Claustrophobia is not an option for John Volanthen. Being in tight spaces is a job requirement to engage in daring cave rescues.

“We all have our different fears, just the same as we all have different sets of skills. Certainly when I’m underground, I don’t tend to think about how much rock might be above my head,” Volanthen said in an interview with GV Wire.

Volanthen helped rescue 12 Thai youth soccer players and their coach in 2018 from a cave taking on water. Considered one of the world’s experts in cave rescues, Volanthen will tell his stories Tuesday at the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall.

The talk is part of the Town Hall’s Twilight Talks series on March 24 at 7 p.m. at the Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall on the Clovis North High School campus. GV Wire is a sponsor.

Volanthen started caving in the Boy Scouts in his native Bristol, England.

“The skills I developed were really for cave exploration — finding, charting and mapping new pieces of cave, new passages for myself. My particular interest, my particular skill set, is in cave diving. When the cave becomes flooded or the passage goes underwater, that’s really where my interest starts,” Volanthen said.

Volanthen said breathing is not a problem underground, but you must be vigilant about your air supply.

“As soon as you’re underwater, there is more of a ticking clock because you always have a limitation based on your air supply. For me, I try to stay calm. I try not to worry about anything beyond my immediate environment. I actually like being in caves. I enjoy that underground environment, how it looks and the challenges it presents,” Volanthen said.

The Thai Cave Rescue

The rescue involved up to 10,000 people, reports said. Volanthen said this rescue was different because of how far the boys were trapped and how much water separated them from the entrance.

“Usually, cave diving rescues or sometimes body recoveries involve adults. It’s quite unusual, if not unprecedented, to have a cave diving rescue that involves children,” Volanthen said.

With the boys trapped for 10 days a mile underground, Volanthen and his dive partner Rick Stanton couldn’t believe they found them alive.

“There was almost an adjustment in reality. There was a moment when Rick and I were both very concerned about our own safety. Then we suddenly found the boys, and our priorities had to change very rapidly to being concerned for their safety, their well-being, and reassuring them that everything was hopefully going to be OK,” Volanthen said.

Volanthen left but returned for the actual extraction. He knew he could not take novice divers with him. The water was so muddy, Volanthen said, that he was unable to see his hand in front of his face.

“We took the unprecedented step of deciding that we would only bring the boys out if we could sedate them to ensure that they were at the very least compliant. Part of that was to play to our strengths as cave explorers, used to moving around odd pieces of equipment. We felt that if we could treat the boys as packages, albeit very valuable packages, then we had a chance to bring them out safely,” Volanthen said.

Not All Survive

Some of Volanthen’s missions are not rescues but recoveries of bodies.

“Cave diving rescues are fairly binary. Either we find people and they’re alive and we can bring them out, or, unfortunately, if they’re stuck underwater, there’s often a clock: your air supply. Sometimes the outcome of the incidents we’ve attended hasn’t been particularly positive, but there was nothing we could do to change that,” Volanthen said.

Volanthen said sometimes the outcome is decided before his team is called in.

“As long as I can comfortably say that I did all that I could, that I didn’t make any mistakes, and that I made as much progress as I could, then I can be comfortable with myself even if we can’t provide a positive outcome,” Volanthen said.

The Thai rescue put Volanthen on the international map. It has led to books and pending movies. While he said he appreciates the opportunity to speak in places like Fresno, he has stayed focused.

“For a cave diver, if you have an ego, you don’t last very long. It’s important to me that I’m very grounded. I’m very realistic about every cave dive that I undertake to make sure that it’s as safe as possible,” Volanthen said.

About Town Hall

San Joaquin Valley Town Hall is a nonprofit organization that aims to bring thought-provoking speakers to the Central Valley.

The all-volunteer board of directors has hosted hundreds of speakers, from scientists to cultural icons, since 1937.