"We gave them a little bit of extra light, they still had light, they looked in good health. Then of course when we departed, all we could think about was how we were going to get them out.<doc-sep>Rick Stanton and John Volanthen are the British cave diving experts who first located the missing Thai soccer team and now are charged with helping bring them out in what is expected to be a treacherous, multi-day journey through narrow passageways. The story of the Thai soccer team and their coach, who have been trapped in Tham Luang Cave area in northern Chiang Rai province since June 23, 2018, has produced heroes – among them Stanton and Volanthen – and tragedy, as a Thai Navy Seal, Sgt. Major Saman Gunan, lost his life valiantly trying to deliver oxygen canisters. Stanton’s full name is Richard Stanton. The two British cave divers have been referred to as the “A Team” in their field. A third British cave diver, Robert Harper, is also involved in the Thai cave rescue of the boys, ages 11 to 16, and their coach. Six of the boys had been rescued by 10 a.m. Eastern time on July 8, 2019. On July 7, 2018, Thai officials indicated it was “D-Day” and said the cave rescue was beginning. The Thai Navy Seals, who are assisting in the cave rescue, posted this photo before it launched: Who are Rick Stanton and John Volanthen? How did they get involved in cave diving? Here’s what you need to know: 1. Stanton & Volanthen Found the Boys Huddled in the Cave & Took a Video Seen Around the World Rick Stanton and John Volanthen already helped perform one miracle: They discovered the boys, still alive, inside the bowels of the cave after the soccer team had been missing for nine days. They had arrived in Thailand three days after the boys were first reported missing. Now, they are part of the team that will try to guide the boys out. The video footage the men took of the moment they located the boys in the cave warmed hearts around the world. According to the Guardian, Bill Whitehead, vice chair of the British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC), said Stanton and Volanthen “were pushing ahead with the other divers following on behind, creating dumps of air bottles. They managed to dive the last section and get through into the chamber where the missing party were on a ledge above the water.” Rescuers find Thai boys who were trapped in cave for nine daysFootage of the moment 12 missing boys and their football coach were finally located in a flooded cave in Thailand. They had been missing for nine days Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► bit.ly/guardianwiressub Rescue of boys trapped in Thai cave could take months, military warns ► theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/03/rescue-of-boys-trapped-in-thai-cave-could-take-months-military-warns Support the Guardian ► theguardian.com/supportus The Guardian ►… 2018-07-02T19:02:06.000Z “How many of you?” the men asked the boys. They responded “Thirteen!” “Thirteen?” says Volanthen. “Brilliant.” One of the men told the boys the rescue would have to wait at that time, saying: “Not today. There’s two of us. We have to dive. We are coming. OK? Many people are coming. We are the first.” Now, the expert cave divers from Great Britain “will guide the trapped football team and their coach out of the flooded Thai cave with support from Thai Navy SEALs,” reports ABC.net.au. They are part of a much larger team. According to CNN, five SEAL divers from Thailand and 13 international divers are involved in the rescue. NewsChannelAsia reports that more than “90 divers participated in the Sunday evacuation. About 50 of them came from different countries across the world and the rest are Thai.” 2. Rick Stanton Is a Retired Firefighter Who Became Interested in Diving as a Teenager Rick Stanton, 57, became interesting in diving when he wasn’t much older than the Thai boys are now. He hails from Coventry, England, where he is a retired firefighter, according to ABC.net.au. He’s been a cave diver for more than 35 years. The site reports that he was only 16 or 17 when he became entranced by diving after watching a television program called Underground Eiger, which featured cave diving. Today, a widely regarded world expert in cave diving, Stanton is a popular speaker on the topic, according to Divernet. “When people see a blank wall, they think it’s the end of the cave,” he explained to Divernet of cave diving. “They’re already at their limit and want to find an end so they can say: We can go back now. But you need to look closer, as if you had a second pair of eyes.” According to Divernet, at university, he joined the caving and diving clubs and started diving in a Yorkshire River. He told the publication that cave diving is about an interest in caves first, saying, “Diving is just a means to an end, a way of getting to bits of cave you can’t get to otherwise.” He compared diving a cave to a jigsaw puzzle. He said in the 2007 article that he had been a firefighter for 18 years. He described how he approaches a dive in the interview, saying, “I see myself doing the dive, not like a film or a snapshot but in critical segments, what I’m doing at set points, how I’m doing it, and what happens if something goes wrong.” You can read the full Divernet interview with Rick Stanton here. 3. John Volanthen Is an IT Consultant Who Runs Marathons John Volanthen, at 47, is the younger of the British cave diving pair. According to ABC.net.au, he is an IT consultant from Bristol, England. A profile of him says he “first started caving with the Scouts in 1982,” and is of partial Swiss descent. He is called “Volleyball” as a play on his name. According to The Guardian, Volanthen is a computer engineer and marathon runner. Both men are part of the South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team. In 2013, Volanthen told The Sunday Times, “The flight response now isn’t always appropriate. Panic and adrenaline are great in certain situations but not in cave-diving. The last thing you want is any adrenaline whatsoever.”<doc-sep>THE hero Brit diver who found 12 Thai boys trapped in a flooded cave has today admitted he had doubts over whether the lads would survive the rescue mission. Rick Stanton, from Coventry, spoke of his relief at finding the children alive after they had been in the dark tunnel network in Chiang Rai for over a week. 5 Rick Stanton, centre left, discussed his fears over the dangerous rescue operation at Heathrow Airport today Speaking to reporters at Heathrow Airport, the brave diver said his initial elation of discovering the Wild Boar football team and their coach was quickly “tempered with uncertainty”. He said: “Initially of course (I felt) excitement, relief that they were still alive. “As we were coming down the slope we were counting them – and we got to 13…unbelievable. “We gave them some extra light. They still had light. They looked in good health. “But of course when we departed all we could think of was how we were going to get them out. “So there was relief tempered with uncertainty.” 5 Rick said his initial happiness at discovering the lads alive and well was 'tempered with uncertainty' Credit: Dan Charity - The Sun 5 Members of the British Cave Rescue Council at Heathrow Airport Credit: Reuters Rick was joined at the news conference by other members of the British Cave Rescue Council who were at the “forefront of the rescue effort”. Asked about the difficulty of the mission, the experienced cave diver admitted that the extraction process was “too detailed” to explain at such short notice. However, Rick did admit that the rescue team did have doubts over whether the boys would survive the operation. He said: “This is completely uncharted unprecedented territory – nothing like this has been done. So of course there were doubts. “But I knew we had a good team with good support from the Thai authorities and the national caving community and rescue organisations. 5 Rick found the trapped boys along with fellow British diver John Volanthen, left. Credit: Dan Charity - The Sun 5 All 12 boys and their football coach were rescued during a three day mission Hero British diver John Volanthen who helped in Thai cave rescue returns to UK “So we had the best that we could do to make a plan work.” Rick found the youth football team along with fellow British cave diver John Volanthen, 47. The boys were soon joined by Australian doctor Richard Harris, known as Harry, who spent days with the youngsters checking them over and reassuring them before their dramatic evacuation. And John said that Dr Harris' Aussie accent helped calm the children during the terrifying ordeal, reports the Adelaide Advertiser. He said: "Dr Harry, the Australian doctor, he's very good, he's got a very good bedside manner, he's got a very bouncy Australian accent, and they seemed to find that quite relaxing and reassuring." The boys and their coach planned to explore the cavern complex for only about an hour before treacherous flood waters rose to trap them for more than two weeks, one of the boys' fathers said. MOST READ IN NEWS 'GOBSMACKED' Queen 'gave Harry OK for Oprah series after misleading pitch about soldiers' ROD LIDDLE Ousting right-on National Trust boss is a victory against wokery DRUMMER DEAD School Of Rock star dies at 32 after being hit by car as Jack Black mourns HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will JABS HOPE Scientists 'crack cause of blood clots linked to Covid jabs & know how to fix it' All 12 of the boys and their 25-year-old coach were brought to safety over the course of a three-day rescue. They had gone into the Tham Luang cave in the northern province of Chiang Rai on June 23, for a quick excursion after football practice, when a rainy season downpour flooded the tunnels. "He told me that as soon as they finished practice they went to play at the cave. They thought they'd only be an hour," Banpot Korncam, father of the 13-year-old captain of the "Wild Boars" team, told media. "While they were inside the cave it rained, water flowed in and everyone took off," Banpot said. Dramatic video shows Thai Navy Seals carry out trapped football team on stretchers through dangerous cave system We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get email updates with the day's biggest stories Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice There are calls for the British divers who helped rescue 12 schoolboys and their football coach from a flooded Thai cave to be honoured. Rick Stanton and John Volanthen were the first divers to reach the group nine days after they went missing in the underground network in northern Thailand. The pair, along with a number of other British elite divers had flown to the region to assist at the request of Thai authorities. On Tuesday the last of the Wild Boars football team were brought safely to the surface and taken to hospital. (Image: SWNS - BRISTOL) (Image: SWNS - BRISTOL) (Image: SWNS) (Image: Facebook) The British rescuers were said to be "all alright" and resting after the gruelling operation. Writing on Twitter, former Conservative Party treasurer Lord Ashcroft suggested Mr Stanton and Mr Volanthen could be awarded the George Cross or George Medal for their bravery. The George Cross is the highest civilian honour in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. Others called for the pair to be given knighthoods for their "heroic efforts". Businesswoman Tracey Follows tweeted: "Knighthoods for the British divers involved please. True bravery and superhero status." (Image: Getty Images AsiaPac) (Image: REUTERS) Other figures paid tribute to the rescue team, including Oscar-winning US actress Marlee Matlin. She tweeted: "Oceans of gratitude to the British Thai cave divers and Navy SEALs who got all 12 boys and their coach out of the cave." Former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote on Twitter: "Proud of the England Football team .. But that's just sport .. More proud of the 7 British divers that have helped save all those boys lives in Thailand.." The elite divers joined the vast search after the group disappeared in the Luang Nang Non Cave, Chiang Rai province, on June 23. (Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: AFP) Mr Stanton, a fireman from Coventry, aged in his 50s, was made an MBE at the end of 2012. He previously said his greatest achievement was helping rescue trapped British soldiers from a cave in Mexico in 2004. Mr Volanthen, an IT consultant in his 40s and based in Bristol, was also part of a British team with Mr Stanton which reportedly set a world record for a deep underwater cave dive in Spain in 2010. Mr Volanthen's mother, Jill, told the Daily Telegraph: "We are absolutely so proud, but my sympathy is with the wife and family of the diver who lost his life. (Image: REUTERS) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now "I would like to thank everybody for all their team work to get the lads out, it is absolutely lovely." Bill Whitehouse, vice chairman of the British Cave Rescue Council, told the paper: "We have heard from them that they are all alright, but information is pretty sparse. "When we heard that all the boys and the last diver was out that was a brilliant moment." "Right now they will be absolutely knackered and it will be a question of having something to eat and drink and then falling over."<doc-sep>
Chiang Rai, Thailand (CNN) A British diver who first discovered 12 schoolboys and their coach stranded on a ledge in a flooded cave in Chiang Rai, in northern Thailand, has described the moment he first saw them -- and played down suggestions he was a hero. Retired fireman Rick Stanton and fellow diver John Volanthen found the children deep within the cave nine days after they went missing. Stanton was speaking at a news conference at Heathrow Airport outside London Friday, alongside fellow British divers Josh Bratchley, Chris Jewell and Connor Roe, Irish diver Jim Warny and cave rescuers Mike Clayton and Gary Mitchell. Divers and rescuers from the Thai cave mission arrive at Heathrow Airport Friday. From left to right: Chris Jewell, Mike Clayton, Rick Stanton, Lance-corporal Connor Roe, Josh Bratchley, Gary Mitchell and Jim Warny When asked how they felt when they discovered the young football team alive in the Tham Luang cave complex, Stanton replied: "Initially, of course, excitement, relief that they were still alive. As they were coming down the slope, we were counting them until we got to 13. Unbelievable," he said. "We gave them a little bit of extra light, they still had light, they looked in good health. Then, of course, when we departed, all we could think about was how we were going to get them out. So there was relief, tempered with uncertainty." He declined to go into detail about how his team rescued the children, saying it was "too detailed for this point in time." Rescue personnel carry a member of the "Wild Boars" Thai youth football team on a stretcher during the rescue operation inside the Tham Luang cave. "The most important thing to have was a full face mask which had been applied inside with positive pressure to enable them to breathe and to be relaxed enough so not to feel any anxiety during the process," he said. "There was a lot of chaos but we were so task-orientated, focused, and we blanked that out and carried on with the job in hand, step by step, until we achieved success." "Are we heroes?" he said. "No, we were just using a very unique skill set, which we normally use for our own interests and sometimes we are able to use that and give something back to the community." Jewell said the diving conditions "were extremely challenging. There was poor visibility and responsibility for another human being's life." "The Thai authorities took a lot of steps to divert rivers on the mountaintop which we believe bought us as lot of time to get this outcome," he said. Former Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan died during the operation while replenishing oxygen canisters. British diver helped pinpoint boy's location British caver Vern Unsworth, 63, who lives in Chiang Rai, was instrumental in linking up the Thai authorities with the British experts. "I was actually scheduled to go into the cave on June 24 anyway," Unsworth told CNN in an interview in Thailand. "I got all my gear ready, and I was going in to do a solo trip just to see what the water levels were like. And I got called out at 2 o'clock Sunday morning, and I was there for the whole 17 days." Unsworth's role in the rescue was also pivotal because of his intimate knowledge of the Tham Luang cave system, which he describes as his "second home" after spending the past six years exploring it. He had been involved in cave rescue operations in the UK before, but "nothing on this scale." It was Unsworth who initally pinpointed where he thought the Wild Boars team would be waiting. They were found 200 meters away from that point, which was "probably around about the best place they could have been," he said. The flooding of the cave could not have been predicted, he said, as the floodwater had come through three to four weeks earlier than last year. "These kids were just totally unlucky. Wrong place, wrong time," he said. "It happened very quick. You can't blame the coach, you can't blame the kids." Race against time In the early days of the search operation, Unsworth said he quickly realized that outside expertise was required, and advised the Thai authorities to bring in specialist cave divers who had dealt with similar rescues in the past. "It was a race against time," he said. "They needed world class divers and that's what we got."