PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- The situation inside a Thai cave system grows more precarious with each passing day. Rescuers are running out of options to save the boys soccer team trapped inside the flooded system, more than a mile under ground. The teens and their coach are running out of air: eliminating the option of drilling down into the mountain, which could take months. And a rescue diver died overnight, while trying to bring supplies to the group.
A trained professional lost his life trying to get in and out of the caves and that shows you just how hard this would be for a group of kids who don't know how to SCUBA dive, don't even know how to swim.
Jim Dock is a SCUBA instructor here in Maine and says anyone trying to get certified needs to go through rigorous online, classroom, and hands-on training before they can SCUBA dive. He says that cave diving requires even more specialized training.
With the team underground for days in a weakened state, trying to navigate difficult currents with almost no visibility, it's a big risk.
"It's asking an awful lot of these youngsters," said Dock. "And the fact that the Thai Navy SEALs are struggling with this as well is kind of an indication that this is going to be a tough task."
Even if they tackle the SCUBA portion of the escape, the soccer team would then have to use full climbing equipment to get out, which is a different set of specialized skills.