Johns success hinges on an innovative approach, designing equipment and procedures to solve the unique difficulties presented by each cave. John Volanthen is a world record-holding British cave diver who has been at the forefront of underground rescue and exploration over the last two decades. Retired firefighter Rick Stanton is an almost 60-year-old British man who vaguely resembles the Hound from Game of Thrones, and seems to possess equivalent social graces. And when he learned of the soccer team trapped in Tham Luang, he didnt hesitate to call them starting with record-holding cave-diver (and IT consultant) John Volanthen, who becomes his stalwart right-hand man. The South African-born head of Tesla previously tweeted it was "strange he hasn't sued me" when Mr Unsworth said he was considering legal action. Despite everything, Gronqvist, Rantanen, Kankanen and Paakkarinen continue to enjoy the sport. Because he had stopped to help his friend, spending about 20 minutes at a depth of 110m, Gronqvist knew he would have to spend hours making additional decompression stops before surfacing. That feat is all the more impressive considering the insanity of the plan that Dr. Richard Harris devises to get the kids out of the cave without drowning. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. The youngest, then 11-year-old Chanin Titan Viboonrungruang is precisely on this path, along with now 17-year-olds Panumart Mix Saengdee, Duangphet Dom Phomthep, and Mongkol Mark Boonpiem. 2023 BBC. More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, Fighter jets are roaring over my home in Sudan, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. He also said Musk can stick his submarine somewhere where it hurts., The lawsuit alleges that Musk, apparently angered by Unsworths remarks, began a campaign to destroy his reputation by publishing false and heinous accusations of criminality against him to the public., In a series of tweets July 15, Musk, who personally delivered the submarine to the cave, wrote that he never saw Unsworth and challenged him to show a video of the final rescue. The entrepreneur posted footage of the vehicle on Twitter and suggested it could be used to help save the trapped teens. "I got to that narrow place, where that first diver got stuck, and I had to decide what to do," he recalls. This body was more buoyant and unwieldy than the first, and Paakkarinen came close to disaster when a part of the cave collapsed on him. If you dive into this strange pond, known as Plura, and swim underground for half a kilometre, you will emerge into a long, colourful cave. Rick Stanton MBE is a British civilian widely regarded as one of the most accomplished cave divers. Cave diving is the activity of exploring flooded cave systems with scuba gear for recreation or scientific exploration. Mr. Unsworth has never engaged in an act of pedophilia. ', 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. He was The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Photographs courtesy of RICK STANTON As was the custom of the group, no-one was in overall command, but the first diver to set off was Patrik Gronqvist, one of a trio of Finns who had discovered the passage between the caves the year before. "If we had done a practice run then, things would have been different. Then, just 20m or so further on they encounter Jari Huotarinen, exactly as Gronqvist had left him seven weeks earlier. The Finnish president awarded Gronqvist the First Class Medal of the White Rose of Finland, after he was nominated by his colleagues in the fire service. As for the rest of the boys, now-adults Ekkarat Biw Wongsukchan and Tee are still dedicated to soccer, Prachak Note Sutham is leading a good life alongside his girlfriend, and the engaged-to-be-married Phiphat Nick Phothi serves as a rescue center worker. The last soccer player was rescued July 8. Together with Mr. Unsworth, Mr. Harper, Mr. Volanthen, and Mr. Stanton put together the dive portion of the rescue plan that ultimately saved the boys, the lawsuit stated. "This incident happened, and then they've made a film and they all come out as heroes," he says. In fact, not only does he continue to be an active diving member of the Cave Rescue Organisation, but he has also served as a consultant on projects related to the Thai case. In 2018. Gronqvist gave him a cylinder of gas to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in his system, but while Huotarinen was switching mouthpieces, he started helplessly swallowing water. So the Norwegian police called off the recovery. The lawsuit was filed by lawyers led by L. Lin Wood, an Atlanta attorney who has represented plaintiffs in several high-profile libel cases including the family of homicide victim JonBenet Ramsey and security guard Richard Jewel, who was accused in media reports of being a suspect in a 1996 bombing during the Olympics in Atlanta, a crime committed by anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph. We should mention that Jason has received the Queens Gallantry Medal, the Pride of Britain Award, as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of Huddersfield, allowing him to expand his reach. British cave divers Richard Stanton (2nd-L), Robert Charles Harper (3rd A plaintiff (the person bringing the case) has to prove the statement made about them is false and that it has caused them material harm. The trip was at the extreme end of a dangerous sport. John was further made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, yet he hasnt let any of these aspects affect his work as a South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team Member or a senior IT consultant at Comparket. He soon discovered his friends had all had the same idea. The device wasnt used and in the interview, Unsworth called it a PR stunt and said it wouldnt have worked to free the boys who were trapped in the flooded cave. "There are lots of questions - the original questions - about where the cave goes, and where the water comes from, and they are still there," he says. The truth has now got its boots on and Elon Musk is being brought to account for repeatedly attacking and taunting the good name of an ordinary spelunker: Vernon Unsworth who answered the call and (with others) put his life on the line to help rescue the 13 trapped in the caves in Thailand, he said. He actually prefers to keep every aspect of his life away from the limelight, so we regrettably dont know much about him apart from the fact he specializes as a rope-access technician in cave diving. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Another way of putting it would be that it must be proved that the defendant knowingly lied with the intention of harming the plaintiff. John has been involved in a number of search, rescue, and recovery incidents in the UK, Ireland, France and further afield. Nobody has made a new attempt at the traverse, but Sami Paakkarinen says for him it's only a matter of time. The boys, ages 11-16, were found July 2 by Volanthen and Stanton, according to the lawsuit. Hypercapnia can be deadly, but even a mild case may cause confusion and disorientation, which in a deep cave is liable to have serious consequences. It was another six months before the group was told that they would face no charges for their illegal dive. "You always have to do your best to get your friends out, wherever they are.". A post shared by Richard Harris (@richard.harris_). World-renowned for his rescue and recovery work in caves, Stanton had a feeling he would be asked to travel to Plurdalen to retrieve the bodies - he had done a recovery there in 2006 - and had already started to find out what he could. You never know where they might take you. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Diving hobbyists can climb out of the water here to admire the grotto, before returning to Plura. 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court Monday seeks more than $75,000 in damages and a court order stopping Musk from making further allegations. Equipped with a dry sense of humour and a passing physical resemblance to Hollywood tough guy Vin Diesel, Paakkarinen had been diving longer than any of the others. "When you wake up and you see that there are 10 missed calls and 10 messages on the phone, you know immediately that something is wrong," he says. He actually continues to actively volunteer in a wide variety of search-rescue operations, all the while teaming up with charities like Operation Flinders Foundation as well as hosting his Real Risk Podcast. Richard is also an aspiring filmmaker and an author he co-wrote Against All Odds (November 2019) with Craig Callen and penned a childrens book Alfie the Brave (April 2022). Using his background in medical electronics, John has built and sold 2 Information technology businesses. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. Sure enough, before long Stanton received a request for help from the Norwegian police, and two weeks later, he and two other British divers, John Volanthen and Jason Mallinson, clambered into Steinugleflaget. (National Geographic) Instead he turned around and swam the long way back to the starting point. Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it, Musk tweeted. "It's a code that no-one is left behind," he says. The three survivors were all hospitalised with decompression sickness. British divers John Volanthen and Rick Stanton were the two divers who first discovered the 12 boys and their coach in the cave system. The Rescue premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival. "And I am not afraid of the cave. He said "this was completely uncharted, unprecedented territory and nothing like this has been done." So the Norwegian police called off the recovery. The film's director, Juan Reina, laughingly agrees that there is little in his film to contradict the national reputation for cool-headed composure. For this reason, Paakkarinen says they tried to process "all the emotional stuff" in the month leading up to the rescue, so that when the time came they could focus on the task in hand, working almost like robots. All Rights Reserved. Musk called Unsworth a pedo in a tweet to his 22.5 million followers after Unsworth criticized Musk in a July 13 television interview with CNN about the rescue. Eventually he fielded a Skype call from the British cave diver Rick Stanton. It's their calling. Then they spent a day setting up equipment, leaving 50 cylinders of gas along the route and, on the Plura side, an underwater habitat. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. In the cave-diving world, discovering how caves are linked together is a weighty achievement, one of the ultimate goals of the whole sport. Rick has deliberately never married or started a family because his work is his whole life, which he touched upon in his June 2021 book Aquanaut: A Life Beneath the Surface The Inside Story of the Thai Cave Rescue.. At the end of the Plurdalen valley in central Norway a 35m-wide river rises abruptly out of the ground. Last but not least, the then-25-year-old monk turned coach Eakapol Eak Jantawong has since established his own football training facility called the Eakapol Academy. Krisher reported from Detroit. He recommended that the Thai government seek help from divers in the United Kingdom, and Unsworth called friend and fellow diver Rob Harper. The pair first clashed over Mr Musk's offer of a mini-submarine to help with the cave rescue. Mr Unsworth did not take part in the dives but had previously explored the cave complex extensively. Just to gild the lily a bit, we learn that Stanton fell in love with a Thai woman named Amp while she was on holiday in the U.K. she returned home the day that Tham Luang flooded, and knew exactly who to call for help. The blockbuster vibe continues through the films characterizations, which are involving enough in broad strokes, but considerably less detailed than the helpful 3D renderings that Vasarhelyi and Chin have commissioned of the cave network; disorientation may be a constant threat to the divers, but The Rescue does such a fine job of orienting us to its environs that we soon know the various cave chambers by number. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. "Last time I didn't know whether to come back up or stay down there," he adds, hinting at what Huotarinen's death has cost him. In June 2018, the world held its breath for 18 days as a group of elite cave divers risked everything to rescue 12 boys and their coach from an underwater cave in Coming to his standing, Richard presently resides with his wife Fiona and their three children James, Charlie, and Millie in the laid-back suburb of Goodwood in Adelaide, South Australia. It's Me, Margaret' to 'R.M.N. There is also the possibility of equipment failure, and hypercapnia - carbon dioxide poisoning. These symptoms of decompression sickness - often called "the bends" - grew steadily more serious over the following hours. Is climate change killing Australian wine? All content John Volanthen 2019 | Website by, United Kingdom and Commonwealth, George Medal, National Geographic Adventurer of the year. It appears as if hes happily attending a summer program at Cornell University at the moment, all the while being enrolled at The Masters School in New York (graduating class of 2023). In February 2014 two divers died at a depth of more than 100m in a huge cave system in Norway. We hear the clanking of their gas cylinders and the intermittent whirring of underwater scooters. Rick Stanton, left, and John Volanthen had been cave diving together for decades before being called upon to help with the Thai rescue. The moment you see the people who answer it, youll know why this ordeal had to be made into a movie. National Geographic will release it in theaters later this year. Rick Stanton got an MBE for years of service. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court Monday, Sept. 17, seeks more than $75,000 in damages and a court order stopping Musk from making further allegations. The He also knew that at some point the second group of divers would find Huotarinen's body blocking their way. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. Rick Stanton, from Coventry, Cutting his equipment away, they manage to release the body and negotiate it through the narrow part of the cave. But it took me at least 15 minutes to get past that dead diver.". In Diving into the Unknown, we do not see any of the divers collapsing into tears, or talking emotionally about lost friends. The deeper the dive, the longer the decompression. The first diver in the second team was Vesa Rantanen. Mr Musk (R) alleged that British diver Mr Unsworth (L) had a "child bride". He says that while people who have never been cave diving might think it's so dangerous that a few people will inevitably die, with proper training and planning, accidents such as this should never happen to experienced divers. A British cave diver is suing tech billionaire Elon Musk for defamation after his repeated claims the diver is a child abuser. A British cave diver is suing tech billionaire Elon Musk for defamation after his repeated claims the diver is a child abuser. Mr Unsworth told CNN that the submarine was "just a PR stunt [that] had absolutely no chance of working" and said Mr Musk could "stick his submarine where it hurts". John has been involved in exploring and mapping caves throughout the world, including the UK, Europe, and Malaysia. Read More: Where is Water Engineer Thanet Natisri Now? Its hence no surprise that he has since been awarded the Star of Courage, the Medal of the Order of Australia, the Order of the Direkgunabhorn, and the title of Australian of the Year (2019). A British diver who helped to save 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in Thailand has insisted he was not a hero. Best known as the first diver to locate and contact the missing youth Thai soccer team alongside long time diving partner Rick Stanton. That's why I wanted to take the viewers on that journey. Several divers told Buzzfeed that he had worked continuously on the rescue. Huotarinen seemed to be starting to panic, which meant he risked breathing too fast. Unfortunately, we couldnt find any concrete details on Nattawut Tle Takamrong (then 14) or Phiraphat Night Somphiangchai (who celebrated his 17th birthday in the cave). Volanthen and his diving partner, Rick Stanton who together held the record for diving the greatest depth in a British cave, 76m offered their services. on March 16, 2022. at 11:55 am. At such depths and temperatures, a tear in a dry suit on the sharp cave floor could result in death. When Gronqvist had made his original traverse of the Plura caves in 2013, he had done it with Kai Kankanen, and a third team member, Sami Paakkarinen. Mr Unsworth, in orange, provided information for the rescue, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Why was Elon Musk at the Thai cave rescue? (AFP) Mr Stanton's passion is more like an obsession, and he has dedicated his This time the team launched their recovery from Steinugleflaget. The Rescue is first and foremost a riveting, immersive, stomach-in-your-throat documentary about the youth soccer team who were trapped deep within a flooded cave in Northern Thailand during the summer of 2018. Rantanen later found out that while he had been struggling to pass Huotarinen's body, the diver behind him, Jari Uusimaki, was also running into difficulties. Paakkarinen says that he sensed the Norwegian police were pleased that they had recovered the bodies, but "they let us know that we had broken some rules and they had to investigate that". "It's not that they are just enjoying the thrill of risking their lives - there's more to it than that. The hero British diver who rescued 12 Thai boys and their football coach from a flooded cave is dating a local nurse, MailOnline can reveal. But when they dived down to survey the site of Huotarinen's accident, they discovered that he could not be readily freed from the Steinugleflaget side, and he blocked access to the second victim, Uusimaki. Dont miss out on opportunities to do something different, something outside the box, the veteran diver and motivational speaker said during his acceptance for the latter in 2019. This Article is related to: Film, Reviews and tagged free solo, Reviews, Telluride Film Festival, The Rescue. Free Solo filmmakers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin further cementing their reputation as rock stars of the extreme non-fiction cinema scene with their most absorbing and ingeniously crafted stress-fest to date so intimately embed us with the ragtag team of cave divers who attempted the impossible that we feel worthy of a medal just for watching them do it. But the mission had to be planned in secret. Read about our approach to external linking. For Rick Stanton, the British diver from the first, aborted, recovery mission, the Finns' effort was well-planned and executed, if "a little bit out-there in terms of danger". Cave divers use "rebreathers" which artificially absorb the carbon dioxide they exhale, but these can become overloaded if the divers start breathing quickly, and at depth it is more difficult for them to control their breathing. Before the Thai cave rescue, Stanton was wondering what to do with the rest of his life and also questioning what hed been doing with his life. Hed retired as a firefighter and had become disillusioned with diving. But then again, we have the best knowledge of the place, we are the original explorers of the place, we know the place like our own pockets.". But it was British cave diver John Volanthen and his partner, Rick Stanton, who were first to reach the stranded team and who played a key role in their ultimate rescue. The following afternoon they went to the local police station. john@volanthen.com, or visit the contact page. Yes, Vasarhelyi and Chin have cobbled together a true life men-on-a-mission movie intense enough that even Michael Bay and Peter Berg should be able to recognize that no mega-budget dramatization could match up to it. If they asked the Norwegian police for permission, it was certain to be refused. Soon afterwards, he began to suffer mild pains in his knees and elbows. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. "I don't say that there was no risk to us," says Paakkarinen. Described as not the most domesticated of men, Stanton considers cave-diving to be a thinking activity which requires a lot of planning and needs a person to remain calm at all times. It also gives him the opportunity to explore places that no one else has been to before. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The Norwegian authorities took statements from them and closed the Plura cave. He was also made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, and then he additionally acquired the Hero of the Year Award at the West Midland Fire Services Aspire Awards in 2021. He eventually met up with Gronqvist, but Rantanen's struggle to pass Huotarinen's body had added three hours to his decompression time. The Plura caves, a still from the recent documentary Diving into the Unknown, Vesa Rantanen, who was 33 in 2014, has been cave diving since 2007, Sami Paakkarinen, who was 34 in 2014, has been cave diving since 2004, The dazzling beauty of the long air chamber near Plura, where Paakkarinen and a group enjoyed a picnic last year. "I've been thinking about this every single night since I walked out of here," Gronqvist says evenly. Later on Twitter, Musk wrote Bet ya a signed dollar its true.. But Paakkarinen says that leaving bodies in the Norwegian cave would have been like leaving victims of a car crash by the side of the road. Read about our approach to external linking. Having the bodies would help the families grieve, and would also help to prevent lengthy delays to insurance and inheritance settlements. On the other hand, we have Adul Dul Samon, the only English speaker of the trapped 13 and hence the one to communicate with the initial rescue group, who has since made his way to the US. Stanton says that he and his fellow divers considered it, and decided it was too risky. Stanton was also part of a team that attempted a cave rescue of Eric Establie, in the Dragonnire Gaud Cave near Labastide-de-Virac in the Ardche region of France, in 2010 which was ultimately unsuccessful. As an anesthesia specialist as well as an experienced cave diver, Dr. Richard Harry Harris is arguably the one individual whose expertise led to the Wild Boars soccer teams successful rescue. The group held a moment's silence in the beautiful cave. Divernet on March 16, 2022 at 11:55 am Advertisements Scuba Diver chats to cave-diving legend Rick Stanton, and finds out what lured him underground in the first place, the challenges of some of his more epic cave dives, and what it was like to be in the midst of the worlds greatest dive rescue. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment Monday. Because he began to run low on gas he was forced to surface 80 minutes early. In interviews, Kankanen has said his memories of exactly what happened are sketchy (he was unavailable to contribute to this article). Mr Stanton (left) and his British dive colleague John Volanthen (right) were the first to reach the 12 boys and their coach inside the Luang Nang Non Cave, with assistance from fellow diver Rob Harper (centre) who flew out June 26 at the request of Thai authorities The men's breathing, the bubbles released from their equipment, and the occasional muffled command complete the soundtrack. Advertisements. Every once in awhile, people are caught by rising water and the conditions can quickly become deadly. The two divers were welcomed at Chiang Rai airport with a banner that read: The Worlds Best Cave Divers. It concedes that Unsworth was not involved in the final planning stages of the rescue because he didnt have enough experience to make the dive. Up until the summer of 2018, not many people had heard of Stanton. FILE- In this June 14, 2018, file photo, Tesla CEO and founder of the Boring Company Elon Musk speaks at a news conference in Chicago. The full story of Thailands extraordinary cave rescue, Mr Musk reignited the row earlier this month, Trump mistrial request denied in NY rape lawsuit, US rock band Aerosmith announce farewell tour, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, DeSantis-backed board votes to countersue Disney, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Street piano confiscated as public 'break rules', NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Cave divers the world over need to have remarkable self-command, but Diving into the Unknown can be seen as a study in a character trait beloved of Finns - sisu, grit in the face of adversity. Although he later deleted the tweets and offered an apology to the diver, Mr Musk reignited the row earlier this month. Crucially however, Vasarhelyi and Chin also know their limits. But if you want to know the Brits entire personal account of the rescue, you can read it in his nail-biting May 2021 book Thirteen Lessons that Saved Thirteen Lives: The Thai Cave.. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Listen to Vesa Rantanen and Sami Paakkarinen, Go to the Diving into the Unknown website, Trump mistrial request denied in NY rape lawsuit, US rock band Aerosmith announce farewell tour, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, DeSantis-backed board votes to countersue Disney, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Street piano confiscated as public 'break rules', NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine. Thats because they stepped into this Thailand under-mountain system in relatively calm weather, only for swift heavy rains to trap them inside for 18 days, as charted in Amazon Primes Thirteen Lives. It thus took intense international efforts to ensure their safe rescue so now that its been a while, if you wish to learn more about what all the key people are up to these days, weve got you covered. As part of an International team, John set a world record for the longest cave diving distance from surface, well over 10km. He also worked with Mortensen and the other actors to make their movements feel authentic to cave diving. Described as not the most domesticated of men, Stanton considers cave-diving to be a thinking activity which This article contains content provided by Twitter. The Brits behind the Thai cave boys search, In pictures: Thai artists' huge mural of cave rescue heroes, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, Fighter jets are roaring over my home in Sudan, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. However, this incident is nothing but bittersweet for him because he learned his father passed away shortly after the mission came to a positive close on July 10, 2018. However, the toughest hurdle is that if the person bringing the case is regarded as a public figure - and 'public figure' is given a pretty wide interpretation - it has to be proved that the defendant acted maliciously. The lawsuit explains Unsworths role in the rescue, saying that on June 23, when the soccer players became trapped, several Thai officials called and asked him to go to the cave as soon as possible. On 6 February 2014, two divers cut a triangular hole in the ice at Plura, and, encased in waterproof dry suits and diving equipment, slipped into the water. A post shared by John Volanthen (@jvolanthen), John seems to be based in Bristol at the moment, where he combines his expertise in electronics and diving to develop safer gear, runs marathons to stay in shape, and continues to explore as much as possible. A British diver who helped to save 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in Thailand has insisted he was not a hero. In 2004 he was involved in the rescue of six British cavers who were trapped in a cave at the Alpazat caverns in Mexico for eight days. He works as a part-time Specialist He was offered free legal services. The lawsuit states that with the tweet, Musk sought to tell the average reader that Unsworths failure to sue at the time was evidence that Unsworth is a pedophile.
Groin Rash Pictures Male,
Heartland Ty And Amy Make Love Fanfiction,
Mark Mcgrath Siblings,
The Calf House Mawgan Porth,
How Much Did John Wayne Weigh When He Died,
Articles R
