a world exclusive. we hear from 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in darkness, and in doubt. >> i started panicking whenever it got stuck. >> surviving perhaps the most daring rescue ever attempted. 13 lives in the balance. tonight, the team tells us their story. what happened inside that cave. the coach who held on to a rope and tried to swim out. >> when i realized we were stuck in a cave, iidt llhem. >> they didn't know much about the teams of rescuers. squeezing through miles of tunnels, filling with water.

>> the chance of losing a single child would be catastrophic. >> if it's going to be successful, the kids need to be sedated. >> what were the boys lost in a thai cave for 18 days thinking? >> at the beginning, when they arrived, i thought we would be out. i only thought tomorrow, i will get out. >> without food, without light. were they without hope? >> i thought one day they most come. we were waiting and hoping every day. >> tonight, in their only interview, we hear directly from the boys, out of the hospital, into new lives. changed lives. instagram lives. >> 98,000 followers, this guy. >> thailand's

james longman did the first exclusive interview with the coach. here's james longman. >> reporter: tucked into a mountainside sits an a a a a a a buddhist temple. it's here that we meet the team and their coach. after weeks of trying, we finally got the green light. it's been a long process, because officials are worried about the boys and their state of mind. we just had a long meeting with child psychologists, and they have the best of intentions, and we're on our way to meet the boys now. hello. >> hello. >> how's it going? this is their first exclusive interview since being rescued.

>> how many of you? >> as the world was riveted to their life or death ordeal. how are you? >> we're good. >> how has life been since you left the cave? >> normal. >> good. >> my life is getting better. >> pong is known for his cheerfulness, and plays midfield. titan, the youngest player on the team. >> i'm glad to be back with my family. it feels great. >> it's the same temple 11 of the boys and their coach gathered to give thanks to buddha for their rescue. they shaved their heads, spent

nine days in prayer. their coach is now a monk. one boy was not ordained because he's not a buddhist. what did you monastery? [ speaking foreign language ] >> i would like to thank everybody. you all love me. and i love everyone. i feel like people around the world are my parents. >> a few miles from here, under the watchful eye of this majestic statue sits the hometown district, located snug against the border with myanmar.

it's a small but bustling community of over with guiilded temples and busy markets. the team is composed of kids from schools around the district. the wild boars have a reputation as a cheerful group. this video was taken that fateful morning, posted on facebook but their assistant coach, known as coach ek. the boys then left practice to go on their adventure to the cave. just tell me what that day was

like. >> at first, we went to practice soccer. but on the way back, we talked about going inside the cave. >> the coach and two of the 12 boys had previously visited the cave. and piqued the others' interest by talking about the chambers like the hidden city, and the underwater city. and it was exciting? >> at first i was excited that i was going to have an adventure. at the beginning, it was exciting, and a little bit scary, too. >> it was my first time, so i felt like, let's go for it. >> we prepared all the equipment. we had ropes, flashlights, and spare batteries. >> but why would the coach put his team in such potential jeopardy? he supposed to be a one-hour excursion. the boys bought snacks before

heading out, and ate them on the way. this was video taken of the 12 boys and their coach making the bike trek up to their destination. >> this cave is enormous. five miles long, with a stream running through it. pushing deep into a huge mountain range. >> at about 1:00 p.m., the team arrives at the entrance of the cave. chaining their bikes to a rail, leaving behind their backpacks and cleats before going inside. later that day, the boys were supposed to gather at the home of their teammate to celebrate his 16th birthday. a cake is waiting for the occasion. but the team never arrives. it turns out they're in the

wrong place, at the wrong time. it's the beginning of the rainy season, and sure enough, while they're in the cave, outside, it begins to rain. and rain hard. >> when we got stuck in the cave, at that moment, we saw water. it was full of water. >> the only way in or out of the cave is now blocked by fast-rising water. the soccer team is trapped. when we return, the team tells us what it's like to spend ten horrifying days in the dark. >> i told the boys that we just had to wait for a bit longer. and the water may go down, and we could get out. i tried not to make them panic. >> stay with us. not with frogtape! frogtape is the only painter's tape treated with patented paintblock technology. paintblock reacts with the water in latex paint to form a micro-barrier against paint bleed, giving you the sharpest lines possible.

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oh, no, they moved in here. here. this is where i hide all the cords and the remotes, and those clack-clack-clack things. so, this is your new bed? let's just say it fits me perfectly. what's your dream? at ikea, we help you live it. make the dream yours. is. under a monsoon soaked mountain, a majestic death trap. 12 young players and their coach stranded inside a cave. the rain water beginning to rise. danger in every drop. in this interview, their coach describes the moment he realized their team was trapped with no way out. you thought i'm stuck, i need to find a way to get everyone out. what was your plan? >> i volunteered to dive to see if i could go through and save

everyone. i let some of the boys hold the rope, and i said, if i don't tug, it's safe to come through. if i tug twice, it's dangerous, and i'm coming back. >> that was good, clever thinking. very clever thinking. >> when i realized we were stuck in the cave, i didn't tell them. i didn't want to panic them. >> instead, he turned to meditation. >> i'm used to praying. i asked that they would be a peaceful night, and a deep sleep. >> trying to find the 12 young footballers and their football coach. >> friends and family outside the cave, now blocked by raging flood waters, calling out to the boys. >> i started shouting from the

entrance, but my voice couldn't go through because of the water. it was going up higher and higher. >> the entrance to the cave is dry, but further in, you start to see water like this. and it goes very, very high. jagged rocks, murky water, these are the kinds of conditions rescuers are dealing with. soon, families are joined by hundreds of rescue workers. a makeshift village rises in the jungle. >> this is a massiveungle been totally transformed. rescuers and volunteers everywhere you look. and you can see oxygen tanks being stacked up for the divers. divers from across the globe, who volunteered to help, including the best divers in the

world. inside the cave, the soccer team is hungry, surviving on water dripping from the ceiling. who had the idea to drink the water from the stalactites. coach, it was your idea? you had all the good ideas. by day four, they become desperate. digging with rocks, trying to find an exit. >> beginning the fourth day, until that day, we met the englishmen. >> how many of you? 13. brilliant. >> two english dive headlamps illuminating the pitch black, to reveal a famous image.

>> many people are coming. >> we are happy, too. >> where are you from? >> england, uk. >> after ten days, the soccer team is found miraculously alive. the british divers came, and you could hear them in the water. who went down to the water first? >> i was in shock. i thought that one day, they must come. we were waiting and hoping every day. i was happy. >> but for the older coach, who doesn't understand english, it was a moment of frustration. >> who was translating? >> i asked them to translate, but nobody was, because they were so surprised. so i was shouting, please, someone translate. >> but no translation was needed for this image. a ray of hope, beamed around the world. >> we have just heard news that that soccer team and their coach have been found alive inside this cave. it's absolutely extraordinary.

we are right outside. you can see how many people have turned up. >> absolute elation. followed very quickly with, wait a second, now we have to get these kids out. >> what stands between the boys and the daylight they haven't seen in two weeks is about a mile and a half obstacle course. the longest fully submerged section is 350 meters, the length of seven olympic swimming pools. it's so muddy, it's like swimming in coffee. >> you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. >> authorities trying to figure out how to save the boys. a team of thai navy s.e.a.l.s is sent in. they quickly bond over checkers. >> who played a game with the

navy s.e.a.l.s? everyone played games. and who beat the navy s.e.a.l.s? >> everybody lost. >> but every trip into the cave is filled with peril. a former thai navy s.e.a.l. dies during a dive. the british divers warn that binging all the kids out alive will be an impossible mission. >> we always knew we could get them out. it's whether we can get them out alive or not. >> we knew there wasn't a zero risk option. but the risk of leaving them there for four to five months was a bad option. >> so, preparations begin with a key piece of equipment. >> it was a positive pressure full face mask that is a piece of equipment designed to go over yo t ensure the boysould be able todn t into the mask.

>> an air force officer shoots this cell phone video testing the plan in a local pool. >> we put them in the full equipment, with the full face mask in for ten, 20 minutes so everybody could see what we were going to do. >> it wasn't a very accurate depi depicti depiction, but as a proof of concept, it worked. >> they run a drill using water bottles as props for scuba tanks. >> we had them walk through to make sure that what we had planned on paper would actually work in real life. >> a single tank out of place could mean the difference between life and death. >> because the last thing we wanted was for one of the divers to show up at a staging point

and think there would be a tank there, or there is nothing. or even worse, a tank that was empty. >> now, all that remains is to deliver the simple, chilling message to the thai government that diving out is the only option. >> we either have a shot where we could get some of them out, or we leave them in there, and there's a very, very high chance that none of them survive. i said, this is our best shot. >> the probability of success, not high. >> so, when i was asked that question by the governor, what i told him, i think we can probably realistically save 60% to 70% of the kids. i expect three to five to die in this operation. >> that is the heart-wrenching decision confronting thai officials. to save any of the boys, they have to risk losing some of them. >> you said, okay, this is the

best plan we've heard. so, go ahead and start planning. when we come back, the boys are faced with a daunting task. it was a funny story about how you decided who to go first. they tell us that story, next.

thailand's miracle boys continues, with matt gutman reporting. >> day 16, the beauty and serenity of of of of of of of of masks the danger of what they're planning. >> with oxygen in the cave running low, officials decide de it's go time. >> today is d-day. we're 100% ready. >> you can see new green covers

outside the entrance. police have penned off the press. >> the secret weapon, the divers each bringing out one boy at a time. it was one diver, one boy. >> correct. >> that's a tremendous amount of responsibility. >> very much so. >> the boys themselves are shockingly calm, considering the terrifying ordeal they're facing. >> there was no sign of distress, no hint of a problem. confident, brave young men. >> with the help of their coach, the wild boars decide who will make the first trip out. >> i was talking about which ones to bring out first, and which to save later. the navy s.e.a.l.s said, you make the decision. so it was up to me. >> but then it was about someone

getting on their bike, and going all the way home, is that right? >> we decided the boy who lived furthest from the cave would be the first to get out. >> choosing who is first in line is actually no small decision. that boy will be a human guinea pig. and it falls to mallonson to shepherd the boy out safely. >> i volunteered. >> you volunteered to take the first out? >> i'm usually at the front. >> once the order has been determined, it's time for an absolutely critical step. agreed to in advance by the government. the boys will be injected with a sedative by the australian diver. and the shot is not just to

relax them. it's to knock the boys out cold. >> can't have them twitching around. there is the potential for them to kill themselves or us if they start to do that. >> after receiving that injection, the first boy is ready for the next step of the rescue. a full face mask is strapped tightly on. a single leak could be potentially fatal. was there a second option if there was a malfunction? >> we would just have to swim fast. >> and hope they don't die. >> that's when we were using 80% oxygen, because we had been told they could survive for several minutes not breathing. >> the child is now fully prepped, but the diver is still assailed with doubt. >> i was confident of being able to take one of those kids and dive them out. i was not fully confident of

getting them out alive. >> why was that? >> because we didn't know at first how they were going to react in the water, whether the drug would be sufficient to keep them under for the flooded sections. >> what follows next is a sort of choreographed underwate undee ball ballet. with one hand, holding on to the rope, and the other holding tight to the strap on the boy's vest as he floats face-down. >> it's like an underwater obstacle course, where you're blind. >> he's halfway home, in complete darkness, when the unthinkable happens. the boy starts to wake up. you realize you've got to ster . >> it was tricky. >> you're grabbing the stuff in the water, trying to put it back

in. >> and trying to get the needle on the syringe. >> had you ever given a shot before? >> never. the responsibility was huge. >> meanwhile, in chamber three, a group of thai navy s.e.a.l.s anxiously awaiting. >> until the line started to move, we had no idea. it was more nerve-racking when they said, the line the moving. 5 to 10 minutes later, somebody is coming up. >> then he emerges from the darkness. >> everybody

w worked. >> the doctor measured the oxygen level in the body. >> he's then loaded on to a stretcher for the remaining half-mile extraction. >> but it won't be easy. they have to navigate it over boulders and across steep cliffs. at one point, he's connected to a series of zip lines. >> is this one of the types that was used? >> absolutely. yes. >> one man showed us how one of the systems worked. >> i would do the hooking up, and say to the next group, are you ready to receive? affirmative. somebody would man this rope. >> to make sure the thing doesn't get away from you. >> correct. we want a nice, slow traverse. >> after 16 days, he's finally out. he's immediately rushed into a

waiting ambulance. >> that's the first ambulance. the whole world has been waiting to see this. we believe the first boys from that cave are in that ambulance. >> and by nightfall, three more boys are out. but this is not mission accomplished. eight boys and the coach are spending another night in darkness. >> so, although we had a brief sense of happiness and euphoria, the pressure was really on now. now, the expectation was that we would get them all out. >> as the weather is about to take a dramatic turn for the worse, divers face a complication. a final rescue no one saw coming. >> we just couldn't get it to seal. >> stay with us.

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>> reporter: jason mallinson is a man on a mission.

thrust onto the global stage, and into a dank cave, he needs the rain gods to hold off one more day. were you growing nervous because of the storm coming? >> i think everybody was on edge because it had rained the night before. >> reporter: chris jewell is another unlikely hero. young and enthusiastic, jewell is taking part in his very first rescue mission. >> the visibility throughout the whole operation was really, really poor. >> reporter: together with two other brits, collectively dubbed the "awesome foursome," they have pulled off a flawless two days of cave rescues. but day three brings complications. >> everybody was like, "hey, we're not gonna be able to continually execute the way we did on day one and day two." >> reporter: the weather is one

obstacle. the number of people that still need to come out of the cave -- another. four boys, one coach and four thai military members are still inside. >> on day number three, we had to bring out an extra person. so, in order to do this, jason mallinson swam through the final underwater section twice. >> i wish i'd never volunteered for it. to be honest, i knew the visibility was going to be bad. >> they also understood there just was not any other option. if these kids are getting, you know, saved, it's gonna have to be them who does it. >> reporter: after pulling the soccer coach through the most dangerous part of the cave's flooded section in his first rescue today, mallinson hands him off to another diver and goes back to chamber nine, to grab the last boy. in chamber four, the final underwater section, chris jewell is headed to chamber three. he's got his hands full carrying a boy in one hand, a guideline with the other. unlike days one and two, the current today is stronger. >> i was moving one of the boys from my left hand to my right hand. i managed to let go of the

guideline, which cave divers use to navigate in zero visibility. >> reporter: jewell makes a sweeping motion in an effort to find that guideline, but can't. the only lifeline he can find is an electrical wire installed by the support team earlier in the week. now jewell assumes that the electrical line will lead him toward the cave's exit, but in the stew of darkness and muck, he becomes hopelessly disoriented and heads the wrong way. >> i surfaced in a different section of the cave and i really didn't know where i was for several minutes. i got the boy out of the water, made him comfortable, took off my cave diving equipment and then i was able to walk around the chamber and recognize that i was back in chamber four. >> reporter: meanwhile, mallinson has issues of his own with that final rescuee. a 13-year-old nicknamed mark. >> the last child is there who is a really small child. >> reporter: in fact, he's too small for his diving mask.

>> it didn't fit him. we put it on him, really strapped down tight so his nose was flattened against his face and there was a big gap under his chin. we just couldn't get it to seal. >> reporter: remember, a leaking seal means the boy could drown. so, with the clock ticking and the final child already sedated, two divers in neck deep water have to think fast. they decide to use a different mask. it's not perfect either, but it might form a tight seal around the boy's face. >> it was so nervous for me because it was the different type of mask with this seal that you could dislodge sideways. i had to be so careful with him. >> reporter: you're freezing. you're shivering in the water. first face mask doesn't work because the boy's too small. the second one doesn't have a great seal. are you thinking, maybe we need to postpone this? >> we knew we didn't have any more time and we knew this was the last option. once you set off with that kid, it was a one-way journey. you weren't going back to where they started. it was a case of getting him out. a bit brutal, but dead or alive.

>> reporter: with zero alternative and no communication available to bring in another mask, a decision needs to be made. >> i think it was my call, too, whether or not i was going to dive out with him or not. and i just made the call. >> reporter: the call is made. the dive begins. but as soon as he's under way with the last child, another hazard. >> and by this time, the visibility had deteriorated where you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. it was feeling the line all the way out. >> reporter: low visibility means slow going. mallinson is now laser focused on keeping that mask on the boy's face and can't afford to have the boy accidentally bang his head against the wall. >> and because the visibility was so bad, i knew i couldn't really stop his head banging against the wall because i couldn't see his face or his head. so, i developed a technique where i'd pull him in really tight with his head just down here. and i'd extend my head over the top of his so my head hit the wall first and it protected his head.

>> reporter: how many times do you think you hit your head that third day? >> dozens. >> reporter: to keep him alive, mallinson knows he must keep moving. >> that was one of the instructions dr. harry gave us. he said, "no matter what happens, get them out as fast as possible. hypothermia is going to be a big issue here." >> reporter: the only guy not moving at the moment is chris jewell. remember, he's the diver trying to figure out his next move after going deeper into the cave by mistake. >> i was concerned that his body temperature was getting kind of low. >> reporter: but in a final stroke of luck, dr. harry comes across them. >> i followed behind, just

making sure he didn't have any problems. >> reporter: they make it out safely. meanwhile, they have been passed by jason mallinson, who emerged with mark a few minutes earlier. incredibly, the entire team and coach are now out. and we can report lineup was all 12 boys, with the last one out, mark. they may be out of the cave, but surprises are still ahead for the boys. inside the first emotional moments. >> when you were in the hospital, you could see them through the glass. is that right? what was that like? >> reporter: still ahead -- >> i heard someone has a girlfriend.

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thailand's miracle boys continues, with james longman. >> reporter: as the final ambulance carrying the boys races to the hospital, the elation in the streets is electrifying. you never want to see anybody brought out in an ambulance, but this was a moment of pure jubilation in this country. >> it's been a collective celebration in thailand. you can see people's spirits lifted. they were smiling again, looking you in the eye, saying hello to

you in english. i stopped one woman and asked her, you know, what is the change? she said, now we know they survived. now we can smile again. >> reporter: inside the hospital, a new journey of recovery begins. and then, it's the moment the boys have been dreaming of. their families are brought in. because of their compromised immune systems, they remain separated by glass. when you were in the hospital, you could see them through the glass, is that right? >> yes. >> reporter: what was that like? >> i was happy. >> everyone smiled. >> i was happy that i saw my parents. >> i was so happy that i cried. >> reporter: but those hugs and kisses they so desperately yearn for have to wait until they get

a clean bill of health. doctors also have heartbreaking news to share with the young boys. just a few miles away from the hospital is a memorial being held for the former thai navy s.e.a.l. who came out of retirement to help rescue the boys. they waited until the boys were a bit stronger to share the news. which leaves many of them in tears. doctors bring in a drawing, and the wild boars ask if they can write messages to his family on that. >> we thank you. >> may you sleep peacefully and rest in peace. >> we're sincerely thankful. >> reporter: they stand for an emotional moment of silence to pay respect to the man. every step of their recovery is closely monitored by doctors and the world.

dr. paul auerbach is an expert in medicine. >> when they got to the hospital, they were malnourished and weak. >> now i am very fine. i thank you so much. >> reporter: they flexed their recovering muscles, and flashed "v"s for victory. >> thank you for all the support and courage. >> reporter: after a little over a week, the boys and their coach say good-bye to their caregivers. >> i love you all. thank you. >> reporter: pong is overcome by tears. >> always taking care of us. >> reporter: and then, it's time to face the world. trading their hospital gowns for

their sport jerseys, they show off soccer moves, still intact. and immediate international media, who take the opportunity to apologize to their opponents. >> i want to say sorry to my mother, because i'm a stubborn boy. when i went to the cave, i didn't tell her. >> reporter: three weeks after the fateful adventure, it's time for homecomings. ♪ >> i was so happy to see my mom and dad, i felt even warmer. >> reporter: at the small baptist church, he's welcomed home with singing and dancing. 17-year-old knight is doused with water, a northern thai tradition to call his mind back after such a long time away.

i heard someone has a girlfriend. it's you? >> we sit next to each other. don't you tell. it's embarrassing. >> physically, the boys and the coach came through remarkably well. emotionally, it will take a while to sort this out. they will need to be closely observed for any signs of flashing back to the event. they're celebrities and heroes, and it's not a normal situation to be in that environment. >> reporter: does everyone want to take pictures with you? >> a lot. coming up next, what the boys tell us about that celebrity status. >> reporter: you have 300,000

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>> reporter: after escaping death in a deep cave buried in the lush hills, the wild boars soccer boys are world famous. they've even become instagram celebrities. you have instagram? >> we do. >> i heard some rumor he's got more than 300,000 followers. >> yes. >> reporter: you're very famous. >> yes. >> reporter: something else taking the internet by storm, the challenge, the boys show me how it's done. everyone has to do it together. >> yes. >> reporter: like this. >> yes. >> yeah!

>> reporter: during their time with us, they seemed like just any other young teens, with lots of dreams for life ahead. what do you all want to do in the future? >> i want to be a navy s.e.a.l. >> i want to be an architect. >> reporter: there's one ambition quite a few want to have in the future. >> i want to play professional soccer. >> you want to play professional soccer someday. >> yeah. >> reporter: most teams eventually split up, but this wild boar team and this coach their a bond that will hold them together forever. why do you think the world was so interested in this story? >> people around the world see us as their own kids. they love us. they want us to be safe.

>> me and the brothers would like to thank the king, who has always helped us and out of the the cave. >> reporter: creating a new legend. >> yes, a team for life. an unforgettable story forever. david muir will be back with us next week. for all of us at abc news, i'm amy robach. good night. looking for ways to keep passengers and its own