To Akkarawat ‘Art’ Taokwang, my other translator and researcher, who answered my call on day 1 and was there from start to finish, always with good humour, thank you.
To Martin Ellis, for answering every question with good grace and facts, thank you.
To Bill Whitehouse, Ivan Karadzic, Erik Brown, Dr Pak, Mr Lak, Narongsak Osatanakorn, the parents, boys, friends, teachers and everyone else we spoke to, thank you.
At The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, first of all, thanks to Kate Geraghty, one of the world’s best photographers. Your brilliant work and good humour in those long days at the cave were amazing.
To Peter Hartcher, my mentor these last five years, who kept an eye on me every step of the way in Canberra and has always been available since I left for Jakarta—including during the writing of this book—thank you.
To Michael Bachelard, James Chessell, Tory Maguire, Lisa Davies and Alex Lavelle, for all thinking I was crazy to take on this book, but backing me to do it anyway, thank you.
To my colleagues in the Sydney and Melbourne newsrooms who kept me sane, and filing, through all those days at the cave: Lia Timson, Chris Short, Chris Zappone, Ying Xiang Tan, Liam Phelan, Selma Milovanovic, Rachel Olding, Jillian McClelland, Alison Cassar, Nerida Hodgkins, Cosima Marriner, Lucy Rickard, Maher Mughrabi, Steve Jacobs, Aparna Khopkar, Michelle Griffin, Kathryn Wicks, Rachel Clun, Josh Dye, Fleta Page and Marissa Calligeros—thank you.
Thank you also to Amanda Hodge, Michael Safi, Jacob Goldberg, Dan Sutton, Philip Sherwell, Omar Dabbagh, Nicci Smith, Phil Hemingway, Chris Reason, Peter Southwell and Andrew Gordon—brothers- and sisters-in-arms at the cave—and every other reporter who was slogging through it.
To Matthew Holzer, Victor Violante, Rachel Obradovic, Leigh Obradovic, Chris Newcombe, Ralph Carolan, Andrew Carter, Luke James, Charlotte Harper, Eliza Harvey, Adam Harvey, Graham Crouch, Jewel Topsfield, Tom Carolan, David Lipson, Amilia Rosa, Karuni Rompies and Demons Group Therapy, thank you for checking in on me to see that I was getting the job done.
To Ginese Triaca Aldo Massola, Linda Massola and my sister Dr Cate Massola, thank you for inspiring me (and thank you for reading an early draft, too, Cate).
Thanks to my Mum, Rose, my Dad, Carlo, and my step-mum, Carolynn, for taking my calls when I was fed up and didn’t think I could finish it.
Most of all, thank you—and all of my love—to my superstar journalist wife, Karen Barlow, who is also a selfless mother extraordinaire who wrangled three kids under two-and-a-half while I wrote fourteen hours a day. Your early feedback on where the draft manuscript was going wrong and where it was going right was invaluable. Your love and belief throughout meant even more.
This book is dedicated to the twelve Wild Boars and their coach, to the men and woman who rescued them, and most of all to Saman Gunan.
Rest in Peace.
REFERENCES
In addition to dozens of interviews with some of the key players involved in the Thai cave rescue, this book has also made use of publicly available reported material from press conferences and speeches.
The sources relied on include my own work for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, plus material from Khaosod English, The Guardian, Channel News Asia, The New York Times, The Australian, News.com.au, Straits Times, the BBC, Bangkok Post, The Nation, CNN, Reuters and other news outlets. The book has also made use of materials in interviews conducted by ABC Australia’s Four Corners documentary Out of the Dark, Channel News Asia’s Against the Elements, CNN’s The Miraculous Story of the Thai Cave Rescue and various interviews with ABC America, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 in the UK.
NOTES
AN ORDINARY DAY IN MAE SAI
1 About AU$1.70, US$1.20.
2 Liam Cochrane, ‘Thai cave rescue: “Tham Luang” a magnet for teen adventurers, local man says’, ABC Australia, 5 July 2018, www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-05/thailands-royal-cave-a-magnet-for-teen-adventurers/9946148.
3 See, for example, https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages; 165,000 baht converts roughly to AU$7050 and US$5100.
A RISING SENSE OF DREAD
1 James Longman, ‘Exclusive Thai cave rescue interview: Boys’ soccer team, coaches on harrowing experience’, ABC News America, 23 August 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw0_5UlFwHA&t=2s.
SOUND THE ALARM
1 Rebecca Wright and Hilary Clarke, ‘British diver recalls Thai cave rescue: “Are we heroes? No”’, CNN, 13 July 2018, https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/13/uk/thai-cave-rescue-british-divers-intl/index.html.
2 About AU$20 to $40, US$15 to $30.
3 Wright and Clarke, ‘British diver recalls Thai cave rescue’.
4 Channel News Asia, Against the Elements, www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video-on-demand/against-the-elements/against-the-elements-10600394.
5 Chayut Setboonsarng, ‘Rescuers to drill hole in Thai cave in hunt for missing boys’, Reuters, 28 June 2018, www.yahoo.com/news/rescue-teams-battle-high-water-boys-missing-thai-022041622-sow.html.
6 Piyaporn Wongruang, ‘Unknown danger in Thailand’s caves’, The Nation, 21 July 2018, www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/big_read/30350523.
7 ‘Notes on the Tham Luang survey’, Caves & Caving in Thailand (website), undated, www.thailandcaves.shepton.org.uk/luang-surveynotes.
8 Wongruang, ‘Unknown danger in Thailand’s caves’.
9 James McCarthy, ‘Elite Welsh divers’ desperate 10-day bid to rescue pal ends in tragedy’, Wales Online, 14 November 2010, www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/elite-welsh-divers-desperate-10-day-1885639.
10 Jeffrey Gallant, ‘Longest cave penetration dive [DPV]’, Diving Almanac (website), 5 April 2017, http://divingalmanac.com/longest-cave-penetration-dive-dpv/.
11 Tek Camp (website), www.tekcamp.co.uk/next-guests.php.
12 Karla Adam, ‘Meet the British “A-team” divers at the center of Thailand cave rescue’, Washington Post, 3 July 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/07/03/meet-the-british-a-team-divers-at-the-center-of-thailand-cave-rescue/?utm_term=.062b313c7996.
13 Kaweewit Kaewjinda, ‘Hapless helpers recount own rescue by divers from Thai cave’, Washington Post, 26 September 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/hapless-helpers-recount-own-rescue-by-divers-from-thai-cave/2018/09/26/d4c778e4-c191-11e8-9451-e878f96be19b_story.html?utm_term=.3940988b0d80; Tony Brocklebank, ‘British cave divers also rescued four trapped Thai rescuers in Tham Luang Cave’, Darkness Below (website), 24 September 2018, https://darknessbelow.co.uk/breaking-news-british-cave-divers-also-rescued-four-trapped-thai-rescuers-in-tham-luang-cave/.
14 Kaweewit Kaewjinda, ‘Hapless helpers recount own rescue by divers from Thai cave’.
IN THE DARK
1 Andrew Alan Johnson, ‘Inside the sacred danger of Thailand’s caves’, The Conversation, 10 July 2018, https://theconversation.com/inside-the-sacred-danger-of-thailands-caves-99638.
2 James Massola, ‘The Thai cave, the monk and the sleeping princess’, Sydney Morning Herald, 5 July 2018, www.smh.com.au/world/asia/the-thai-cave-the-monk-and-the-sleeping-princess-20180705-p4zpnj.html.
3 Tassanee Vejpongsa and Keweewit Kaewjinda, ‘Spirit of mythical princess looms over Thai cave crisis’, Khaosod English (website), 28 June 2018, www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2018/06/28/spirit-of-mythical-princess-looms-over-thai-cave-crisis/.
INTERNATIONAL HELP ARRIVES
1 ABC Four Corners, Out of the Dark, www.abc.net.au/4corners/out-of-the-dark/10000580.
2 Channel News Asia, Against the Elements, www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video-on-demand/against-the-elements/against-the-elements-10600394.
3 Channel News Asia, Against the Elements.
4 About AU$400 to $1200; US$300 to $900.
5 James Massola, ‘Birds’ nest hunters look for high way out for boys trapped in Thai cave’, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 July 2018, www.smh.com.au/world/asia/birds-nest-hunters-look-for-high-way-out-for-boys-trapped-in-thai-cave-20180706-p4zpw7.html; AFP, ‘Thai cave rescue: Bird’s nest collectors s
cour for ways into cave to save youth footballers’, Straits Times, 5 July 2018, www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thai-cave-rescue-birds-nest-collectors-scour-for-ways-into-cave-to-save-youth.
6 Piyaporn Wongruang, ‘Unknown danger in Thailand’s caves’, The Nation, 21 July 2018, www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/big_read/30350523.
FOUND
1 According to the Thai Navy SEALs Facebook page.
2 James Longman, ‘Exclusive Thai cave rescue interview: Boys’ soccer team, coaches on harrowing experience’, ABC News America, 23 August 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw0_5UlFwHA&t=2s.
3 This Morning, ‘The British Divers at the Centre of the Thai Cave Rescue’, ITV UK, 16 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdgBkko1js4.
4 Channel News Asia, Against the Elements, www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video-on-demand/against-the-elements/against-the-elements-10600394.
5 James Massola, ‘Weather looms as chief danger for Thai cave boys’, Sydney Morning Herald, 5 July 2018, www.smh.com.au/world/asia/weather-looms-as-chief-danger-for-thai-cave-boys-20180705-p4zprj.html.
6 Rear Admiral Arpakorn Yuukongkaew, Speech at the Tham Luang cave exhibition, ‘Incredible Mission: The Global Agenda’, Siam Paragon shopping mall, Bangkok, 23 August 2018.
MESSAGES FROM THE DEEP
1 Rosemary E. Lunn, ‘Cave divers Mallinson and Jewel fly out to Thailand’, X-Ray Mag, 4 July 2018, https://xray-mag.com/content/cave-divers-mallinson-and-jewel-fly-out-thailand/.
2 ABC Four Corners, Out of the Dark, www.abc.net.au/4corners/out-of-the-dark/10000580.
3 James Massola, ‘“Don’t worry, all fine”: Thai boys send letters from the cave’, Sydney Morning Herald, 7 July 2018, www.smh.com.au/world/asia/don-t-worry-all-fine-thai-boys-send-letters-from-the-cave-20180707-p4zq3w.html?crpt=index.
MISSION CRITICAL
1 James Massola, ‘The moment the Thailand cave rescue almost went horribly wrong’, Sydney Morning Herald, 11 July 2018, www.smh.com.au/world/asia/the-moment-the-thailand-cave-rescue-almost-went-horribly-wrong-20180711-p4zqt5.html.
2 Australian Federal Police, ‘Be comfortable being uncomfortable’, Platypus: Policing and Community News from the AFP (website), www.afp.gov.au/news-media/platypus/be-comfortable-being-uncomfortable.
3 ABC Four Corners, Out of the Dark, www.abc.net.au/4corners/out-of-the-dark/10000580.
4 Josh Zimmerman, ‘Thai cave rescue: Perth hero diver Craig Challen speaks on life and death mission’, Perth Now, 15 July 2018, www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa/thai-cave-rescue-perth-hero-diver-craig-challen-speaks-on-life-and-death-mission-ng-b88895946z.
5 Rear Admiral Arpakorn Yuukongkaew, Speech at the Tham Luang cave exhibition, ‘Incredible Mission: The Global Agenda’, Siam Paragon shopping mall, Bangkok, 23 August 2018.
SUNDAY, 10.08 AM
1 Josh Zimmerman, ‘Thai cave rescue: Perth hero diver Craig Challen speaks on life and death mission’, Perth Now, 15 July 2018, www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa/thai-cave-rescue-perth-hero-diver-craig-challen-speaks-on-life-and-death-mission-ng-b88895946z.
2 Richard Harris, Speech at the Telstra Vantage conference, Melbourne Convention Centre, 20 September 2018, https://vantage.telstra.com.au/ehome/100180150/agenda.
3 Richard Harris, Q&A at the Swan 2018 Trauma, Critical Care and Emergency Surgery Conference, Sheraton on the Park Hotel, Sydney, 27 July 2018, http://swanconference.com.
ESCAPE TO FREEDOM
1 Channel Five News UK, ‘Thai cave rescue: British diver lost rope guide for four minutes during mission’ (interview with Chris Jewell), 18 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM_0oBhvyAc.
2 James Massola and Rachel Clun, ‘Thai boys rescued from cave must wait to embrace family’, Sydney Morning Herald, 10 July 2018, www.smh.com.au/world/asia/thai-boys-rescued-from-cave-must-wait-to-embrace-family-20180710-p4zqio.html?crpt=index.
3 James Massola and Anthony Colangelo, ‘Three rescued Thai boys have health concerns, the others “fine and normal”’, Sydney Morning Herald, 10 July 2018, www.smh.com.au/world/asia/three-rescued-thai-boys-have-health-concerns-the-others-fine-and-normal-20180710-p4zqof.html?crpt=index.
MISSION POSSIBLE
1 News.com.au, ‘“We just couldn’t get it to seal’: Last perilous moments of Thai cave rescue’, 28 July 2018, www.news.com.au/world/asia/we-just-couldnt-get-it-to-seal-last-perilous-moments-of-thai-cave-rescue/news-story/85ad2b9f90e4ccff2d0ce1c6e08179a3.
2 Channel Five News UK, ‘Thai cave rescue: British diver lost rope guide for four minutes during mission’ (interview with Chris Jewell), 18 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM_0oBhvyAc.
3 Australian Federal Police, ‘Be comfortable being uncomfortable’, Platypus: Policing and Community News from the AFP (website), www.afp.gov.au/news-media/platypus/be-comfortable-beinguncomfortable.
4 Hannah Beech, Richard C. Paddock and Muktita Suhartono, ‘“Still can’t believe it worked”: The story of the Thai cave rescue’, New York Times, 12 July 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/world/asia/thailand-cave-rescue-seals.html.
5 Vaaju.com, ‘Kiwi Diver Ross Schnauer details “quite full on” experience during Thai cave rescue’, 12 July 2018, https://vaaju.com/newzealand/kiwi-diver-ross-schnauer-details-quite-full-on-experience-during-thai-cave-rescue/.
6 James Massola, ‘The moment the Thailand cave rescue almost went horribly wrong’, Sydney Morning Herald, 11 July 2018, www.smh.com.au/world/asia/the-moment-the-thailand-cave-rescue-almost-went-horribly-wrong-20180711-p4zqt5.html.
EPILOGUE
1 James Massola, Kate Geraghty and Akkarawat Taokwang, ‘“I can always grow again”: Flooded Thai farms count their blessings after cave rescue’, Sydney Morning Herald, www.smh.com.au/world/asia/i-can-always-grow-again-flooded-thai-farms-count-their-blessings-after-cave-rescue-20180713-p4zrat.html?crpt=index.
2 Rebecca Puddy, Rhett Burnie and Jessica Haynes, ‘Take a dive with the Wet Mules’, 12 August 2018, ABC Australia, www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-12/cave-diving-with-the-wet-mules/10090126.
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