12 boys and soccer coach found alive in Thai caves after 9 days

Kraut783 said:
wonder if you can sedate the kids, full face masks and "stretcher" them out one by one...
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Possibly, but imagine the task then placed on the rescue divers. Not saying it can't be done, though. However it ends, this is going to be a good movie someday and I hope it has a happy ending.
 
Kraut783 said:
Sorry Cade Courtley, but I would be putting my trust in the British cave diver team experience....
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Non-concur. I think his comments are spot on.

The Brit divers deserve all the kudos in the world for their skill and perseverance in finding these kids but, as the previous post by @Ooh-Rah helps illustrate, the idea that these kids can successfully be taught to dive their own way out, even with a guide, is probably a huge stretch and can't carry a high probability for success. A skilled (presumably) diver has already died.

Were it my kid, unless the cave was in immediate danger of filling completely, collapsing scenario in which absolute death to the group was imminent, I wouldn't even want them to consider attempting to dive their way out; it would be the absolute last option...and if it gets to that, shit has really gone South. That's the only reason I see to train them at all..and keep them busy, hope's up. I'd want them to continue exploring better options. If that means waiting a couple months for water to subside is the answer, well, it sucks, but it probably has the highest probability for a successful outcome so that'd be fine.
 
Ooh-Rah said:
Cave diving is no joke. Visibility is near zero and there is no up/down. Likely got disoriented and could not find his way out.
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Totally get it but I would think they'd be working in at least teams of two and not be in a position to run out of oxygen...but if they did have an issue, a team member would be in a position assist before things got critical. Regardless, very tragic and to your point, reinforces the danger of cave diving.
 
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Blizzard said:
Non-concur. I think his comments are spot on.

The Brit divers deserve all the kudos in the world for their skill and perseverance in finding these kids but, as the previous post by @Ooh-Rah helps illustrate, the idea that these kids can successfully be taught to dive their own way out, even with a guide, is probably a huge stretch and can't carry a high probability for success. A skilled (presumably) diver has already died.

Were it my kid, unless the cave was in immediate danger of filling completely, collapsing scenario in which absolute death to the group was imminent, I wouldn't even want them to consider attempting to dive their way out; it would be the absolute last option...and if it gets to that, shit has really gone South. That's the only reason I see to train them at all..and keep them busy, hope's up. I'd want them to continue exploring better options. If that means waiting a couple months for water to subside is the answer, well, it sucks, but it probably has the highest probability for a successful outcome so that'd be fine.
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My remark was more directed at Cade himself...the comments he made have all been in the news already, he is just parroting it. While he is/was a skilled diver...I doubt he has the years of experience at cave diving as the Brit team does.
 
Elon Musk (of SpaceX) is getting involved. Check out this twitter exchange -

He suggested inserting a tube through the cave system and inflating it, allowing the boys to travel inside the tube. No idea if that'll be ultimately viable, but it looks like a number of minds are discussing possible solutions:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1015105500105412610
 
Blizzard said:
If that means waiting a couple months for water to subside is the answer, well, it sucks, but it probably has the highest probability for a successful outcome so that'd be fine.
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The rainy season for Chiang Rai is usually May/June all the way til October and it's going to be hitting the worse month for rain in August, I'm not saying it's not possible to let them stay in there for a few months and wait for the rain to subside but if the cave network is already flooded that badly I cant imagine what it will be like in August.
 
Ooh-Rah said:
Elon Musk (of SpaceX) is getting involved. Check out this twitter exchange -

He suggested inserting a tube through the cave system and inflating it, allowing the boys to travel inside the tube. No idea if that'll be ultimately viable, but it looks like a number of minds are discussing possible solutions:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1015105500105412610
Click to expand...

It's good that bright minds are innovating. Making them happen is the rub. I think somebody will come up with a solution...eventually.
 
So this is some perspective that I didn't have....and makes me think this is going to have a less pleasant ending than Pixar would have chosen....


Seeing that video....

How the hell did they ever find them in the first place?
 
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An Australian drilling expert involved in the Chile rescue has weighed up the pros and cons of drilling.

Elon Musk sends SpaceX, Boring Co to help rescue Thai soccer team

Western Australian drilling expert Kelvin Brown was part of the successful rescue in 2010 of 33 miners trapped 700 metres below ground in Chile, and said drilling could be used to get the boys out, but there were variables — and also risks.

Soft rock an advantage
There are some slight differences between drilling into a mine and a tourist cave — availability of information being one of them.

Mr Brown was able to study data about previous drilling at the Chilean mine to determine how the rigs were going to behave.

"We knew what the formation was, we knew if there were faulted zones, the presence of aquafers," he he told PM.

"I'm not too sure all that information is actually at hand in this Thai scenario.

"But it's all possible, as was proven."

In Thailand, Mr Brown said he thought there was one aspect working in favour of drilling — the softer rock.

"It's most probably some form of limestone, which to a driller is absolute butter and is extremely quick to drill through," he said.​
By comparison, the rock at the mine in Chile was volcanic and extremely hard, which caused the drills to deviate.

"But I would expect that in Thailand it would be extremely soft and should be quite quick to drill."

There is, however, a problem.

"As a driller, I drill to targets; obviously I have to know where that is in space," he said.

"So, I have X, Y and Z — three-dimensional coordinates.

"I'm not too sure they have those, but that would be a must-have."

If those coordinates were known, he said he believed drilling directly to the target zone — where the team is waiting — would be the best option.

"Going to a water-filled cavity probably makes no sense, so I'm assuming you would try to drill directly where they are in an air pocket."​
Additional holes could also be drilled to aid the rescue effort.

At the mine in Chile, three holes were drilled: one for food and supplies; a second for communication; and a third to pull the miners out.

"So it makes a bit more sense to me anyway, at least for the sake of safe access, to use a drill hole."

How long would it take?
"Doing a double shift, which is drilling two 12-hour shifts — so 24 hours — it really depends on the method, and that will be dictated by the logistics — if you can physically get the right equipment in," Mr Brown said.

He said diamond drilling was common in the region, and that meant it should not be difficult to get a drilling rig into the area at short notice.

But he said while the diamond drill took less power and space, it was also slower than the alternatives.

"That could probably get there anywhere from 10 days, maybe a little bit less because of the limestone being softer," he said.

"The more high-powered rigs, which is what we used in Chile, probably three days."

With the monsoon rains imminent, Mr Brown said he hoped the drilling option was being considered.

What could go wrong?
Well, it depends on the drilling techniques used.

For one thing, high-pressure air drills are extremely loud.

"You don't want to be in the vicinity when the hammer breaks through," Mr Brown said.

Then there is diamond drilling, which uses a huge column of water and diamond-impregnated drill bits.

"And if it is 1,000 metres of water, that's a very high head of pressure," he said.

"As soon as you break through, that 1km column of water instantly wants to enter into the area.

"So, there most certainly would be some risk if we intersected exactly where they are."​
And beyond extreme noise and water pressure, there is the possibility of the people trapped in the cave being hit by rocks.

"If you dislodged the formation — and that's another thing that we don't know too much about the geology: is it unstable, is it fractured — you may actually dislodge boulders as you approach and break through.

"So, there is certainly some risk to that approach."

But Mr Brown said he believed the approach was worth trying.

"To me it looks like a long section that they have available to them," he said.

"You could certainly have, as we did in Copiapo, you could have multiple drills all targeting different areas.

"Certainly in light of what happened in Chile, it's proven it can happen."
Click to expand...
 
4E05BFA500000578-0-image-a-93_1530996961125.jpg
 
Following this like crazy. Twitter is busy and word is they have prepared the cave entrance for reception. The street that leads up to the cave has been cleared, and there's a new warning sign about oxygen tanks and explosion danger.
 
Reports that the first two boys have been rescued.

Fuck I hope they can pull this off.
 

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