rick stanton isa divers are volunteers. rick stanton is a retired firefighter from coventry.n mbe in 2012 for services to cave diving. john volanthen is an it consultant from bristol. he's been cave diving since he was a teenager. his family have been closely following this rescue. it's a feeling of pride, but tojohn, it'sjust rescue. it's a feeling of pride, but to john, it's just another everyday job. he's quite a private person. if you're a mother, you know what it is like to worry about your children, no matter how old you are. in 2004, the bbc filmed both men as they attempted to reach chamber 26 of wookey hole in somerset, where no one has ever gone before. it was an insight into their skills and courage. when people landed on the moon, they had a map, they knew where they were going. but in a cave, if you are beyond the known limit of the cave, nobody knows where it goes and you will never know what will happen round the corner. the british divers are just pa rt corner. the british divers are just part of a huge rescue effort, but their experience will now be crucial g

the boys were found by two british divers, rick stanton and john volanthen.er. all i knew was last tuesday he had been called to a rescue in thailand, and he asked his brother to ring me and he asked his brother to ring me and tell me he was on his way. since then i have been watching it on the internet. i think it was yesterday, i don't know the day now, it had news breaking and that they had got through to the children which was wonderful. wonderful news the children had been found but it must have been worrying for you watching those stages, as every day went by, thinking about your son and the operation. the weather has not helped at all. when they went up the mountain and started to drill, they seemed pretty certain they were on track and that was how they got in higher up the mountain. yes, i mean, if you are mother you know what it is like to worry about your children, no matter how old you are a. 0nes, always am. children, no matter how old you are a. ones, always am. how does it feel that your boy is going to effectively be held as a hero across the

the obvious answer was rick stanton.ew that nearly 1a years ago, and the situation hasn't really change. there are some really good cave divers around the world, but it is quite a close—knit community. is there another you can die for a cave dive rescue, probably not. it is an interesting thought. but if you are caving at the level that we were in mexico, there were enough members of my team that understood who do ring, and obviously we arrange that beforehand. we are hearing a lot about the diving plan. what is involved in one of those? obviously you need to know the cave in detail, and recall have done that when he first moved in to find those members of that team. you need to find out how long you were submerged, how complex that cave system is. we have seen complex that cave system is. we have seen a complex that cave system is. we have seen a lot of the news about how tight it was and how difficult it was. that would have been a big part of the plan. can you move people in there? you have got to consider the safety

returning to heathrow today, rick stanton, who's from coventry, said he was just using a "very uniqueng back to the community". here's robert hall. they'd spent days in the total darkness of a flooded cave system. this morning, blinking in the flashlights, the seven rescuers arrived to applause from a crowd of well—wishers who shared a drama replayed around the world. when rick sta nton replayed around the world. when rick stanton and his colleaguejohn volanthen emerged from the inky water a mile from the cave entrance they could hardly believe what they saw. how many of you? 13? brilliant. as they were coming down the slope we we re as they were coming down the slope we were counting them until we got 13, unbelievable. we gave them a little bit of some extra light, they still had light, they looked in good health, but of course when we departed or we could think about was how we were going to get them out. slowly and carefully the british divers, the thai navy and a growing tea m divers, the thai navy and a growing team of international experts began preparations for a rescue which t

when rick stanton and his colleague john volanthen emerged from the inky the skilled cave diving team a class of their own. when rick stanton and his colleague john volanthen emerged from the inky water a mile from the cave entrance, they could hardly —— two miles. believe what they saw. how many of you? 13? brilliant. today for the first time john spoke in detail about that moment. we were swimming along an underwater passage. wherever we surfaced we looked and we smile. in this case we smelt the children before we saw them. slowly and carefully preparations were made for a rescue which the thais dubbed mission impossible. we weren't aware of the enormity of the task. the visibility in the water is very low so varying down to a few inches, there was also a lot of debris in the cave from previous attempts. at last, supported by thai colleagues the british team began their operation. 0ne british team began their operation. one by one they inched the children and their coach to safety. we essentially packaged the children with a buoyancy compensator, which with a buevancv cemeensater. w

rick stanton is a retired firefighter from coventry. mbe in 2012 for services to cave diving. john volanthen is an it consultant from bristol. he's been cave diving since he was a teenager. his family have been closely following this rescue. it's a feeling of pride, but to john, it's just another everyday job. he's quite a private person. if you're a mother, you know what it is like to worry about your children, no matter how old you are. once a mum, always a mum. in 2004, the bbc filmed both men as they attempted to reach chamber 26 of wookey hole in somerset, where no one has ever gone before. it was an insight into their skills and courage. when people landed on the moon, they had a map, they knew where they were going. but in a cave, if you are beyond the known limit of the cave, nobody knows where it goes and you will never know what will happen round the corner. the british divers are just part of a huge rescue effort, but their experience will now be crucial going forward. daniela relph, bbc news. our correspondent howard johnson

when rick stanton and his colleagues emerged from the inky water a mile from the cave entrance, they hardly believe what they saw. how many of you ? hardly believe what they saw. how many of you? 13? brilliant. it was unbelievable. we give them some extra light. they still had light. they look to good health. but of course when we departed, all we could think about was how we were going to get them out. slowly, carefully, preparations were made foran carefully, preparations were made for an operation the ties dubbed mission impossible. the visibility in the water is very low so down to a few inches, there was also a lot of debris in the cave from previous attempts. as the risk of more monsoon rains grew by the hour, the rescue began. sometimes if it was low, sometimes it was very narrow, and you pushed them in front. and we we re and you pushed them in front. and we were able to manoeuvre them in that way. they were still clipped to us so way. they were still clipped to us so if we lost them, we would always be able to find them. at heathrow, the divers left quietly to resume their n

when rick stanton and his colleague john volanthen emerged from the inky waters two miles from the cavecould hardly believe what they saw. how many of you? 13? brilliant. today, for the first time, he spoke in detail about that moment. we were swimming along an underwater passage, wherever there is a space, we passage, wherever there is a space, we surface, we shout, and also we smell, and in this case we smelt the children before we saw them. slowly, carefully, preparations were made for an operation the thais dubbed mission impossible. we were both aware of the enormity of the task. the visibility in the water is very low, so down to a few inches, there was also a lot of debris in the cave from previous attempts. at last, supported by thai college, the british team began their operation, injuring the children and their coach to safety. we packaged their coach to safety. we packaged the children with a buoyancy compensator, a kind of diving jacket, a cylinder on their chest, and this buoyancy compensator, we made it into a harness, and that allowed us to have a single unit, for want of

two british cave divers have also been called in by the time as rick stanton enjoy the length and conceded the best in the world and in the first to dive deep into the cave they briefed the americans on the daunting task ahead they were saying the currents right now are not manageable you know we've been battling to try to move forward the rains are still following the flows are getting higher the visibility zero the water's cold. on sunday july first. a break in the rain and the risk you dive team to set up a base inside one of the cave chambers.

to british cave divers have also been cool lean by the time as rick stanton enjoy the length and a conceded the best in the world and in the first to dive deep into the cave they briefed the americans on the daunting task ahead they were saying the currents right now. are not manageable you know we've been battling to move forward the rains are still following the flows are getting higher the visibility is zero the water's cold. on sunday july first. a break in the rain and the risk you dive team to set up a base inside one of the cave chambers. the british divers foods deeper into the cave. below the surface they swim against wrong currents for one point five kilometers. and then the moment seems like a miracle. almost ten days since they first into the caves . we have been going to what. we are happy. initially is a huge sigh of relief ok the the boys were able to find a high enough ground they've survived this long you know with some of the higher flood levels in the cave but then it was it was scary because we realize how far back they were in. of the locating the boys the british diver

the british team includes two of the best cave divers in the world, john velanthin, rick stanton. >>arted out as cavers, that was their sport. it enables them to go through into places other people can't get. >> reporter: my colleague james longman among the first foreign journalists to witness the massive rescue mission. >> there were rescuers and volunteers everywhere. if you look up there,oxygen tan stacked outside the entrance to the cave. those are for the divers. >> reporter: by midweek nearly 50 pumps brought in, at this point working furiously to drain the cave. in one cavern ceilings soar like a buddhist temple, in the next, nothing more than a crawl space. somewhere in this six-mile labyrinth, the missing teens. on day nine an electrifying discovery. those british divers surface deep inside the mountain -- >> how many of you? 13? brilliant. >> reporter: all 12 long-lost boys and their coach gather together, exhausted, hungry, but alive. >> many people are coming. >> reporter: the families outside the cave are overjoyed. now a new mission begins. getting them out before comi

there was alsojohn volanthen and rick stanton, the two divers who found the boys. tall. it will feature the diver stood on a rock and underneath him are 13 wild boars representing the team that he was trying to save. the boys are due to be discharged from hospital on thursday. what we heard is they will return to theie family homes what we heard is they will return to thier family homes what we heard is they will return to their family homes where they will spend time with their friends and family recuperating after this ordeal. ata at a festival in southern austria artist ditched the counters for the human body. it has been running for 21 yea rs human body. it has been running for 21 years and it attracts more than 200 artists from 50 countries. absolutely astonishing. i think you would need to have the right texts to ta ke would need to have the right texts to take part in that. —— because i do not see any ordinary bodies there. —— pecs. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ nkem ifejika everyone's in a while i tweet interesting things but otherwise it is stories.

there was alsojohn volanthen and rick stanton, the two divers who found the boys.be around 2.5 metres tall. it will feature the diver stood on a rock and underneath him are 13 wild boars representing the teams that he was trying to save. the boys are due to be discharged from hospital on thursday. what we heard is they will return to theie family homes where they will spend time with their friends and family recuperating after this ordeal. and congratulations to france! you have been watching newsday. i bet that shirt is worth a bob or two now. hello. with temperatures as high as 31 celsius, sunday was another hot day across eastern areas of england throughout the weekend, would scenes like this, england and wales had the lion's share of the sunshine and sunday brought some useful range of parts of northern ireland scotland of eastern scotland held on to some sunny spells. this is the weather system that brought some rain to northern ireland in parts of scotland, moving south in the next 24 hours on behind it, it's introduced in a somewhat cooler and more noticeabl

there was alsojohn volanthen and rick stanton, the two divers who found the boys.ng to be around 2.5 metres tall. it will feature the diver stood on a rock and underneath him are 13 wild boars representing the team that he was trying to save. the boys are due to be discharged from hospital on thursday. what we heard is they will return to theie family homes where they will spend time with their friends and family recuperating after this ordeal. allez les boar. did you see what i did? you can follow me on twitter, where i perform some tricks. thanks so much for watching. hello. with temperatures as high as 31 celsius, sunday was another hot day across eastern areas of england throughout the weekend, with scenes like this, it was england and wales that had the lion's share of the sunshine and warmth. sunday brought some useful rain to of parts of northern ireland scotland and eastern scotland held on to some sunny spells. this is the weather system that brought some rain to northern ireland and parts of scotland, it's moving southwards in the next 2a hours and behind

the obvious answer was rick stanton.t nearly 1a years ago, and the situation hasn't really changed. there are some really good cave divers around the world, but it is quite a close—knit community. is there a number you can dialfor a cave dive rescue, probably not. it is an interesting thought. but if you are caving at the level that we were in mexico, there were enough members of my team that understood who to ring, and obviously we arranged that beforehand. we are hearing a lot about the diving plan. what is involved in one of those? obviously you need to know the cave in detail, and rick would have done that when he first moved in to find those members of that team. you need to find out how long you were submerged, how complex that cave system is. we have seen a lot on the news about how tight it was and how difficult it was. that would have been a big part of the plan. can you move people in there? you have got to consider the safety of the rescuer. if you are moving somebody through an environment like that who is no

this mural, there was alsojohn vola nthen and rick this mural, there was alsojohn volanthen and rick stantond 2.5 metres tall, it will feature the diver stood on a rock and underneath him are 13 wild boars, representing the team that he was trying to save. the boys are due to be discharged from hospital on thursday, what we have heard is that they will return to their family homes, they will spend time with their friends homes, they will spend time with theirfriends and homes, they will spend time with their friends and family recuperating after this ordeal. i'll be back with the business briefing in just a few moments. we'll have more on eu and chinese leaders meeting. they're hoping to forge deeper ties. but also the farnborough air show, which kicks off later today. so all that, it do stay with us. —— do stay with us. hello. with temperatures as high as 31 celsius, sunday was another hot day across eastern areas of england throughout the weekend, with scenes like this, it was england and wales that had the lion's share of the sunshine and warmth. warmth sunday brought some useful rain to

we can speak now to alex daw who is the station commander at west midlands fire service where rick stantonsince he retired he has taken up his cave diving and rescue operations full—time and he used to practice it over the 30 years he was with the fire service. what is it about him that drives someone to do something like cave diving. i cannot think of anything worse, frankly because it is a very dangerous thing to do? it is very dangerous, but alongside a career in the fire service, rick, it was a passion of his all through his career in the fire service. he is a very calm gentlemen, very knowledgeable and very experienced and he was well trained in what he has continued to do now since he retired which is the cave rescu e do now since he retired which is the cave rescue and cave diving. there are similarities because you are going into an environment where you have no idea what you will come across? absolutely, yes. and he is well trained, well knowledgeable in what he does in the caves. like i said, ye has been doing it for at least 20, 30 years, if not longer. he has equipment that ena

when two of those divers, rick stanton and his colleague, john volanthen, emerged from the inky waterat they saw. how many of you? 13. 13? brilliant. today, for the first time, john spoke in detail about that moment. we're swimming along an underwater passage, wherever there is an airspace we surface, we shout, and also we smell. and, in this case, we smelt the children before we actually saw or heard them. slowly and carefully, preparations were made for a rescue which the thais dubbed mission impossible. both mick and i were aware of the enormity of the task. the visibility in the water is very low, so varying down to a few inches. there was also a lot of debris in the cave from previous attempts. at last, supported by thai colleagues, the british team began their operation. one by one, they inched the children and their coach to safety. we essentially packaged the children with a buoyancy compensator, which is a kind of diving jacket, a cylinder on their chest, and this buoyancy compensator we'd made into a harness, and that allowed us to have a single unit, for want of a better wo

well, the obvious answer for me was rick stanton.uation has not really changed. although there are some really good cave divers all over the world, but it is a quite close—knit community. and is there a number where you can dialfor a cave dive rescue? probably not. so, it is an interesting thought, but if you were caving at the level that we certainly were in mexico, there were were enough members of my team that understood who to ring, and obviously we had arranged that beforehand. we're hearing a lot about a diving plan. what is involved in one of those, can you just take us through? obviously you need to know the cave in detail and rick would have done that when he first moved in to find the members of the team, but you would need to find how long you are submerged, how complex that cave system is and we have seen a lot on the news about how tight it was and how difficult it was, and that would have been a big part of the plan. can you move people in there? and of course the other thing you've got to consider is the safety of the

this extraordinary video captures the momentjohn volanthen and rick stanton saw the missing childrenched on a muddy ledge above the water. they left them, promising more help. the two british men are among the world's most experienced and daring cave divers — a highly specialised field. in 2004, they made a record—breaking exploration of wookey hole in somerset, reaching new depths. their friend and photographer martyn farr talked about their achievement in thailand. do you know what? ifeel emotional about it now but then, "wow", you think "this is fantastic". those boys have had a hard nine, ten days underground, and now they've got the best guys there. sojohn and rick, you know, they are calm, they're very collected, they're very organised, extremely disciplined, and consummate professionals. it's not clear yet how the boys can be brought out. the thai authorities are pumping as much water as they can from the caves, but more rain is on the way. dr will smith is an emergency doctor, also medical director of a search and rescue team. i asked him about his concerns for the group. so

there was alsojohn volanthen and rick stanton, the two divers who found the boys.going to be around two and a half metres tall. it will feature the diver stood on a rock, and underneath him are 13 wild boars, representing the team that he was trying to save. now, the boys are due to be discharged from hospital on thursday. what we've heard is that they will return to their family homes, where they'll spend time with their friends and family recuperating after this ordeal. australia's southern koalas have considerably larger and thicker fur than their northern neighbours, a feature that'll come in useful when they experience winter in britain. a group of six are to be brought from adelaide, to live at longleat safari park in wiltshire, making them the only ones of their kind in europe. laura foster reports. they are abandoning australia and moving to wiltshire. and when the five females and single male arrive, it will be the only place you can find southern koalas in the whole of europe and it's hoped, once this group settles into their new home in longleat, they wi

>>r: that's the vof john volanthen, he and partner rick stanton, pictured here in 2004, may have lookedero, but the 12 boys and their coach knew help had arrived. out of their wetsuits, 47 year old john is an i.t. consultant. 57 year old rick, a retired firefighter. >> when people landed on the moon, they had a map, they knew where they were going. but, in a cave, if you're beyond the known limit of the cave, nobody knows where it goes. you never know what will happen around the corner. >> reporter: together they designed their own equipment and use it to assist rescues in france and even mexico, where rick helped save six people trapped in a cave by teaching some how to dive. it's an achievement later honored by the queen. when the soccer team first went tissing last month, thai officials called on "the a-team" to assist in the search. >> they're very organized, extremely disciplined, and consummate professionals. >> reporter: but this rescue is far from over. jonathan vigliotti, cbs news, london. >> quijano: up next, the wounded warrior who turned tragedy into art. tragedy into art. 1

this extraordinary video captures the momentjohn volanthen and rick stanton saw the missing childrened on a muddy ledge above the water. they left them promising more help. today the children were visited by thai navy divers and had their first food and medical treatment. they are said to be in surprisingly good health. the two british men are among the world's most experienced and daring cave divers, a highly specialised field. in 2004, they made a record—breaking exploration of wookey hole in somerset, reaching new depths. their friend and photographer, martyn farr, talked about their achievement in thailand. i feel emotional about it now. but then, wow, you think, this is fantastic. those boys, have had a hard nine, ten days underground, and now they've got the best guys there are. sojohn and rick, you know, they are calm, they are very collected, they are very organised, extremely disciplined, and consummate professionals. it's not clear yet how the boys can be brought out. the thai authorities are pumping as much water as they can from the caves, but more rain is on the way. let

there was alsojohn volanthen and rick stanton, the two divers who found the boys.metres tall. it will feature the diver stood on a rock and underneath him are 13 wild boars representing the team that he was trying to save. the boys are due to be discharged from hospital on thursday. what we heard is they will return to theie family homes where they will spend time with their friends and family recuperating after this ordeal. a bus in spain has been left teetering over the edge of a bridge after the driver lost control on a highway in madrid on sunday. in a careful operation, firefighters were able to rescue the driver, who was the only person on the bus, as it rested on the broken barriers. the bus was eventually lifted by crane back onto the road. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ nkemifejika. with temperatures as high as 31 celsius, sunday was another hot day across eastern areas of england throughout the weekend, with scenes like this, it was england and wales that had the lion's share of the sunshine and warmth. sunday brought some useful rain to of parts of

there was alsojohn volanthen and rick stanton, the two divers who found the boys.oing to be around 2.5 metres tall. it will feature the diver stood on a rock and underneath him are 13 wild boars representing the teams are 13 wild boars representing the team that he was trying to save. the boys are due to be discharged from hospital on thursday. what we heard is they will return to theie family homes where they will spend time with their friends and family recuperating after this ordeal. it is great to hear those 12 boys are getting back to the full strength. another story of survival. a woman whose vehicle plunged off the california coast has been found alive after a week missing. she suffered water from the radiator. the vehicle was partially submerged at the bottom of a 60 metre cliff. you have been watching newsday. coming up next... nuisance or godsend? we look the booming market for electric scooters and find out why not everyone is so thrilled about them. and before we go, let's take a look at this... this is hugh scofield, our paris correspondent, getting re

this extraordinary video captures the momentjohn volanthen and rick stanton saw the missing childrene the water. they left them, promising more help. we are coming. it's ok. many people are coming. we are the first. many people come. today, the children were visited by thai navy divers and had their first food and medical treatment. they are said to be in surprisingly good health. the two british men are among the world's most experienced and daring cave divers, a highly specialised field. in 2004, they made a record—breaking exploration into wookie hole in somerset, reaching new depths. their friend and photographer, martin farr, talked about their achievement in thailand. do you know what i feel? emotional about it now. but then, wow. you think, this is fantastic. those boys have had a hard nine, ten days underground. and now they have got the best guys there. so, john and rick, you know, they are calm, they are very collected. they are very organised, extremely disciplined and consummate professionals. it is not clear yet how the boys can be brought out. the thai authorities are p

when two of those divers, rick stanton and his colleague john volanthen emerged from the inky water aoke about it for the first time. whenever there was a service we shout and also we smell. —— surface. in this case we smelt the children before we actually saw them. slowly and carefully preparations were made for a rescue which the thai stubbed mission impossible. we were aware of the enormity of the task. the depth of the water is very low, varying down to a few inches. there was also a lot of debris in the cave from previous attempts. at last, supported by colleagues from thailand, the british team began their operation. one by one they inched the children and their coach to safety. we essentially packaged the children with a pointy compensated, which is kind of a diving jacket, and this pointy compensated, we had made it into a harness. that allowed us to have a single unit, for want of a better word, that was completely self contained —— buoyancy. you had to carry them to the side if it was very low. sometimes it was very narrow and he pushed them in front. it just narrow and he p

there was alsojohn volanthen and rick stanton, the two divers who found the boys. be around two and a half metres tall. it will feature the diver stood on a rock, and underneath him are 13 wild boars, representing the team that he was trying to save. now, the boys are due to be discharged from hospital on thursday. what we've heard is that they will return to their family homes, where they'll spend time with their friends and family recuperating after this ordeal. a group of six southern koalas are being brought from australia to live at longleat safari park in wiltshire, making them the only ones of their kind in europe. the southern koalas are known for their thickerfur — handy for a british winter. laura foster reports. they are abandoning australia and moving to wiltshire, and when the five females and single male arrived, they'll be the only place you can find is other than: as in all of europe stop its hope that when the group settles in at longleat they will start to breed. very strict monitoring process of each individual car while and the group. then we ca

of elite diver john velanthen listening again to the moment her son and another british diver, rick stantonhe missing thai boys. i'm very proud of him. john is a very kind, modest person and i knew that they would do a good job and i kept my fingers crossed for both of them. all the thai navy seals and the international divers are safely out. mission accomplished before the monsoon rains will flood the caves for months to come. fergus walsh, bbc news. earlier this evening i spoke to andrea danese, a child psychiatrist at king's college london who explained what effect this experience will have on the children. first of all, it's excellent news. i would expect them to also be elated, of course, by the fact of being rescued finally. many of them would still probably experience some emotional symptoms, maybe anxious, agitated and trouble sleeping, for example, and they‘ re agitated and trouble sleeping, for example, and they're still in the hospital, where they've been having some health checks as well, medical checks. visa very normal symptoms and most individuals, not only children exposed t

the obvious answer was rick stanton.ew that nearly 1a years ago, and the situation hasn't really changed. there are some really good cave divers around the world, but it is quite a close—knit community. is there a number you can dialfor a cave dive rescue, probably not. it is an interesting thought. but if you are caving at the level that we were in mexico, there were enough members of my team that understood who do that understood who to ring, and obviously we arranged that beforehand. we are hearing a lot about the diving plan. what is involved in one of those? obviously you need to know the cave in detail, and rick would have done that when he first moved in to find those members of that team. you need to find out how long you were submerged, how complex that cave system is. we have seen a lot on the news about how tight it was and how difficult it was. that would have been a big part of the plan. can you move people in there? you have got to consider the safety of the rescuer. if you are moving somebody through an en

of elite diver john volanthen listening again to the moment her son and another british diver, rick stantonsing thai boys. well, i'm very proud of him. john is a very kind, modest person and i knew that they would do a good job and i kept my fingers crossed for both of them. cheering all the thai navy seals and the international divers are safely out — mission accomplished before the monsoon rains will flood the caves for months to come. fergus walsh, bbc news. our correspondentjonathan head joins us from chiang rai. he has been monitoring all of these events for us. what can this group of boys now expect over the coming days? well, they are isolated in quarantine. these are very, very precious lives right now and the thai authorities are taking no chances. they didn't even let the pa rents chances. they didn't even let the parents see them, they have only seen them through glass so far. there is nothing wrong with them, they are in remarkably robust health given they staffed nine days and have been in complete darkness and then had the ordeal of the journey out. they will monitor them for

he and partner rick stanton seen here in 1994 may have looked and sound mord alien than hero but theheir coach knew help had arrived. >> thank you. >> reporter: out of their wetsuits 47-year-old john is an i.t. consultant. 57-year-old rick a retired firefighter. but both are known around the world for their self-taut hobby. considered among the best cave divers on the planet, nicknamed the a-team. it's a skill john once compared to space travel. >> when people landed on the moon, they had a map. they knew where they were going. but in a cave if you're beyond the known limit of a cave, nobody knows where it goes. you never know what will happen around corner. >> reporter: together they designed their own equipment and used it to assist rescues in france and even mexico where rick helped save six people trapped i caveg ve.atie hono by thqun. en the soccer team first went missing last month,i officis call on the a-team to assisarch >> john and rick, you know, they're calm. they're very collected. they're very organized. extremely disciplined. and consummate professionals. >> reporter: i

rick stanton and john are considered the best in the world and are the first the to dive deep into the cave. they brief the americans on the daunting task ahead. >> those were when the rain levels were the highest and they were saying hey, in cave diving, you have b to be able the to lay line, have way out if you're going in. and they were saying the currents right now are not manageab manageable. we've been battling to move forward. the rains are still flowing. the viz babsibility is is zoe r. efb take a deep breath and let's come at this from a collective perspective of how can we tackle a really complex problem that i think over the next few day and weeks we realize has never been done before. >> on sunday, july 1st, a break in the rain allows the rescue dive team to set up a base inside of one of the cave chambers. the british divers forged deep into the cave. far below the surface, they swim against strong currents for 1.5 kilometers and then the moment that seems like a miracle. need a change of scenery? the kayak explore tool shows you the places you can fly on your budget. so y

. >> rick stanton on the left, a retired diver and his diving partner the night he consulted from bristol, in cave diving they're pretty much as good as it gets. the request of the thai command center they were flown out from britain. underground they almost passed unnoticed, just two guys in dark shorts, t-shirts, and wellington boots. they made their first explore tear dive on wednesday, june 27th, four days after the boys went missing. the challenge was immediately obvious, water the color of cold coffee, almost no visibility, swimming against ator rent of water, the engorged stream that run through the cave. the divers war able to lay down a crucial guide rope and on the seventh day of diving, monday, july 7th, they pound the boys perched on a ledge and were met by an unforgettable chorus of little voices. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> how many of you? >> 13. >> 13? >> yes. >> brilliant. >> yeah, yeah. >> what day is it, the boys ask. >> monday. monday. you have been here ten days. ten days. your very strong. >> navy s.e.a.l. we'll come tomorrow with food and doctor and everything. w

. >> well, in the case of rick stanton, he's been called into assist with various rescues. his record speaks for itself. there's a history of british diving. we have these fairly small-channelled caves with brown-colored water. it sounds perverse, but there is actually a sport that has pursued exploration in those conditions for many decades. so that's really the key to the useful and relevant skills that some of these cave divers take over to thailand because of the turbulent water, lots of sediment, poor visibility. it's the techniques to safely negotiate those kinds of channels that they're really able to bring to the party and help in terms of assisting the thai authorities with this cave rescue. >> absolutely. having done just a bit of cave diving myself, i can tell you it's a little scary sometimes. thanks so much for that, peter dennis. more on our breaking news. we'll show you what it's like inside the cave and the hurdles rescue teams are encountering. and it's now or never. rescuers facing another challenge, including from an incoming storm. what this means for th

. >> rick stanton on the left a retired firemen from coventry. and the it consultant from bristle.n cave diving they are pretty much as good as its gets. at the request of the thai command center they were flown out from britain. on the ground they almost passed unnoticed two guys in dark shorts ante shirts and wellington boots. they made the first exploratory dive on wednesday june 27th four days after the boys went missing. the challenge was immediately obvious. the waerpt the color of cold coffee almost no visibility, swimming againstatorent of water, the engorged stream running through the cave. the divers were able to hey down a guide rope and on the seventh day of diving, monday, july the 2nd they found the boys perched on a reccy ledge and were met by an unforgettable chor us of little voices. >> how many of you? thirteen? brilliant. >> what day is it the boys ask? >> monday. monday. you have been here ten days. ten days. you are very strong. we are happy too. >> thank you so much. thank you. >> okay. >> england, the uk. >> oh, indeed. a nice surprise. england home to manche

. >> reporter: rick stanton, retired fireman, and his diving partner, john, a consultants from bristol. in cave diving, they are pretty much as good as it gets. at the request of the thai command center, they were flown up from britain. on the ground, they almost passed unnoticed, just two guys in dark shorts, t-shirts. the british divers made their first exploratory dive on wednesday june 27, four days after the boys went missing. the challenge was immediate obvious, water the color of cold coffee, almost no visibility. swimming against a torrent of water, the engorged stream that runs through the cave. divers were able to what i down a crucial guide rope. and on the seventh day of diving on monday july 2, they found the boys perched on a rocky ledge and are were met by an unforgettable chorus of little voices. >> how many of you? 13? brilliant. >> reporter: what day is it the boys ask. >> monday. you have been here 10 days. 10 days. you are very strong. we are happy too. >> thank you so much. thank you so much. where are you from? >> england, uk. >> reporter: a nice surprise, england

. >> reporter: john volington, and rick stanton, who arrived in heathrow this morning, described the moment they saw the boys huddled together on a rock. >> excitement, relief that they were still alive. we were counting them, until we got to 13. >> reporter: from that moment on, it was a race against time and rising floodwaters. >> nothing like this has been done, so of course there were doubts. >> reporter: an international team of divers from across the globe volunteering to help, was in the middle of the efforts, former thai navy s.e.a.l. saman gunan died after placing air tanks for the rescue. new video shows the rescuers carefully carrying the precious cargo, as one by one, the boys were guided more than two miles out. at times, completely underwater. >> the most important thing was to have a full face mask that enabled them to breathe and relaxed enough to not feel any anxiety. >> reporter: just after the last boys and his coach were saved, time ran out. water filled much of the cave where they had spent the last two weeks. >> we sort of blanked that out. >> now the soccer tea

i do know rick stanton, one of the key individuals, and rick is very equipped for doing this kind of thing. richard harris. i do know of a few of them, in the community, very small community, maybe 5% of the diving community in the world are cave divers. and at this level of diving, you can narrow that down to perhaps another 3%. >> it's really remarkable. what is your sense in watching what they're doing now, which is trying to restore the oxygen to get the other eight individuals, mostly kids, obviously, and one coach, out? do you get the sense that because this was successful that they'll do the same process going forward? >> well, success -- we've got four out now. no reason not to try it again. kids are resilient. i'll give them that. these kids appear to be in good shape, good physical condition. they have to build a bond up with these divers in a very short period of time. the chamber that they're in is losing this oxygen supply. to resupply it with any other breathable gas is a challenge. the logistics are phenomenal here. everything we do in the cave is not about -- sorry, i

the boys were found by two british divers, rick stanton and john volanthin.hey had got through to the children, which was wonderful. wonderful news the children had been found, but it must have been worrying for you watching all those stages, and as every day when my thinking about your son and the operation. the weather has not helped at all. when they went up the mountain and started to drill, they seemed pretty certain they were on track and that was how they got in higher in the mountain. yes, i mean, if you are a mother, you know what it's like to worry about your children, no matter how old you are. once a children, no matter how old you are. oncea mum, children, no matter how old you are. once a mum, always a mum. how does it feel that he is going to be hailed as a hero across the world, and he is your boy, how was that feeling? it's a feeling of pride, but tojohn, it is just an everyday job. he quite a private person. and you as a family are quite private, this must come as a shock that there isa this must come as a shock that there is a much interest

. >> onduk >> reporter: the divers who find the boys, john volanthen and rick stanton, and fellow divers jason mallinson and chris jewell, belong to an elite british cave diving team with unique rescue skills. in thailand, these volunteers, working without pay, come to be known as "the awesome foursome." >> i never had to think for a second about whether i would go. i think it's human nature to know if you've got an ability, then, of course, you will. >> reporter: the boys get food, mres and company. the military doctor join them in the cave for their duration. >> when they got their energy back, the kids cheerfully talked a lot about where they would go, what they would eat, their plans after they get out of the cave. >> reporter: a u.s. air force search and rescue team headed up by major charles hodges and master sergeant derek anderson, joins the effort. >> we came in bringing our military expertise when it comes to operational command and control. when it comes to, kind of, really looking at a problem set and finding what is the risk? what risk are we willing to accept? >> reporter:

things once things started of course being communicator that are probably underground now rick rick stanton and problems and who were the two divers who first gone through to the boys. a while ago now isn't it. still on the site one site i don't know for certain that they're involved in today's dive i would be astonished if there weren't and then there are there are now on site. seven british cave divers. and there are one some from other nationalities and there are the the navy they're trying a the seal drivers who are not cave divers they open water divers who have been operating for another more to dive in a very unusual you know. and vironment for them and what they've been doing is truly heroic. and it's very sad one of them lost their lives during the process the other day in the ok i mean this is a very is cave diving is a very serious and different type of dry diving to open water diving there are all sorts of considerations that come in about the way equipment is used the different kinds of risks and things which have had to be built into any of the rescue operation and bear in min