Thailand

John Volanthen, Rick Stanton, Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives, Thai Cave Rescue, Tham Luang Cave, Rosemary E Lunn, Roz Lunn, XRay Mag, XRay Magazines, cave rescue, scuba diving news, cave diving book
'Thirteen Lessons' was published on 1 June 2021, in hardback form | Price £20

'Thirteen lessons that saved thirteen lives' published today!

The 'Wild Boars' football team and their coach had become stranded after sudden, torrential monsoon rain poured into Tham Luang cave. Within days two British cave divers - John Volanthen and Rick Stanton - along with British caver Rob Harper were dispatched to Thailand to assist an army of rescue personnel.

‘Thirteen Lives' is a case study in courage. Ron Howard, Oscar-winning director of Apollo

Ming Pottery Wreck: Exploratory Expedition in the Gulf of Thailand

Thailand UAD archeologist Sira Ploymukda inspects Ming pottery found on a wreck debris site in the Gulf of Thailand.

There are many benefits to living in Asia. One advantage is that the waters around Asia still have countless numbers of unexplored shipwrecks. As a certified technical diver and an explorer at heart, the Gulf of Thailand has been my playground.

Rob Harper, Rick Stanton, John Volanthen, Thailand, Thai Cave Rescue, British Caver, cave diving rescue, XRay Mag, X-Ra
Weerasak Kowsurat, the Thai Minister for Minister for Tourism and Sports presented Rob Harper with a very special drawing to thank him for his specialist help | Credit: Sky News

British caver Rob Harper is thanked and honoured by Thailand

It has now been confirmed that Rob Harper has returned to the UK for a medical appointment.

When Harper arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport to fly back to the UK, he received a VIP welcome and escort. He was warmly greeted by several Thai officials including the Minister for Tourism and Sports, Weerasak Kowsurat.

The Minister presented a Certification of Appreciation to Rob Harper on behalf of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Kind heart. Fierce mind. Brave spirit.

Four Heyphones - a specialist cave radio system that can transmit through hundreds of meters through solid rock - were relayed by the Police from Derbyshire to London Heathrow, to be flown out to Thailand by Rob Harper, Rick Stanton and John Volanthen

Thailand Cave Rescue: Brit cave divers report "gnarly diving"

The Cave

This cave system runs for many miles underground and is explorable from November to June. It is prone to seasonal flooding during the monsoon months: June to October. Apparently there are warning signs discouraging visits during the rainy season.

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The moment the group are found

This is the transcript of the conversation between Rick Stanton, John Volanthen and the trapped children.

John: How many of you [are there]?

Children: Thirteen

John: Thirteen? Brilliant!

John: There's two of us.... we had to dive.

John: We're coming, it's ok. Many people are coming. We are the first.

Children ask what day it is

John: Monday. One week and Monday. You have been here 10 days. You are very strong, very strong.

Tourists Reporting Harassment Surge by Thai Police

Since the 2014 coup that ousted the democratically elected government and implemented martial law, many tourists and expatriates in Bangkok have fallen prey to a criminal practice. The victims have little recourse when reporting incidents to police, as the perpetrators are the police.

The Twitter feed of former Lonely Planet author Joe Cummings, is riddled with stories detailing police harassment and extortion. “Random police searches of foreigners in BKK is getting bad,” reads a typical entry dated Dec. 6. “Many reports of innocent tourists forced to pay bribes.”

Khao Lak

Khao Lak, Thailand. Photo by Kate Clark
Khao Lak, Thailand. Photo by Kate Clark

My dive buddy, Kate, is trying to get a shot of a purple sea fan but she’s having trouble with her strobes and my ADD is kicking in. This happens occasionally. I try to be a good buddy, I really do, but there’s just so damn much to see underwater and I get antsy if we stop too long for a photograph.

Thailand's Koh Tao

If anyone was to mention diving in Thailand to you, then you would most likely think of one of the west coast destinations. Hardly a thought would be given to the small island of Koh Tao, which lies off the east coast in the Gulf of Thailand. I live and dive here, so I find this lack of attention a little unfair.