Aussie diver didn’t think Thai soccer team would ‘make it out of cave alive’

One of the Australian cave divers who took part in the treacherous mission to rescue a young soccer team and their coach from a cave in northern Thailand has revealed he didn’t expect all 12 of the boys to “make it out alive”.

Craig Challen, from Perth, Western Australia, spoke to News Corp Australia, as reported by The Daily Telegraph, about the incredible rescue effort which captured the attention of the world, after the boys and their 25-year-old coach spent 17 days trapped inside Tham Luang Cave.

Breaking his silence for the first time since returning home, he said: “It wasn’t dangerous for us but I can’t emphasise enough how dangerous it was for the kids. It was absolutely life and death. We didn’t expect to be getting 13 people out of there alive.”

Read more: Thai Navy SEALS reveal incredible footage of daring cave rescue.

Challen, a retired vet and cave diving expert, was called in to help rescue the boys, alongside heroic anaesthetist Doctor Richard ‘Harry’ Harris, from South Australia. The pair abandoned their planned diving trip to the Nullarbor and were on a flight to Thailand within an hour of receiving the call for help.

He said when the pair initially arrived at the cave they thought they  “were there to do recoveries” rather than a rescue, adding that “the actual outcome was unbelievably good”.

Read more: Hero Aussie doctor shares terrifying account of ‘blind’ Thai cave rescue.

A petition has been created in honour of the two Aussie heroes, calling on Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to nominate both men for the Cross of Valour. With more than 41,000 signatures, it reads: “Australian Medic, Dr Richard Harris, repeatedly risked his own life undertaking many dives during the rescue operation. By his side the entire time was his long-time dive partner, Craig Challen.

“The Australian Honours System has the capacity to recognise ‘…acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril’, by way of awarding the Cross of Valour, or CV.”

Statement from Dr Richard Harris and Mr Craig Challen pic.twitter.com/1DAZg9FCUW

— SA Ambulance Service (@SA_Ambulance) July 12, 2018

In a joint statement released earlier this week, after touching down on Aussie soil, the dive pals said they were “humbled” to have assisted with the rescue mission and credited the British lead divers, as well as experts from Europe, America, China and Thailand for their roles in the successful operation.

They said: “We are humbled to have been able to provide our expertise and experience to assist in this international operation led by the Thai government.

“Our thanks and greatest admiration go the British lead divers, and support divers along the route in and out of the cave system from the EU, US, China and Australia, as well as the vast number of participants from military and civilian organisations in various support roles.

“We particularly would like to thank the players and their coach for placing their trust in us. We wish them a speedy recovery.”

Read more: First look inside Thai cave where 12 boys and their coach were trapped.

All 12 members of the Wild Boars soccer team, aged between 11 and 16, and their coach are thought to have became trapped four kilometres into the cave after entering as a rite of passage.

The team initially set off for their adventure on June 23 and an international rescue mission began on July 2 – more than a week after they vanished. Flash floods had made it nearly impossible for the team to escape the cave. The rescue effort to extract all 13 people took three days, with the coach being the last person rescued on Tuesday, July 10.

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