Sometimes I really hate the media

[lapfog_1]

Just listening in on MSNBC talk about the Thai cave rescue...

And they kept saying the former Thai SEAL diver was placing OXYGEN tanks around the cave when he died.

That is highly unlikely... SCUBA is compressed AIR not oxygen (except for some highly technical deep diving that uses specific gas mix).

Then they said that the air in the cave was being depleted of Oxygen. That implies that the place where the boys are at is completely sealed off from outside air and the boys are in danger (mostly from their own CO2 that they exhale ). But what confused me is that there was a claim that you could hear roosters crowing from where the boys are initiating a search for the likely surface hole leading down to where the kids are in an attempt to use this as a pilot hole for drilling and escape route.

So... is the chamber they are in sealed completely from surface at this point (blocked from getting fresh air by the rising water)?

If so... the kids are in real danger. From their own exhaled CO2. Running a hose 2.5 miles into the cave chamber is going to be really hard... and tanks of oxygen aren't going to be enough.

Color me confused at this point.

[Tipperary]

1. All kinds of rumors. Someone posted a thread here saying water was pumped into the cave accidentally

This story appears to be rumor and tabloid nonsense. I have not seen it in any reputable news source as yet.

I agree with you on the oxygen vs. air stories. I doubt many of these reporters are divers.

[donkeypoofed]

2. There are air tanks at intervals for the 5hr journey to get in there

I read the cave is cut off from fresh air due to the waters. I didn't hear anything about a rooster yet, but I do know one idea is to maybe drill down 1/2 mile from the top of the cave where they are rather than teach them all to scuba dive. Either way I'm sure they'll get those boys out!

[lapfog_1]

3. If the chamber the boys are in is completely sealed off from outside air

I don't give them a great chance.

Drilling could take weeks to months (like the Chile miners that were trapped).

Teaching the kids to cave dive... well, I'm a certified cave diver, master diver, dive instructor... and I would not willingly dive that cave system (there are places where you have to remove your air tanks and push them ahead of you so that you and the tanks can squeeze through the tight passage). Some of these kids do not even know how to swim. I spent years acquiring my diving certificates (in class and in pools / wrecks / rock quarries / caves )

Pumping the water out and doing so quickly (before the monsoon rains) and having the boys hike / float their way out would be the best solution at this point.

[Tipperary]

4. This is an awful situation.

As I said in the other thread, I used to cave when I was younger. I cannot imagine diving some of the passages we used to crawl through. I am also PADI certified, but the most I ever did near caves was cavern diving. That was enough to let me know I wanted NO part of cave diving.

[lapfog_1]

5. Cave diving is, in my opinion, one of the most dangerous "sports"

that one can do... right up there with free climbing.

When I was actively training divers and leading dive expeditions... I subscribed to a newsletter put out by a diving safety group (DAN). Every issue would include a "autopsy" of fatal diving accidents collected from around the world.

By far the largest number of fatalities percentage wise (relating the number of different dive activities to accidents) was cave diving.

The number of ways people died while cave diving was simply astounding. Not to mention that cave diving also had a significant number of "rescue fatalities" where rescue divers also died either trying to find / rescue other cave divers or simply trying to retrieve the bodies of accident victims.

Just one time did I do what they are saying about this cave dive in Thailand... that is taking off my main tanks (you should always dive with two main tanks and a pony tank) and pushing them (or pulling them) along with you in a tight passage (while using the air out of the tanks). I cannot imagine taking these kids (with NO diving experience) through such a passage. I did it once... and I've logged hundreds of hours... and I won't willingly do it again. (If I was 25 years younger and found myself near a situation like Thailand... of course I would volunteer if they could use me).

I really hope they can drill a hole for an air line from the surface... and then pump enough water out to allow the kids to hike / float their way out without any SCUBA.