> 01:13:32,375
MALE VOICE:
Chamber Three, there will be
881
01:13:32,458 --> 01:13:34,875
a Thai national coordination.
882
01:13:40,666 --> 01:13:43,916
We cordoned off
our section of Chamber Three,
883
01:13:44,083 --> 01:13:47,708
we brought in 15 body bags
in case things did go south.
884
01:14:02,458 --> 01:14:08,416
I went straight to the end of the cave,
along with Jason and John and Harry.
885
01:14:09,875 --> 01:14:14,375
We all know our position in the cave
and we went in roughly in that order.
886
01:14:51,708 --> 01:14:55,125
I got the first boy ready
with the help of the SEALs.
887
01:14:57,041 --> 01:15:00,375
We needed to put this hood on,
put his buoyancy jacket over...
888
01:15:01,375 --> 01:15:05,000
put these bungee cords around
ready for the cylinder.
889
01:15:13,208 --> 01:15:16,833
RICHARD: It was a very simple combination
of drugs that I came up with.
890
01:15:19,875 --> 01:15:24,708
Xanax was the tablet, which has
a very strong anti-anxiety effect.
891
01:15:25,541 --> 01:15:29,041
Dr. Bhak had given the first tablet
to the first kid.
892
01:15:30,291 --> 01:15:35,500
{\an8}BHAK:
893
01:15:43,208 --> 01:15:46,166
So, I injected
the atropine into one leg first,
894
01:15:46,250 --> 01:15:49,291
which has an anti-salivation side effect,
895
01:15:49,375 --> 01:15:52,166
because they could drown
in their own saliva potentially.
896
01:15:53,291 --> 01:15:54,958
And then, pretty much straight away
897
01:15:55,041 --> 01:15:58,041
followed it up with the injection
of ketamine in the other leg,
898
01:15:58,125 --> 01:16:00,416
which is the general anesthetic drug.
899
01:16:01,375 --> 01:16:05,416
I'd hold up the syringe in front of them
and pat their leg to let them know
900
01:16:05,500 --> 01:16:07,125
they're about to get an injection.
901
01:16:08,416 --> 01:16:11,791
{\an8}BHAK:
902
01:16:19,541 --> 01:16:21,083
Once they were unconscious
903
01:16:21,166 --> 01:16:23,791
it was basically trying
to put a mask on a rag doll.
904
01:16:26,250 --> 01:16:31,375
I didn't feel comfortable in any way,
shape or form about what we were doing.
905
01:16:31,833 --> 01:16:33,791
I mean, there were two things
that were really powerful,
906
01:16:33,875 --> 01:16:35,750
and that is pushing
someone's face underwater
907
01:16:36,166 --> 01:16:37,541
who's unconscious,
908
01:16:38,750 --> 01:16:40,708
and then tying their hands
behind their back.
909
01:16:40,833 --> 01:16:43,708
I mean, both those things feel very,
very wrong.
910
01:16:46,291 --> 01:16:48,041
It felt like euthanasia to me.
911
01:16:55,083 --> 01:16:57,416
On that first trip,
Jason yelled back to me and said,
912
01:16:57,500 --> 01:16:59,500
"Oh, Harry, he's not breathing very much."
913
01:17:00,458 --> 01:17:03,875
And I told the guys,
"This is a one-way trip,
914
01:17:03,958 --> 01:17:05,708
"once you start you cannot stop.
915
01:17:05,791 --> 01:17:08,583
"You can't come back to me,
'cause there's nothing I can do.
916
01:17:09,208 --> 01:17:11,500
"If you end up taking a body
out of the cave
917
01:17:11,583 --> 01:17:13,541
"then that's what
you're taking out of the cave."
918
01:17:26,541 --> 01:17:30,666
RICK: In Chamber Eight, it felt like
we were waiting forever.
919
01:17:33,416 --> 01:17:35,291
Suddenly the line twitched.
920
01:17:37,541 --> 01:17:39,625
And Jason comes up with a child...
921
01:17:41,250 --> 01:17:42,541
looking for a breath.
922
01:17:44,541 --> 01:17:49,125
I can only say that there was just
this huge tension in the air.
923
01:17:52,125 --> 01:17:54,791
The fact that he was still alive,
it was just
924
01:17:54,875 --> 01:17:57,666
like a weight
had been lifted off my shoulders.
925
01:17:58,333 --> 01:17:59,750
But that was only 300 meters,
926
01:17:59,833 --> 01:18:02,583
they still had a kilometer-and-a-half
to get out of the cave.
927
01:18:04,208 --> 01:18:07,791
Then he actually started twitchin',
movin' the fingers,
928
01:18:08,041 --> 01:18:11,333
he looked like a zombie.
Our eyes were agog with this.
929
01:18:12,750 --> 01:18:15,958
We gave 'em another injection there
and we transported him
930
01:18:16,041 --> 01:18:18,291
over the dry chamber
to the next flooded section.
931
01:18:24,291 --> 01:18:26,500
John took the second child.
932
01:18:28,291 --> 01:18:31,541
I remember, John looked at me,
and he said, "What's his name?"
933
01:18:32,541 --> 01:18:33,875
"I don't know, John."
934
01:18:34,541 --> 01:18:36,958
JOHN: I was nervous.
I would go further than that,
935
01:18:37,041 --> 01:18:38,708
I would say I was shitting myself.
936
01:18:41,333 --> 01:18:47,083
As I swam him out, I just remember feeling
ownership and determination
937
01:18:47,541 --> 01:18:50,250
that I'll make damned sure
that my child survived.
938
01:18:53,791 --> 01:18:55,291
Chris took the third child.
939
01:18:57,625 --> 01:19:00,750
You couldn't see your hand
in front of your face.
940
01:19:01,333 --> 01:19:04,333
Occasionally, you'll get a glimpse
of something through the murk.
941
01:19:05,541 --> 01:19:09,208
I remember trying to wriggle through holes
that I couldn't wriggle through.
942
01:19:09,458 --> 01:19:13,166
Finding a bigger space
and then that repeating again and again.
943
01:19:15,708 --> 01:19:20,125
After the first submerged section,
I carried on out with the lad that I had.
944
01:19:22,041 --> 01:19:26,166
I surfaced in a deep water canal,
and there was no dry land.
945
01:19:27,625 --> 01:19:29,583
But he was starting twitching again.
946
01:19:34,291 --> 01:19:36,791
So, I got my vials of ketamine out.
947
01:19:40,833 --> 01:19:43,708
My hands are shaking 'cause I've
never given an injection before.
948
01:19:45,208 --> 01:19:48,333
I managed to get one of the vials,
you've got a separate needle,
949
01:19:48,416 --> 01:19:51,000
took it out of its holder,
stabbed myself in the finger.
950
01:19:51,125 --> 01:19:53,625
I'm lucky that's not connected
to the vial of ketamine
951
01:19:53,708 --> 01:19:56,333
otherwise there'd be two bodies
floating on the surface.
952
01:19:57,958 --> 01:19:59,333
Gave him that injection.
953
01:20:00,708 --> 01:20:02,583
True enough, he had stopped twitching.
954
01:20:15,083 --> 01:20:17,708
John came to the chamber,
and the child didn't appear
955
01:20:17,791 --> 01:20:19,041
to be breathing right.
956
01:20:21,000 --> 01:20:24,750
JOHN: I had to change
the oxygen cylinders for the child.
957
01:20:24,958 --> 01:20:28,250
And I couldn't get him
breathing again with the mask on.
958
01:20:28,916 --> 01:20:30,000
Mask off.
959
01:20:31,416 --> 01:20:33,541
We'd take the mask off,
and it did improve,
960
01:20:33,625 --> 01:20:37,083
and then we put the mask back on
and it would get worse again.
961
01:20:37,416 --> 01:20:39,833
And this went on
for a couple of times.
962
01:20:41,708 --> 01:20:43,166
John was really worried.
963
01:20:43,666 --> 01:20:47,000
JOHN: I wanted to bolt for the exit
and it would have been finished.
964
01:20:47,083 --> 01:20:48,333
Mask's all right.
965
01:20:48,583 --> 01:20:50,833
It really felt like a sheer act of will,
966
01:20:50,916 --> 01:20:53,625
because every fiber in my being
wanted to be out.
967
01:20:54,250 --> 01:20:56,083
But I knew that I couldn't do that,
968
01:20:56,250 --> 01:20:59,208
because I knew I'd end up with a corpse
at the end rather than a child.
969
01:21:02,500 --> 01:21:05,875
By the time John left with the kid,
it looked like we did fix it.
970
01:21:17,833 --> 01:21:20,500
When you got back
to the final flooded section
971
01:21:20,583 --> 01:21:23,333
that was always the hardest sump
to go through.
972
01:21:23,416 --> 01:21:25,875
You couldn't fit through
with a kid on either side.
973
01:21:30,333 --> 01:21:33,250
We had to push him through first
and then you went through after him.
974
01:21:35,083 --> 01:21:39,250
And then, as you approach Chamber Three,
you'd hear the humming of the pumps.
975
01:21:44,291 --> 01:21:45,916
I surfaced with the boy.
976
01:21:46,458 --> 01:21:49,375
A dozen hands there
are ready to take the child off you,
977
01:21:49,708 --> 01:21:51,333
straight into another stretcher.
978
01:21:59,000 --> 01:22:01,333
-Thirty kilos.
-Thirty kilos.
979
01:22:02,041 --> 01:22:05,708
Kid number one's alive, breathing.
I think that was...
980
01:22:06,458 --> 01:22:07,500
a huge morale boost.
981
01:22:08,250 --> 01:22:10,083
One, two, three.
982
01:22:17,041 --> 01:22:18,791
{\an8}APAKORN:
983
01:22:31,666 --> 01:22:34,583
I surfaced
in Chamber Three with my child.
984
01:22:35,541 --> 01:22:36,708
Relief.
985
01:22:37,583 --> 01:22:39,375
One, two, three, pull!
986
01:22:41,291 --> 01:22:42,375
Pull!
987
01:22:43,208 --> 01:22:44,291
Pull!
988
01:22:45,541 --> 01:22:46,541
Pull!
989
01:22:48,125 --> 01:22:49,416
Pull!
990
01:23:24,375 --> 01:23:27,916
There are reports,
I must stress they are unconfirmed,
991
01:23:28,166 --> 01:23:31,125
{\an8}that two boys have now
emerged from the cave.
992
01:23:31,291 --> 01:23:34,125
{\an8}Just seconds ago,
we saw another ambulance going in,
993
01:23:34,291 --> 01:23:36,375
{\an8}perhaps a third will be extracted.
994
01:23:38,666 --> 01:23:40,000
I arrived with my boy...
995
01:23:41,125 --> 01:23:42,541
handed this precious cargo off.
996
01:23:47,500 --> 01:23:49,916
I remember John saying to me,
"We've got three for three.
997
01:23:50,083 --> 01:23:51,750
"Amazing, got three for three."
998
01:23:52,125 --> 01:23:53,541
Then he looked at me, he said,
999
01:23:53,625 --> 01:23:55,791
"Come on, Stanton, don't... it up.
We've gotta get four for four."
1000
01:23:58,000 --> 01:24:01,208
RICHARD: Rick took the last child
and he headed out of the cave.
1001
01:24:01,833 --> 01:24:06,250
I said to Dr. Bhak, "That's it.
"Let's do four tomorrow."
1002
01:24:08,000 --> 01:24:11,583
{\an8}BHAK:
1003
01:24:27,291 --> 01:24:29,625
As I swam out to Chamber Eight,
1004
01:24:29,958 --> 01:24:31,666
completely zero visibility,
1005
01:24:32,291 --> 01:24:33,708
my hand's running along the rope...
1006
01:24:35,250 --> 01:24:38,916
and suddenly I put my hand on something
that felt like a dead fish.
1007
01:24:41,000 --> 01:24:45,583
Craig and Rick were looking quite anxious,
and they were saying, "Quick, get out."
1008
01:24:45,833 --> 01:24:46,875
Hurry, he's not breathing.
1009
01:24:47,000 --> 01:24:50,041
"We don't think this kid's breathing."
I quickly got my gear off.
1010
01:24:50,125 --> 01:24:52,750
I thought, "Well, you know,
this is it, the first one's died."
1011
01:24:54,375 --> 01:24:55,833
He looked pretty blue.
1012
01:24:56,750 --> 01:24:58,291
Very cold and lifeless.
1013
01:24:59,041 --> 01:25:02,208
And I actually couldn't convince myself
that he was breathing.
1014
01:25:03,875 --> 01:25:05,708
I was about to start mouth to mouth,
1015
01:25:05,833 --> 01:25:08,666
but just before I did
I gave his jaw a real hard push
1016
01:25:08,750 --> 01:25:12,083
to open his airway a bit, and he actually
started breathing with that.
1017
01:25:13,583 --> 01:25:15,208
But I still was really worried.
1018
01:25:15,291 --> 01:25:17,875
I still couldn't conceive
that this child would make it.
1019
01:25:21,541 --> 01:25:25,458
RICK: He was like that the whole way,
between two-and-a-half and three hours.
1020
01:25:27,875 --> 01:25:30,291
Just for my own sanity,
I would roll him over
1021
01:25:30,375 --> 01:25:31,791
so I could look into his face.
1022
01:25:32,708 --> 01:25:33,750
He looked asleep.
1023
01:25:34,916 --> 01:25:36,791
Except he happened to be underwater.
1024
01:25:41,708 --> 01:25:43,291
The moment you surface,
1025
01:25:43,375 --> 01:25:46,458
a fantastic sense
of elation and achievement.
1026
01:25:51,500 --> 01:25:55,083
{\an8}GOVERNOR NARONGSAK:
1027
01:26:05,875 --> 01:26:08,708
There was a sense
of disbelief that this technique worked.
1028
01:26:09,833 --> 01:26:14,125
Four of the young soccer players
trapped in that cave in Thailand are out.
1029
01:26:14,250 --> 01:26:17,750
{\an8}MALE REPORTER: So, eight boys
and their coach remain trapped,
1030
01:26:17,833 --> 01:26:22,041
{\an8}their lives still hanging in the balance.
This isn't over.
1031
01:26:22,291 --> 01:26:25,333
We'd just pulled off something we thought
was unbelievable and incredible.
1032
01:26:26,250 --> 01:26:27,916
Let's do it twice more.
1033
01:26:38,666 --> 01:26:40,333
{\an8}The breaking news is out of Thailand...
1034
01:26:40,583 --> 01:26:43,083
A boy was seen transported on stretcher...
1035
01:26:43,250 --> 01:26:44,708
FEMALE REPORTER:
The fifth boy to be rescued...
1036
01:26:44,791 --> 01:26:47,125
{\an8}One boy was taken from the cave
this morning...
1037
01:26:47,208 --> 01:26:50,750
{\an8}That right there is an ambulance
we believe to be carrying that sixth boy.
1038
01:26:50,916 --> 01:26:54,083
{\an8}This operation is being executed
extremely smoothly.
1039
01:26:54,166 --> 01:26:56,458
{\an8}And that appears
to be the seventh right there.
1040
01:26:56,541 --> 01:26:58,250
{\an8}MALE REPORTER 1: The boys are coming out.
1041
01:26:58,458 --> 01:27:01,416
{\an8}It's not the seventh child,
it is the eighth child.
1042
01:27:01,625 --> 01:27:03,791
{\an8}MALE REPORTER 2: Wild Boar eight out.
1043
01:27:03,916 --> 01:27:06,375
{\an8}One more day on the weather.
The last several days,
1044
01:27:06,458 --> 01:27:07,916
{\an8}they've had enormous luck.
1045
01:27:08,083 --> 01:27:10,625
{\an8}These monsoon rains
seem to have held off.
1046
01:27:12,333 --> 01:27:15,875
But the forecast we kept getting
were it's gonna rain imminently.
1047
01:27:17,833 --> 01:27:19,083
And it did.
1048
01:27:22,208 --> 01:27:23,541
It lashed it down.
1049
01:27:24,458 --> 01:27:25,750
It never stopped.
1050
01:27:25,958 --> 01:27:29,208
These rains will flood
the caves very quickly.
1051
01:27:32,041 --> 01:27:33,916
JOHN:
We spent the night listening to the rain.
1052
01:27:34,125 --> 01:27:36,458
It was really, really hammering down,
1053
01:27:37,000 --> 01:27:39,458
wondering what was gonna happen
in the cave.
1054
01:27:41,708 --> 01:27:46,291
RICHARD: It's the only time
I've ever seen Rick and John look anxious,
1055
01:27:46,583 --> 01:27:49,208
which was actually starting
to unsettle Craig and me.
1056
01:27:59,333 --> 01:28:00,541
CRAIG: We got up in the morning
1057
01:28:00,625 --> 01:28:03,166
and the whole place
was just awash with water.
1058
01:28:05,041 --> 01:28:07,708
JOHN: We worried that the dams
that diverted the water
1059
01:28:07,791 --> 01:28:09,083
would be drenched.
1060
01:28:09,958 --> 01:28:11,458
They couldn't hold off forever.
1061
01:28:12,750 --> 01:28:15,000
The water diversion will not last.
1062
01:28:15,875 --> 01:28:17,333
That's gonna destroy everything.
1063
01:28:20,958 --> 01:28:23,958
And then when we got
to our predive briefing in the morning,
1064
01:28:24,041 --> 01:28:25,708
and some of the guys were saying,
you know,
1065
01:28:25,791 --> 01:28:29,375
"Should we be going into the cave?
Should we be risking our lives?"
1066
01:28:29,541 --> 01:28:31,250
And then there were those of us
that were saying,
1067
01:28:31,333 --> 01:28:32,625
"What if we didn't go in today,
1068
01:28:32,833 --> 01:28:35,875
"and then tomorrow,
there was no more opportunity?"
1069
01:28:36,333 --> 01:28:38,833
And I felt like
I had to shut that down really quickly.
1070
01:28:39,458 --> 01:28:41,666
We just got up and walked
straight to the cave
1071
01:28:41,833 --> 01:28:45,541
and everybody else followed.
So, that was the decision made.
1072
01:28:48,000 --> 01:28:52,833
So, we realized we were going to attempt
five people on the last day.
1073
01:28:57,000 --> 01:28:59,708
Before heading into the cave,
the decision was made
1074
01:28:59,791 --> 01:29:04,916
that I would be the one to bring out...
...the first child that day.
1075
01:29:06,083 --> 01:29:08,833
As I was swimming,
my mind was on overdrive.
1076
01:29:09,625 --> 01:29:11,416
"Oh, my God, am I gonna be good enough?
1077
01:29:12,500 --> 01:29:15,208
"What about the parents
and the friends in the cave?"
1078
01:29:15,625 --> 01:29:17,166
It's a huge burden.
1079
01:29:17,666 --> 01:29:20,750
"If they die, it's gonna tear me apart.
Am I gonna start drinking?"
1080
01:29:21,375 --> 01:29:22,916
You know, "Go off the rails?"
1081
01:29:24,458 --> 01:29:25,833
I was given the coach.
1082
01:29:26,166 --> 01:29:31,208
As soon as I was holding him,
I switched to getting the job done.
1083
01:29:39,625 --> 01:29:41,666
Everything was going quite well.
1084
01:29:43,708 --> 01:29:45,500
I remember those last few minutes,
1085
01:29:45,750 --> 01:29:49,583
thinking to myself, "I'm nearly there.
What am I gonna do?"
1086
01:29:50,000 --> 01:29:52,708
'Cause I was pretty close
to my threshold.
1087
01:29:52,916 --> 01:29:55,208
"Am I gonna start crying
when I deliver him?"
1088
01:30:36,375 --> 01:30:39,125
John arrived after me,
then Rick arrived.
1089
01:30:39,208 --> 01:30:41,708
And Chris was due to come out next.
1090
01:30:42,166 --> 01:30:46,333
I kept waiting and waiting and waiting,
and he just didn't come.
1091
01:30:49,166 --> 01:30:52,166
CHRIS: I got all the way back
to the final underwater section,
1092
01:30:52,666 --> 01:30:55,916
the most awkward section.
Got the boy with me at this point,
1093
01:30:56,083 --> 01:30:57,666
you know, my precious cargo.
1094
01:31:00,458 --> 01:31:03,333
RICK: It's not a normal place
to have a line above you like that.
1095
01:31:03,875 --> 01:31:05,541
So, you'd have been on this side,
child in one hand,
1096
01:31:05,625 --> 01:31:08,333
line in the other above you.
Quite an awkward position.
1097
01:31:09,000 --> 01:31:11,916
And then something
on that last day changed,
1098
01:31:12,000 --> 01:31:14,125
and we all had problems in that section.
1099
01:31:15,583 --> 01:31:17,708
CHRIS: Just as I was going round
one of the corners,
1100
01:31:17,875 --> 01:31:21,083
I needed to transfer the rope
from one hand to another hand.
1101
01:31:21,916 --> 01:31:24,291
But it just pinged away from my hand.
1102
01:31:29,958 --> 01:31:31,458
This precious line
1103
01:31:31,541 --> 01:31:34,833
that ensures that we're going
to get out the water in one piece,
1104
01:31:35,125 --> 01:31:38,416
the thing you never lose,
the thing you never let go of,
1105
01:31:39,041 --> 01:31:40,458
I managed to let go of.
1106
01:31:42,833 --> 01:31:45,541
And I didn't know if the boy
might run out of gas.
1107
01:31:57,125 --> 01:32:00,166
It was just myself and Dr. Harris
in the water in Chamber Nine.
1108
01:32:00,250 --> 01:32:01,750
Everybody else had gone out by this point.
1109
01:32:03,208 --> 01:32:05,750
I thought the smallest child
had already gone,
1110
01:32:05,916 --> 01:32:12,666
but the last kid to walk down the hill
was this boy, Mark, who was 29 kilos.
1111
01:32:13,541 --> 01:32:17,625
Mark was by far the most small-faced
petite kid of them all.
1112
01:32:19,125 --> 01:32:21,541
We looked to each other and thought,
"That mask isn't gonna fit him.
1113
01:32:22,958 --> 01:32:25,041
"We can't leave him here today
and come back tomorrow,
1114
01:32:25,125 --> 01:32:26,750
"'cause I don't think
there's gonna be a chance tomorrow."
1115
01:32:29,541 --> 01:32:30,916
We tried the mask.
1116
01:32:31,625 --> 01:32:35,208
We tried packing stuff around it,
like putting the hood under it.
1117
01:32:36,833 --> 01:32:38,750
Try and tighten it up
as tight as possible,
1118
01:32:38,833 --> 01:32:41,500
so we were literally
crushing the kid's nose.
1119
01:32:42,083 --> 01:32:44,250
But there was no way
it was gonna keep water out.
1120
01:32:45,333 --> 01:32:48,833
For some reason, we'd brought
this more leisure-type,
1121
01:32:48,916 --> 01:32:50,291
full-faced mask too.
1122
01:32:50,833 --> 01:32:53,875
Compared to the other ones,
it looked like a little pink toy.
1123
01:32:54,500 --> 01:32:57,541
And when we tried cranking the straps
down on this leisure mask,
1124
01:32:57,625 --> 01:32:58,791
the seal collapsed.
1125
01:32:59,791 --> 01:33:01,291
And then water entered.
1126
01:33:02,583 --> 01:33:05,958
So we backed it off, tried it again,
then it collapsed again.
1127
01:33:06,208 --> 01:33:09,375
It just sat on his face, and you knew
that if it took a sideways knock,
1128
01:33:09,458 --> 01:33:10,833
that would have been curtains.
1129
01:33:14,125 --> 01:33:17,166
Jason, I could see
was very unhappy about it.
1130
01:33:21,000 --> 01:33:22,916
The very last child and I was thinking,
1131
01:33:23,083 --> 01:33:26,166
"Poor Jason," you know? "The last kid
is gonna be the one to drown,"
1132
01:33:26,333 --> 01:33:28,833
"and Jason's gonna have
to deal with that."
1133
01:33:30,916 --> 01:33:33,375
I had to go so slowly, so carefully.
1134
01:33:41,500 --> 01:33:42,750
We were waiting and waiting
1135
01:33:42,833 --> 01:33:46,250
and Chris didn't come,
so that was quite anxious.
1136
01:33:49,916 --> 01:33:54,000
Despite sweeping around
in the water to try and find this rope,
1137
01:33:54,750 --> 01:33:58,708
I couldn't find it.
I kept finding electrical cable.
1138
01:34:01,125 --> 01:34:03,791
That electrical cable
probably goes back to Chamber Three.
1139
01:34:04,916 --> 01:34:06,416
So, I started following it.
1140
01:34:09,833 --> 01:34:13,666
After, I guess, what was ten minutes,
I popped up into a chamber.
1141
01:34:14,500 --> 01:34:15,833
I was confused.
1142
01:34:19,000 --> 01:34:21,333
I was expecting to surface
in Chamber Three,
1143
01:34:21,416 --> 01:34:25,500
where the rescue workers were.
I surfaced in a chamber that was empty.
1144
01:34:26,000 --> 01:34:27,041
Hello!
1145
01:34:28,791 --> 01:34:30,000
Hello!
1146
01:34:31,083 --> 01:34:32,291
Hello!
1147
01:34:37,708 --> 01:34:40,875
If I've managed to find
an unknown chamber,
1148
01:34:40,958 --> 01:34:42,500
completely off the main route,
1149
01:34:43,083 --> 01:34:44,625
nobody's gonna come and find us.
1150
01:34:54,708 --> 01:34:57,875
I surfaced in the last air chamber
with the child,
1151
01:34:58,000 --> 01:35:01,000
and immediately in front of me,
there was this apparition of Chris,
1152
01:35:01,083 --> 01:35:02,625
and there was a child at his feet.
1153
01:35:02,708 --> 01:35:04,916
And my immediate thought was,
"We've lost one of them."
1154
01:35:05,250 --> 01:35:09,875
When I saw Jason,
I realized I'd gone backwards in the cave.
1155
01:35:10,041 --> 01:35:11,666
I realized I was back in Chamber Four.
1156
01:35:13,333 --> 01:35:17,208
Jason headed into the final section,
and then Harry appeared.
1157
01:35:19,250 --> 01:35:22,125
I said, "Look, mate,
you just stay here, gather your thoughts,
1158
01:35:22,208 --> 01:35:25,000
"I'll take the kid out in the last bit.
You come through when you're ready."
1159
01:35:31,041 --> 01:35:32,958
When I hear the humming
of the pump, I knew
1160
01:35:33,041 --> 01:35:35,916
I'm nearly at Chamber Three.
Just before I handed the kid over,
1161
01:35:36,000 --> 01:35:38,708
I got a lump in my throat,
'cause I knew he was gonna be out alive.
1162
01:35:40,375 --> 01:35:43,541
Okay, three, two, one.
1163
01:35:48,500 --> 01:35:51,041
When we heard Harry
was bringing Chris's boy forward,
1164
01:35:51,250 --> 01:35:52,333
I was confident in Harry
1165
01:35:52,458 --> 01:35:55,166
and pleased for him as well,
that he was able to experience that.
1166
01:35:57,916 --> 01:36:00,208
There was these big guys
from the U.S. Air Force there,
1167
01:36:00,541 --> 01:36:01,958
grabbing the kid off you.
1168
01:36:02,833 --> 01:36:05,666
Whisking him into a stretcher
and off up the hill.
1169
01:36:05,875 --> 01:36:07,250
And then he's just gone.
1170
01:36:11,333 --> 01:36:14,125
Suddenly, the mood was just amazing.
1171
01:36:16,125 --> 01:36:18,000
Passing around a bottle of Jack Daniels...
1172
01:36:19,291 --> 01:36:20,666
that wasn't really allowed.
1173
01:36:21,958 --> 01:36:23,333
Bloody done this, I can't believe it.
1174
01:36:26,125 --> 01:36:29,750
I knew the Thai Navy guys
and Dr. Bhak still had to come out
1175
01:36:29,833 --> 01:36:33,333
and we were still worried about them.
I mean, they still had a challenging dive.
1176
01:36:34,291 --> 01:36:37,375
And suddenly there's this cry
of something's going wrong.
1177
01:36:37,625 --> 01:36:40,666
One of the main pumps
in Chamber Three burst
1178
01:36:40,791 --> 01:36:43,041
and just started spewing water everywhere.
1179
01:36:45,666 --> 01:36:47,708
MIKKO:
Oh, my God, it's rising really fast.
1180
01:36:47,791 --> 01:36:50,291
And we've got no regulators,
we need to get out of here.
1181
01:36:52,250 --> 01:36:54,041
MITCH: We were waiting
on just two more SEALs
1182
01:36:54,125 --> 01:36:56,583
and as that water started to crash,
1183
01:36:56,666 --> 01:36:59,791
- those SEALs came out.
-Then the whole chamber flooded.
1184
01:37:00,000 --> 01:37:02,500
We just barely got out
by holding our breath.
1185
01:37:05,083 --> 01:37:07,750
We were saying that this must be
what the lady of the cave said,
1186
01:37:07,833 --> 01:37:11,416
"Now, you guys got what you wanted,
and now it's time to go."
1187
01:37:13,875 --> 01:37:15,416
Thank you!
1188
01:37:15,666 --> 01:37:18,666
And then the SEALs were coming out
right at the end.
1189
01:37:20,791 --> 01:37:23,708
{\an8}BHAK:
1190
01:37:26,041 --> 01:37:27,166
{\an8}
1191
01:37:30,041 --> 01:37:33,666
{\an8}APAKORN:
1192
01:37:34,500 --> 01:37:37,958
{\an8}
1193
01:37:43,750 --> 01:37:45,541
Even though we were the sort of spearhead
1194
01:37:45,625 --> 01:37:46,666
to this operation,
1195
01:37:46,875 --> 01:37:49,791
there were 100s and 100s of people
in that cave.
1196
01:37:52,125 --> 01:37:53,541
{\an8}ANAN:
1197
01:38:19,041 --> 01:38:20,875
It seems
that the lady opposite me
1198
01:38:21,000 --> 01:38:22,208
was Titan's mother...
1199
01:38:23,000 --> 01:38:25,958
the youngest boy
that I'd brought out on that last day.
1200
01:38:28,458 --> 01:38:31,541
JOSH MORRIS: Titan's mom said,
"On behalf of all the parents,
1201
01:38:31,708 --> 01:38:34,041
"we wanna thank you
for what you've done.
1202
01:38:34,125 --> 01:38:37,625
"It's like our children had died
and been given another life. And...
1203
01:38:39,125 --> 01:38:42,625
"you know, can't thank you enough."
1204
01:38:48,625 --> 01:38:50,541
{\an8}AMP:
1205
01:38:53,875 --> 01:38:56,500
That's what brought home
what we'd done.
1206
01:38:56,875 --> 01:38:59,000
They had a family life and parents.
1207
01:38:59,875 --> 01:39:04,333
{\an8}
1208
01:39:07,291 --> 01:39:10,875
Don't forget it.
Thailand is your second home.
1209
01:39:12,708 --> 01:39:16,458
This amazing sense of relief
and euphoria and elation.
1210
01:39:16,625 --> 01:39:19,208
I'd had my usual text message, saying...
1211
01:39:20,375 --> 01:39:23,000
"I'm out, I'll ring you
when I get back to the hotel."
1212
01:39:26,625 --> 01:39:28,500
So, he finally rang.
1213
01:39:30,291 --> 01:39:32,500
And I'm just babbling, I'm just, you know,
1214
01:39:32,583 --> 01:39:36,000
completely pumped full of adrenalin
at this point.
1215
01:39:36,083 --> 01:39:38,791
And I must have gone on
for ten minutes or something, at least,
1216
01:39:38,875 --> 01:39:45,000
and finally, I sort of draw a breath
and then suddenly, she's burst into tears.
1217
01:39:50,125 --> 01:39:54,333
And yeah, she tells my dad's just died,
literally a couple of hours ago.
1218
01:39:57,000 --> 01:40:02,125
So, I didn't know what to feel. You know,
it was this huge swing of emotions,
1219
01:40:02,208 --> 01:40:04,208
from being up here, to suddenly,
1220
01:40:04,291 --> 01:40:08,791
What... "How has this possibly
happened today, you know, of all days?"
1221
01:40:14,041 --> 01:40:16,458
Everyone was very sympathetic
and they all assumed
1222
01:40:16,541 --> 01:40:19,250
that I'd wanna go straight home,
which I thought about.
1223
01:40:20,541 --> 01:40:23,916
But then I thought,
"That's actually not gonna help me."
1224
01:40:24,000 --> 01:40:25,833
And even by the end of that first day,
1225
01:40:25,916 --> 01:40:28,291
I was already sort
of feeling better about it all,
1226
01:40:28,458 --> 01:40:33,583
because Dad had a fantastic life,
and you know, he just died, like that.
1227
01:40:33,708 --> 01:40:39,250
And I thought, "Well,
you couldn't ask for a better exit."
1228
01:40:41,166 --> 01:40:44,000
And so I sort of started
to see the positive side of it
1229
01:40:44,125 --> 01:40:47,416
and started to think,
"Well, this is actually another cause
1230
01:40:47,500 --> 01:40:48,625
"for celebration."
1231
01:40:49,333 --> 01:40:52,875
You know, I was celebrating the kids,
but also my dad.
1232
01:41:01,250 --> 01:41:02,333
Thank you so much.
1233
01:41:08,708 --> 01:41:10,958
{\an8} Miracle piled upon miracle.
1234
01:41:43,708 --> 01:41:45,625
We'll see them. Sometime in the future.
1235
01:41:46,166 --> 01:41:49,458
Well, I think I hold a sort of great pride
in what...
1236
01:41:50,458 --> 01:41:51,583
what we did.
1237
01:41:52,083 --> 01:41:57,583
You could say justification
for the dedication I put forward
1238
01:41:57,958 --> 01:42:03,666
into a ridiculous minority sport
that no one ever took seriously.
1239
01:42:03,791 --> 01:42:05,791
Yes, it's definitely changed my life
1240
01:42:06,041 --> 01:42:09,083
and made me into
maybe a more confident person.
1241
01:42:09,333 --> 01:42:12,875
Last to be chosen for the cricket team,
first to be chosen for the cave rescue.
1242
01:42:13,916 --> 01:42:16,875
I did used to worry,
"Was I a bit too cold?
1243
01:42:17,083 --> 01:42:18,541
"Was I a bit too unemotional?"
1244
01:42:19,041 --> 01:42:22,625
I found a use and a purpose
to that level of detachment.
1245
01:42:23,000 --> 01:42:25,041
You can use it to do good things.
1246
01:42:26,000 --> 01:42:28,500
-The Wild Boars.
1247
01:43:01,875 --> 01:43:05,416
{\an8}AMP:
1248
01:43:07,958 --> 01:43:12,125
He said, "You need to marry Amp."
1249
01:43:51,375 --> 01:43:54,083
They said it can't be done
1250
01:43:56,875 --> 01:44:00,916
That this one's a challenge
You won't overcome
1251
01:44:05,083 --> 01:44:08,583
I know your dreams are bold
1252
01:44:10,625 --> 01:44:14,750
Keep going, you'll find that you're not
On your own
1253
01:44:19,375 --> 01:44:25,333
So don't give up
1254
01:44:26,208 --> 01:44:32,458
And don't give in
1255
01:44:32,875 --> 01:44:39,208
You've gotta believe, believe, believe
That anything is possible
1256
01:44:39,791 --> 01:44:46,000
You've gotta believe, believe, believe
That anything is possible
1257
01:44:46,583 --> 01:44:53,458
You gotta keep on and see it through
No matter how hard that is to do
1258
01:44:53,583 --> 01:44:59,750
You've gotta believe to find the fire
That's inside you
1259
01:45:00,416 --> 01:45:04,708
You've gotta believe
1260
01:45:06,916 --> 01:45:09,458
So here we are
1261
01:45:12,375 --> 01:45:16,916
With billions of prayers
out there floating like stars...
1262
01:45:20,666 --> 01:45:23,833
I know it seems hard
1263
01:45:26,083 --> 01:45:30,208
Just hold on to hope 'cause you've made it
This far
1264
01:45:30,583 --> 01:45:34,208
Soon you'll be out of the dark
1265
01:45:34,916 --> 01:45:40,708
So don't give up
1266
01:45:41,708 --> 01:45:48,333
And don't give in
1267
01:45:48,416 --> 01:45:54,541
You've gotta believe, believe, believe
That anything is possible
1268
01:45:55,250 --> 01:46:01,333
You've gotta believe, believe, believe
That anything is possible
1269
01:46:02,041 --> 01:46:08,833
You gotta keep on and see it through
No matter how hard that is to do
1270
01:46:09,000 --> 01:46:15,125
You've gotta believe to find the fire
That's inside you
1271
01:46:15,791 --> 01:46:21,458
You've gotta believe
1272
01:46:29,541 --> 01:46:36,208
You gotta keep on and see it through
No matter how hard that is to do
1273
01:46:36,375 --> 01:46:42,375
You've gotta believe to find the fire
That's inside you
1274
01:46:43,250 --> 01:46:47,625
You've gotta believe