[CydeWeys]

It's not logically following to me that just because it's easy to walk through a place it must necessarily be easy to dive through it. Diving is always significantly harder (you're wearing bulkier equipment for starters). It costs more energy to swim through water than it does to walk through air, the water has currents which you have to fight against, and the waters are murky so you have to go slow and can easily get disoriented.

[bitL]

You have those small engines/jets/scooters for divers, so exhaustion from swimming should not be a problem, right? They also can place long glowing ropes in murky water; it's been done all the time in caves (or bind them to scuba divers, one in front, one in the back of a group). Once those boys get proper proteins/water and wait for a day or two to recover, they should be able to work it out, unless rain picks up - they are old enough to be considered adults in some Asian cultures, perfect age for an adventure of lifetime. But then even their current position is under danger as it could be flooded further or if a large flash flood occurs, then all bets are off.

[Sevrene]

I'm no expert but I don't believe those diving jets are going to help in such an environment because A) takes up space of which they most likely don't have and B) it kicks up a lot of silt and dirt, making visibility conditions terrible. This can make or break such a rescue attempt and be really dangerous even for a seasoned cave diver.

[mhb]

This doesn't seem so bulky: http://www.businessinsider.com/handheld-jet-thruster-propels...

And DIY versions abound: https://hackaday.com/2017/07/02/the-almost-working-diy-under...

[elithrar]

Note that the article states:

> Narongsak explained that the divers had fixed rope lines along the passageway and distributed oxygen tanks along their route, allowing them to advance through the exceptionally narrow passageway unencumbered by bulky equipment.

The (extremely skilled) divers aren't wearing tanks due to how narrow some parts of the passage are. Using a thruster in a cramped environment is not a silver bullet.

[bitL]

Could it be that the route divers explored != the route the group has taken? So they might have descended using much more difficult route than the one the group took?

[innocenat]

Unlikely. I am a Thai so I have been reading a lot of info since the beginning, and most people initially suggest that they shouldn't be in too deep since that Monk junction section is very narrow, steep, and hard to pass, even on foot.

It comes out later that the group frequent this cave many time before.