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Diver in Thai cave rescue to share story in Dubai

Dubai - He spent 63 hours inside the cave.

One of the diver heroes who rescued the 12 schoolboys trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand over a year ago is now in Dubai to share the inspiring story behind the mission.
Canadian cave diving explorer Erik Brown will be speaking at the fifth Middle East Dive and Fish Expo, which is being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre until Saturday. His talk is scheduled today at 6pm at the venue's Sheikh Saeed Hall. Entrance to the event is free.
"I could never imagine that, one day, my passion for cave diving would make such a huge difference in the lives of people. I am excited to share interesting details about how the kids were found and almost not found during the Thai caves rescue mission," Brown said.
"There is a whole lot of things that one gets to learn only through experience and I want to share that with the world as you won't find any of that in books."
Brown is a professional diver who became a member of the team of heroes that faced numerous obstacles to dive into a flooded cave to save the schoolboys, aged 11-16, and their football coach. He spent 63 hours inside the cave.
The football team entered the Tham Luang Nan Non cave complex in North of Thailand after their football practice. Shortly afterwards, heavy rains flooded the cave, blocking their way out.
After numerous attempts to find the boys by the Thai army, it became clear that only expert cave divers would have the experience and training to navigate the underwater cave system.
Upon the request of the Thai government, Brown and a group of international divers joined the search and rescue team that found and ultimately rescued the boys and their coach.
saman@khaleejtimes.com