In response to the distressing situation, a massive search and rescue operation began. Over a thousand army and navy personnel, along with local and international volunteers, joined the search for the missing boys. After nine days of searching, two highly experienced British cave divers, Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, made a miraculous discovery — they found the boys alive. If it had not been for the two divers’ exceptional skills and determination, the boys would have remained trapped deep inside the cave.
While the discovery brought hope and joy to everyone, the rescue mission was far from over. The passage they had used to enter the cave was now completely submerged, making it impossible to follow the same route back. Moreover, the boys had to dive for approximately five hours through narrow and dark waters to get out, which was an extremely challenging task even for the most proficient divers. Furthermore, many of the boys were weak from their time in the cave and most of them could not swim.