Twelve boys and their 25-year-old assistant coach decide to visit “the cave of the reclining
lady” after soccer practice to celebrate a birthday.
There’s a sign outside warning people not to enter during the rainy season.
That’s not for another week though, and they’ve visited many times before.
But while they’re inside a storm hits, flooding a stream at the entrance of the cave.
They're trapped.
The cave is one of the longest in Thailand, and cuts into the mountainside near the border
with Myanmar.
Cave diving is dangerous, but this particular cave system presents its own extreme challenges.
Only a handful of people from around the world would even have the skills to find the boys.
A team begin scouring more than 10km of passageways.
They install giant pipes to help pump out the millions of litres of water that block
the rocky maze below.
The cave system was mapped out back in 1984, and it helps show just how hard it was to
find the boys.
This is a cross-section of the main entrance, which is massive compared to the people who enter.
But you don’t have to go far before the passageways become more restricted.
And the strong current means you’d have to pull yourself along inch by inch, with
the risk of your mask being ripped off.
It’s too murky to see anything or check the pressure gauge to know how much air you
have left, so you have to feel your way through.
And parts of the jagged passages are so narrow you have to crawl through without your gear.
The smallest gap was mapped at just 38cm high.
The international rescue crews work in neck-deep streams to bring in supplies and set up rope guidelines.
The dives are long and require special air canisters that let you stay underwater for longer.
The faster you move or breathe, the quicker your air runs out.
After more than a week of searching, British divers emerge from the water into a new passage.
"How many of you?”
“Thirteen.” “Thirteen?"
"Brilliant."
The group have been surviving on the small amount of food they had - with the assistant
coach sacrificing his share.
“Monday."
"Okay, but one week and Monday."
"You have been here 10 days.”
The water dripping from the cave walls also helped the group survive.
“We hungry.”
“I know, I understand."
"We come, okay? We come.”
But it’s unclear just how long it’ll take to rescue them.
Even though the pumps are running non-stop, some parts of the cave can't be drained.
And the amount of oxygen inside the cave is close to critical levels.
But most of the trapped boys can't even swim.
And they’ll need to stay calm as they wriggle through up to two kilometres of underwater passages.
Divers help lay air tanks along the route, to make sure no one runs out of air.
Among them is Petty Officer First Class Saman Gunan, a former Thai Navy SEAL.
But he passes out from a lack of oxygen while returning from the chamber where the boys are.
His diving partner is unable to revive him.
The Wild Boars have been stuck in the cave for more than two weeks.
And the first four are ready to leave.
Since the British divers found them six days ago, they’ve been receiving medical aid
and preparing for the mission.
The rescue team of foreign divers and Thai Navy SEALS begin.
Several hours after the mission begins, an ambulance is seen leaving the cave site.
By the end of the day, four boys are out and receiving treatment in hospital.
The first phase of the operation has gone much better than expected.
The boys wear a full face mask so they can breathe through their mouth and nose.
This is easier than the goggles and separate regulator used by typical divers.
Anti-anxiety medication helps keep the boys calm.
Two divers take one child through the first 400-metre stretch of submerged passages, to
a section known as Pattaya Beach.
Other rescuers are positioned along the escape route.
At least one person was carried through the slippery, dangerous terrain on a stretcher,
but it’s unclear whether all the boys were carried for the entire journey, or whether
they actively navigated parts of it.
Either way, it's a challenging 2km journey to the rescue operations centre, Chamber
Three, where the final route to freedom begins.
After a successful day one, the rescuers need 10 to 20 hours before they can attempt to
repeat that miraculous feat.
And as evening falls, the flashing lights of an ambulance are seen on the mountain.
Four more boys are free.
Today’s operation takes two hours less than yesterday’s.
The rescuers refine the evacuation each time.
Today is the biggest rescue yet.
The teams must evacuate the four remaining boys, including the youngest child who is
11 years old, as well as the coach and the divers who remain with them in the cavern.
Finally, the last boys are out, with the coach and the divers close behind.
It's a long road to recovery for the Wild Boars.
Most of the boys lost 2kg during their ordeal.
At least two have lung infections, likely to be pneumonia.
For the first few days they can't even hug their families — doctors are worried about
spreading disease.
There is also the risk of long-term mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
But the rescue team say the Wild Boars survived because of their incredible resilience.
For one father though, the cave has not returned his son.
Petty Officer Saman received a royally sponsored funeral rite.
And his family is proud of him.