Several divers told Buzzfeed that he had worked continuously on the rescue. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. From Barbie to The Flash, Here Are the Movies That Made the Biggest Impact at CinemaCon. "And I am not afraid of the cave. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox. In Diving into the Unknown, we do not see any of the divers collapsing into tears, or talking emotionally about lost friends. 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. Rick Stanton, left, and John Volanthen had been cave diving together for decades before being called upon to help with the Thai rescue. In February 2014 two divers died at a depth of more than 100m in a huge cave system in Norway. Finns also have a proud history of going to great lengths to retrieve the bodies of deceased friends. Mr Musk has made several accusations against Mr Unsworth without evidence, including that he was a "child rapist". But the mission had to be planned in secret. Read about our approach to external linking. Nobody has made a new attempt at the traverse, but Sami Paakkarinen says for him it's only a matter of time. As part of an International team, John set a world record for the longest cave diving distance from surface, well over 10km. He and his friends also knew that there was a chance that part of northern Europe's biggest wet cave system would remain closed to the sport forever if they failed. "I don't say that there was no risk to us," says Paakkarinen. Documentary follows the divers who risked it all in the Thailand Rick, 60, tells how he started dating Thai girl Amp Bangnoen when he was introduced to her by a military pal he had saved from a cave in Mexico. And our white bread heroes who, similar to Free Solo protagonist Alex Honnold, have trouble communicating with other people as it is find themselves lost in translation between the Royal Thai Navy and the U.S. Special Forces whove shown up for some extra muscle. 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. pic.twitter.com/PSRzzaXYfJ, CU Coventry (@CUCoventry) July 16, 2018, Like John, Rick too has received the Royal Humane Societys Bronze Medal, the George Medal, the Pride of Britain honor, the Queens Gallantry Medal, and an honorary degree from the University of Bristol. How would they react when they came to the site of the accident, and had to handle their corpses? A British cave diver is suing tech billionaire Elon Musk for defamation after his repeated claims the diver is a child abuser. cave diver 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. 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. It says Mr Musk sometimes used his Twitter account and emails to "publish to the world false and defamatory accusations" against the Briton. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. 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. Mr. Such as watching the Thai Navy Seal footage of the boys as John Volanthen draws on his skills as a father and scout leader to positively encourage the boys in But after descending about 85m Kankanen returned. on March 16, 2022. at 11:55 am. In interviews, Kankanen has said his memories of exactly what happened are sketchy (he was unavailable to contribute to this article). In all, a team of 27 people descended on Plurdalen on 22 March 2014 - 17 Finns and 10 Norwegians. Biography - John Volanthen 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. "It's not that they are just enjoying the thrill of risking their lives - there's more to it than that. Diving hobbyists can climb out of the water here to admire the grotto, before returning to Plura. 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. "My options were to try to pass that dead diver, or to turn around and try to do a very long dive back, go back to the deepest section and try to survive to the surface. They were Finnish divers who knew one another from explorations they had made of the Ojamo mine, west of Helsinki. 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. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Then Gronqvist steers a dive scooter towards the surface, towing the body, while Paakkarinen follows to help manouevre it. British diver relives gripping Thai cave rescue - The Guardian This Article is related to: Film, Reviews and tagged free solo, Reviews, Telluride Film Festival, The Rescue. These symptoms of decompression sickness - often called "the bends" - grew steadily more serious over the following hours. 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 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. 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. Like his fellow British divers, Chris Jewell is a recipient of the Queens Gallantry Medal, yet unlike them, he has also been honored with the first-ever Medal of Valor by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. From what we can tell, a majority of the rescuees still reside in their native province of Chiang Rai in Thailand, where they continue to devote themselves to the sport as well as their education. He had trained both the victims and counted them as good friends. 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. The entrepreneur posted footage of the vehicle on Twitter and suggested it could be used to help save the trapped teens. 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. Every once in awhile, people are caught by rising water and the conditions can quickly become deadly. ", Listen to Vesa Rantanen and Sami Paakkarinen speaking to Outlook on the BBC World Service, Follow William Kremer on Twitter @williamkremer. Then in a second email to BuzzFeed, Musk accused Unsworth of being a liar and said he wasnt on the cave dive team. 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. Cave divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen inside cave (Credit: National Geographic) But what we get extra here are the nuggets the small, more intimate moments. But unlike Vesa Rantanen, Kankanen decided not to push through to Steinugleflaget. Rain is slatting down across the entire cave system, causing the water levels to rise with every passing second. John continues to explore and document underwater caves throughout the world. 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. Its a portrait of incredible generosity that leaves behind a visceral understanding of where that generosity ends. Although John Volanthen wished to keep his distance from the limelight following the events of 2018, he has not shied away from sharing his side of the story to indicate hes not a hero, just a skilled diver. In the cave-diving world, discovering how caves are linked together is a weighty achievement, one of the ultimate goals of the whole sport. The men's breathing, the bubbles released from their equipment, and the occasional muffled command complete the soundtrack. 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. It's Me, Margaret' to 'R.M.N. 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. The active member of the British Cave Rescue Councils international team has 30+ years of experience, along with national/world records under his belt, making it clear hes perfectly qualified for his job. cave The Rescue begins the day after the Wild Boars soccer team and their twentysomething coach have become trapped in the waterlogged recesses of the Tham Luang Nang Non cave after monsoon season arrives a full month early. It was totally our own fault.". 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. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. He went back and found his friend had become stuck in a narrow section of the cave, entangled in a cord connected to a piece of his equipment. But Stanton has an unusual hobby: He loves to cave-dive. 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. Would they become upset and breathe more quickly, or make a silly mistake that could lead to another tragedy? "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. Paakkarinen spoke to the three survivors on the phone from hospital, then spent the day walking around his hotel courtyard. At the end of the Plurdalen valley in central Norway a 35m-wide river rises abruptly out of the ground. Stanton says that he and his fellow divers considered it, and decided it was too risky. Looking upset, he explains in the film that he slept badly and is simply not in the right frame of mind for the operation. Stanton is on [] Krisher reported from Detroit. At the time of the accident he was teaching a diving course in Mexico. National Geographic will release it in theaters later this year. 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. John has been involved in exploring and mapping caves throughout the world, including the UK, Europe, and Malaysia. The Norwegian authorities took statements from them and closed the Plura cave. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 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. Cave In other words that the person making the statement knew it to be false and went on to make it. Harper, who had just returned from exploring Thai caves with Unsworth, brought two other divers, John Volanthen and Rick Stanton, to help with the rescue. Stewart Cook/Shutterstock Rick Stanton with 'Thirteen Lives' star Viggo Mortensen.. Although there are two victims here, and a sad accident has happened - when you go through this journey with them, I hope people understand why they do this.". Thats where he carefully builds his skills, serves part-time at the Specialist Anaesthetic Service Medical Center, and works to expand his prospects as a public speaker and beyond. On the third day, 24 March, the divers began the recovery itself, slipping once again beneath the icy lid of Plura, accompanied by underwater camera operators. He finally emerged from the cave in the early hours of the next day, more than 11 hours after setting off on a dive that was supposed to take five hours. Instead he turned around and swam the long way back to the starting point. 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". "I told her that they are not going to be left there, that we would think of something.". 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. Where is Dr. Richard Harris Now? Although he later deleted the tweets and offered an apology to the diver, Mr Musk reignited the row earlier this month. But this advantage was offset by the fact that the men knew the victims they would be rescuing. Mr Musk (R) alleged that British diver Mr Unsworth (L) had a "child bride". So the Norwegian police called off the recovery. "This incident happened, and then they've made a film and they all come out as heroes," he says. Johns success hinges on an innovative approach, designing equipment and procedures to solve the unique difficulties presented by each cave. He was diving with his good friend Jari Huotarinen, who was attempting the traverse for the first time. The boys, ages 11-16, were found July 2 by Volanthen and Stanton, according to the lawsuit. The pair first clashed over Mr Musk's offer of a mini-submarine to help with the cave rescue. 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. Mr Unsworth, in orange, provided information for the rescue, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. John played a key role in the Tham Luang Thailand cave rescue. Read about our approach to external linking. We should mention the public speaker is even an Assistant Cub Scout leader who homeschools his son Matthew, is in a relationship with Claire Foster, and genuinely prefers to keep his private life on the down low. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? 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. More importantly, though, Chris works as the Head of Professional Services at Access Group and is an active member of the British Cave Rescue Council to continue his explorations. 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. "I told the widow that we would go and get them," he recalls. 'The Rescue' real people: Cave divers tell their stories - Los Angeles Living in Bristol, in the UK, John spends his spare time running ultra marathons. Thanks to a combination of GoPro video, 87 hours of footage captured by a Thai admirals wife, and brilliant re-creations that were shot with the actual divers in a pitch-black England water tank during COVID and cut into the archival material with surgical precision, the two-week rescue effort seems as if it were staged and storyboarded with this eventual documentary in mind. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. Best known as the first diver to locate and contact the missing youth Thai soccer team alongside long time diving partner Rick Stanton. The Lufthansa electrician took up cave diving 20 years ago, and exploration became his passion after he moved to Ireland. Another way of putting it would be that it must be proved that the defendant knowingly lied with the intention of harming the plaintiff. He was using his torch to signal distress. "If we had done a practice run then, things would have been different. "It's a code that no-one is left behind," he says. About an hour into the dive, shortly after the pair had swum through the deepest section and were about 110m lower than the cave entrance at Plura, Gronqvist realised that Huotarinen was not behind him. (National Geographic) Vesa Rantanen, who was still recovering from a spinal injury caused by his decompression sickness, would be surface manager. The crazy-like-a-fox genius that Harris brings to the table is a microcosm of a rescue effort that was only feasible because of the multitude of people involved, and Vasarhelyi and Chin are sure to linger on the growing swell of soldiers and other volunteers who show up to lend a hand. John has been recognised by a number of organisations for his cave rescue work: Record holding diver John Volanthen is best known for his participation in the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand. (AFP) Mr Stanton's passion is more like an obsession, and he has dedicated his There is also the possibility of equipment failure, and hypercapnia - carbon dioxide poisoning. He felt unable to go in the water to teach, but he was unsure what he could usefully do. He recommended that the Thai government seek help from divers in the United Kingdom, and Unsworth called friend and fellow diver Rob Harper. WebVolanthen frequently cave dives and conducts rescues with a partner, Richard Stanton . 2023 BBC. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. 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. John began caving with the scouts at the age of 14 and continues to push the limits of underwater cave exploration to this day. 2023 BBC. 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. The documents said a separate lawsuit would be filed in England. That's why I wanted to take the viewers on that journey. A clip from Diving into the Unknown, directed by Juan Reina, used with permission of Monami Agency. Unsworth is not a pedophile. We should mention Somphong Pong Jaiwong (of the same age group), in particular, is currently enrolled at Chiang Mai Technical College in the Si Phum sub-district, a cultural hub. He also worked with Mortensen and the other actors to make their movements feel authentic to cave diving. 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. Stanton usually cave dives and conducts rescues with a partner, John Volanthen. Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it, Musk tweeted. Best known as the first diver to locate and contact the missing youth Thai soccer team alongside long time diving partner Rick Stanton. 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. It was another six months before the group was told that they would face no charges for their illegal dive. A British diver who helped rescue soccer players trapped in a Thai cave is suing Musk, alleging that the Tesla CEO falsely accused him of being a pedophile. Norwegian police believe Uusimaki panicked after he reached the scene of the first accident. At such depths and temperatures, a tear in a dry suit on the sharp cave floor could result in death. A post shared by Richard Harris (@richard.harris_). 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. Mr Unsworth filed the suit in California. 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.. 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. 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". 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. "He was pivotal to the entire operation," said British diver Rick Stanton. 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. Cave 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. These include and underwater mapping device, communications systems and state of the art, micro rebreathers, allowing divers to stay underwater longer than was previously possible. Holding your breath through Vasarhelyi and Chins harrowing climax, its impossible not to think of all the people who might still be alive today if more of us could recognize that obligation when it called. 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. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment Monday. normal' for Thai cave rescuer who lives in Clare A new documentary, currently on release in Finland, depicts what happened. He soon discovered his friends had all had the same idea. After a brief effort to free the body, he forced himself to calm down. Cave All of this makes for anther super entertaining multiplex documentary that has crossover potential written all over it (all the way down to the truly wretched inspirational song that plays over the closing credits in a transparent Oscar bid), but The Rescue doesnt let its action movie urgency interfere with the seriousness of whats at stake. The divers head towards the site of the accident, Sami Paakkarinen calls the Norwegian authorities to inform them of the illegal rescue, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. 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. It's their calling. The group held a moment's silence in the beautiful cave. 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.
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