A massive effort is underway to rescue a caver injured in a fall on Saturday in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (OFD) in South Wales, the deepest and third longest cave system in Britain. The caver is believed to have fallen on Saturday. A fellow caver initiated the call out, and rescue teams from around the country…
In the summer of 2018, few people in the world with access to news reports could fail to have been gripped by the story of the 12 young boys from the Wild Boars football team and their coach, trapped by a sudden flood in the Tham Luang cave in Thailand. Floods in caves rarely end…
It is an honour to have been given the opportunity to review Aquanaut, and to immerse myself in Rick Stanton’s account of his numerous cave diving exploits, and his unique perspective on the now universally acclaimed 2018 rescue of the Wild Boars from Tham Luang Nang Non in Thailand. Book reviews are not generally at…
One of the oldest and largest cave rescue teams in the country has put out an urgent plea for fundraising help to modernise important kit. Several of the South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team members played important parts in the Thai cave rescue and the team has helped in mining disasters, searched for missing persons and…
The new guidelines introduced this week make it clear that the roads and fells are open and so are most caves, but the suggestion is fairly clear – “you can cave – but please don’t, just yet”. Cave and mountain rescue teams across the country, many caught by surprise after the Prime Minister’s announcement on…
Here we go with our latest round-up of news and views from around the world. If you see anything you think we might have missed, do drop us a line. Many thanks to Herman de Swart for his continued support sending in links! Cave Art Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme: Atlas de la grotte…
If you’re anticipating having a lot of time on your hands and wondering what on earth you are going to do with your time during what could be a protracted period of social distancing, then look no further! Here we review a book, full of interest to any caver, longer than a good few classic…
Here we go with our latest round-up of news and views from around the world. If you see anything you think we might have missed, do drop us a line. Many thanks to Herman de Swart for sending in a large number of links! Cave Art Science et Avenir: New cave art discovered in Spain…
British cavers suddenly found themselves on the front pages of the world’s media through the Thai cave rescue drama. Journalist Sharon Wheeler takes a look at some of the issues raised by the coverage over the past few months. Summer is known in the media as the silly season for a good reason. Schools and…
In the second part of Darkness Below’s interview with BCRC chair Peter Dennis, he tells Linda Wilson and Sharon Wheeler how disaster struck during the preparations for the final rescue dives.
While the eyes of the world were on the divers taking part in the Thai cave rescue, an unsung band of volunteers were beavering away behind the scenes to ensure that the divers had all the kit and assistance they needed. Peter Dennis, chair of the British Cave Rescue Council, tells the backroom story to Linda Wilson and Sharon Wheeler.
Following the amazing success of the recent Tham Luang cave in Thailand, one of the British cave rescue teams, responsible for getting some of the UK contingent to Thailand has announced a fund-raising campaign. The South and Mid-Wales Cave Rescue Team hope to reach a target of £1,000. Claire Vivian, the team’s Fund-Raising Officer, has…
With the Thailand cave rescue operations now completed with the 100 % successful evacuation of all casualties and rescue divers, Darkness Below presents some reflections on this incredible “good news” story. Before reading further, however, let us remember Saman Kunan, the Thai volunteer diver portrayed above, who lost his life while preparing the cave for the evacuation operation. There is nothing more noble than this: that someone will risk their life, and be prepared to lose it, in the course of helping to save the life of someone else.
We can now confirm that all twelve of the boys and their coach have been successfully rescued from the cave. As well as one of the largest rescues in history this has been one of the most protracted and technically difficult, yet ultimately successful cave rescues ever undertaken. The success of the rescue mission…
It has now been confirmed that the seventh boy is out of the cave and the eighth is nearly out. If the rescue controllers have essentially the same personnel and equipment as yesterday, then it is probable that, as with yesterday, they will then call a halt for rest and re-supply and will continue the…
Various contradictory reports are circulating regarding the emergence of two of the boys. Reuters, citing a local official, says that the first two members of the Thai football team have been recovered from the cave. ITV’s John Irvine says that a local police chief has just told him that two of the boys are out…
Overnight an international team of divers entered the cave, beginning the operation to bring the trapped boys and their coach out of the cave. At 10 am local time 18 divers went into the cave to bring out the boys. The rescue team includes 13 international divers and five Thai navy Seals. Sources state that…
Tragic news came from Thailand today of the death of retired Thai Navy Seal Saman Kunan who ran out of air on a dive to stage further air cylinders into the cave. He became unconscious on the return journey from “chamber 3.” Attempts by his companions to revive him, were unsuccessful. His body was taken…
Attached below is the latest update regarding the British involvement in the Thaiand Cave Rescue. Any press enquiries shoud be directed as detailed in the briefing note. BCRCMediaBriefingReport3_Thaicaverescueincident_020718
It’s probably fair to say that people across the world, not just cavers, are breathing one the largest collective sighs of relief for many years as the regional governor, Narongsak Osottanakorn, breaks the news that twelve boys aged 11 to 16 and their 25 year old coach, all members of the Wild Boar soccer team,…
Breaking news: All 12 boys and their football coach have been found alive after nine days missing in caves in Thailand, the regional governor says. All 13 are safe, the governor confirmed, speaking after a mammoth search operation in the Tham Luang caves in Chiang Rai. More to follow.
In a race against the clock three British cave rescue divers and their equipment left Heathrow just after 9pm last night on a flight to Thailand to join the search for thirteen people trapped in Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province. The British contribution includes four Heyphones supplied by Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation (DCRO), a…
Four cavers had left a note at their caving hostel, giving a call-out time of 19.00, before going to Heron Pot. Although not unduly concerned, the duty controller asked a colleague from Ingleton to investigate. At just after 20.00, he found them emergi…
The eight men trapped since Sunday in the Hölloch in Switzerland’s Muotathal valley are now free. The Schwyz cantonal police said that the men had left the cave on Thursday night. They are all unhurt, were in good spirits and have returned home. Originally it had been thought that the group of seven tourists and…
Eight men have been trapped in the Hölloch cave in Switzerland’s Muotathal valley since 21 January. They will not be released before this weekend at the earliest due to heavy rainfall. They are unhurt and are currently stuck in a water-tight bivouac. The cavers aged between 25 and 55 had entered the cave system last…
The team were contacted by North Yorkshire Police, and asked to conduct a search of the ground, sinkholes and potholes on Scales Moor, in connection with the search for a missing person. A team member entering Ewes Top Moss Pot discovered the body of a…
Paul Dold’s death last year in a diving accident in Cornwall shocked his many friends in a way only the unexpected death of someone with such a huge appetite for life can. A Justgiving campaign set up in Paul’s memory raised over £7,000 for Horsham District Scouts, Cornwall Air Ambulance and cave rescue, with over…
The team were called by North Yorkshire Police to go to the aid of a sheep which had been crag fast for over 36 hours. The sheep was located on a narrow ledge approximately 10m above ground level. A team member descended by rope to the ledge from above, and the sheep was ‘encouraged’ to retrace its route up a narrow cleft to the field above. Volunteer hours: 4
The Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Team has been saving lives above and below ground for over 67 years and indeed their current base was the first ever purpose-built Mountain Rescue Post in the country when it was opened by Prince Charles back in 1978. It is therefore somewhat ironic that due to the huge increase…
Back in November we reported that a the Cave Rescue Organisation had assisted in the recovery of one of Bristows new search and rescue helicopters, after it developed mechanical failure whilst attempting to take off in poor weather on Ingleborough. The Cave Rescue Organisation has now announced a big “Thank You” to Bristows Helicopters after the company…
On Sunday afternoon, a group of volunteers from North East Wales Search and Rescue was called out to help retrieve Molly the spaniel who had fallen into a 4-5 metre deep hole near the Devil’s Gorge in Loggerheads Country Park, Mold in Denbighshire. Molly was on a walk with her owner Neil Partridge from Pantymwyn…
The Cave Rescue Organisation responded to a call from North West Ambulance Service unable to reach Dent to attend to a wheelchair user, upstairs and needing hospital treatment. CRO attended and following assessment by a team doctor, the patient was carried and wheeled to a Yorkshire Ambulance Service road ambulance for transport on to hospital. This was…
Did you know that there are around fifty cave and mountain rescue teams in the UK, with around three thousand five hundred volunteers dealing with around two and half thousand calls a year? The total cost is in the region of £2.5 million, of which just 8% comes from the government and other official sources….
Sixteen UWFRA members attended a call out at Heber’s Gyhll near Ilkley on Saturday assisting a 61 year old male who had fallen five metres into a stream, sustaining shoulder and pelvic injuries. After treatment he was hauled up a short climb and carried to a waiting ambulance. The walkers family later expressed their thanks on the UWFRA…
If, like us, you’ve a pile of old toners, ink cartridges or old mobile phones lying around the office (well not so many mobiles admittedly) why not help CRO and the environment by using their Ink2Cash scheme? Signing up easy, it took us just a few minutes this morning, the option to Gift Aid is…
Over the weekend during a rescue on Ingleborough a Bristow Search and Rescue helicopter landed to discuss the incident with CRO Rescue Controllers and were unable to take off again after a fault developed. The crew were forced to set the aircraft down on sloping ground where it slipped, tilting to one side and had to be…
CRO attended Malham Cove to assist with the rescue of a twenty year old male climber with lower leg injuries, providing safety cover for paramedics and the casualty before carrying the casualty to a team vehicle for transfer to an ambulance and hospital. A film of the casualty being lowered was later posted on the CRO’s…
The team was called out by North Yorkshire Police after a dog was reported down one of the rock crevasses on Guisecliff. Paddy the spaniel was soon located and team members climbed down the six metre hole to recover it. A new animal bag was used for the first time. It has been designed after…
