at the moment. they are taking solid food, but i think food with lots of spice is not, perhaps, what they need at the moment. as for what they ve been through, my goodness. i mean, i i can swim a lot, but i can t swim for two and a half hours with a full face mask on. these are kids who could barely float. none of them are strong swimmers, and what have they done the very first thing they face when they leave that ledge is the worst bit. that s the bit that s most sub americaed. it submerged. it goes up and down, and they re basically underneath the lead diver who we believe is a british cave expert and may, indeed, be the guy, one of the two men who found them in the first place. they re tethered a lot. they re reassured a lot. there s another diver behind them. there are sections, then, when they can walk. it is not all submerged.
to their parents, that they need to have fortitude for short periods of time and they will be out with their families. and i think that the experienced cave rescue people who are there will help with this psychological part of the rescue, which is so important. one of the most important factors to get the kids out. minutes after the international dive team went into that cave, the s.e.a.l.s posted this picture on social media. it shows three members holding on to one another s wrists with the caption that reads we, the thai s.e.a.l.s, along with the international dive team, are ready to bring the soccer team home. thirteen international dives and five thai navy s.e.a.l.s are the ones carrying out this mission. a cave expert and national coordinator for the national cave rescue commission talked with cnn just a short time ago. here is what she said about the experience, given the
david mckenzie, thank you so much. please stay close because we re going to be checking back in with you as information comes in. a cave expert and national coordinator for the cave rescue commission spoke to cnn a short time ago. here s what he said about his experience given the conditions, and what we ve all talked about today is how difficult this rescue mission is. the water level being lower makes the diving and the extrication a little safer, but that s a rell ative safety and still a little dangerous. before we did not know if leaving them in place would be feasible. we re finding it s a less than desirable option based on the logistics and the fact that the air is getting stale and the oxygen levels are dropping and the carbon dioxide levels are
divers, australians, chinese divers and we believe that a british team may be at the very apex of the system trying to get those boys out. so, as i say, just within the last 20 minutes we believe two boys in ambulances, they ve gone to a hellipad and will be taken to the nearest hospital. every few hours we think boys will be taken up through the cave complex out of here and on their way to the hospital. back to you. it is extraordinary to have these two out. we have to keep in mind there are 11 yet remaining there. of course, thoughts and prayers for these kids, that they get out safely, the coach as well. let s go to gary shindal. gary is a cave expert. gary, i know you re joining me to talk about what the environment is like there in these caves. we ve heard it described as very, very precarious. 2 1/2 miles long.