Wild Boars (Thai football team)

In June 2018, after football practice, 12 members of a Thai football team and their coach decided to explore the nearby Tham Luang Cave, one of the longest cave systems in Thailand.

The boys, aged between 11 and 16, along with their 25-year-old coach, entered the cave and began exploring. Suddenly, flooding pushed them deeper inside, and eventually they reached a high ledge nearly four kilometers into the cave system. Floodwaters filled the winding cave passages, trapping the boys for 17 days. For the first nine days, they had no food and depended on dripping stalactites for water. But they did not sit idle.

When the boys realized they were trapped, they took turns digging a 16-foot-long hole into the cave wall, hoping to find a way out. To conserve energy and avoid thinking about food, they practiced meditation. Meanwhile, British divers, who had entered the cave three hours earlier from the entrance, finally discovered the boys.

Surviving for so long was only half the battle. Members of the Thai Navy SEAL rescue team entered the cave to support the boys and stay with them while a plan was made to bring them out safely. Over the course of a three-day operation, divers successfully rescued each player and their coach.

During the difficult journey to the surface, each boy had to wear a full-face diving mask, remain tied between two divers, and swim for hours through twisting passages and extremely narrow spaces. Thanks to the efforts of the Thai Navy SEALs and the international diving community, all were saved and soon returned to normal, healthy lives after the rescue.

Sadly, during the rescue mission, a former Thai Navy SEAL lost his life.

Also: the true story of the “Miracle Pilot” and his water landing at a speed of 120 miles per hour.