Chinese diver shares insights of Thailand cave rescue
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 14, 2018
Senior diver and diving coach Tan Xiaolong shared for the first time in Beijing on Saturday insights into the cave rescue of a junior soccer team trapped in Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand.
Twelve members of a boys' soccer team, aged 7 to 17, and their 25-year-old assistant coach entered the cave on June 23 in northern Thailand after their soccer training. But shortly afterwards, heavy rain partially flooded the cave, trapping them inside. As the diving expert of the Chinese volunteer rescue team, Tan arrived at the scene at the early stage of the rescue and was one of the main participants in the rescue plan formulation.
Sharing his experience with students in Beijing, he told of the deep and complex cave made more perilous by the rainy season in Thailand.
The danger and difficulties were beyond everyone's imagination. Before Tan left for Thailand, he left his will, and a retired Thai Navy SEAL diver died as he ran out of air underwater.
After searching for many days, on July 2, the divers found the missing boys about three-quarters of a mile away from the entrance. After located the boys, teams from different countries tried to figure out a plan to bring the boys out. The plan had to factor in the severe living conditions of the trapped boys, such as low levels of oxygen, and dangers from carbon dioxide and excrement, lack of food and clean water, mental and physical conditions, disease control and treatment and also the potential danger from ecological change.
As representative of China, Tan along with the experts from other countries, suggested to the Thailand government to launch a dive rescue, which is less time-consuming with relatively controllable risks. The Thailand government accepted the suggestion, and the rescue action started on July 8. Finally, on July 11, the trapped 12 boys and their coach were all freed.
For Tan, diving is not just a sport but a very meaningful activity for both one's own life and the environment. Through diving, he can feel and observe the subtle changes in the marine ecological environment most intuitively and hopes others can safely learn to dive as a way to protect marine life.
Tan also praised the efforts of the Ocean Beauty program under China Environmental Protection Foundation for its educational activities, "They are not only working on it, but spending money to support the whole environmental protection process...That is an effective promotion for it. They also educate the children to know the ocean from childhood."
For Tan, diving under water can teach us valuable lessons about life back on earth. "When we learn how to play under the water, the same rules also help us behave better on land for our work or study. In other words, learning to dive is also a process to appreciate how to lead a good life," he added.
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