British Cave Rescuer to Share Thai Cave Story at Fresno Town Hall

John Volanthen, the Bristol-based cave diver who surfaced inside a flooded mountain in Thailand and found 12 boys alive after ten days of darkness, will tell that story tonight at San Joaquin Valley Town Hall's Twilight Talks series in Fresno. The event, titled "Into the Darkness: Lessons from the Thai Cave Rescue," begins at 7 p.m., with the venue still listed as to be determined on the Town Hall's event page.

Volanthen, born in June 1971, is a British cave diver who undertakes rescues through the Cave Rescue Organisation, South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue, and the British Caving Association. He cave-dives as a hobby, conducts rescues as a volunteer, and works as an IT consultant in Bristol. He began caving with the scouts at the age of 14 and is now a world record-holding cave diver who has been at the forefront of underground rescue and exploration for over twenty years.

The rescue that made him internationally known began on June 23, 2018. The Wild Boars soccer team and their coach went missing deep underground in the Tham Luang cave complex in northern Thailand, stranded by sudden, continuous monsoon rains while exploring the caves after practice. Volanthen and his longtime dive partner Rick Stanton were the first to make contact with the trapped team. Poor visibility, cave and rescue debris, and low temperatures were all obstacles to cave diving in search of the group. Volanthen placed guidelines through the flooded passages to assist other divers navigating behind him. When he ran out of line, he swam upward into an air pocket and found the boys and their coach waiting.

The moment of discovery, heard around the world on a widely broadcast video, captures Volanthen asking, "How many of you?" When he learned all thirteen were accounted for, he replied simply: "Brilliant."

He described the experience to the BBC in visceral terms. "When we surfaced we saw lights and could smell something, we could smell humanity," Volanthen said. "One by one the boys starting walking down a mud bank and we had found the team lost for ten days. My feeling was that it was completely unbelievable they were all alive. The scenarios in my mind were of finding all of them dead or having to separate the living from the dead, so it was a feeling of disbelief and pure joy."

Volanthen also planned and participated in the children's rescue itself, carrying three children to safety. For his role, he was honored with a George Medal, the second-highest civilian award for bravery. He was also named one of TIME magazine's "Heroes of the Year."

The rescue later became the subject of a book and a major film. Volanthen authored "Thirteen Lessons that Saved Thirteen Lives: The Thai Cave Rescue," published by Aurum Press in 2021. The film adaptation, "Thirteen Lives," is a 2022 biographical survival drama directed by Ron Howard, starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, and Joel Edgerton. Farrell portrays Volanthen, a veteran cave diver who specializes in cave exploration and underwater rescue. Volanthen told the BBC he had initially suggested Rowan Atkinson for the role, and that Howard "looked horrified and said: 'We're not making that sort of movie.'"

Tonight's appearance is part of San Joaquin Valley Town Hall's Twilight Talks series. In this presentation format, Volanthen takes audiences on the journey into the caves of Thailand, detailing how he first located and made contact with the team and the crucial role he played in the rescue operation, framing the experience around themes of perseverance, determination, and preparation.

San Joaquin Valley Town Hall is an all-volunteer California non-profit organization operating under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Tickets and sponsorship information are available through the Town Hall's event page at valleytownhall.org.