Cave divers Australian(s) of the Year

Dr. Richard Harris and Dr. Craig Challen

Remember how in June last year the entire world waited anxiously to see how the 12 soccer players and their coach who were trapped in a cave after heavy rain in Thailand would escape? Two Australians gave the lead for the rescue team. The two cave divers – Dr. Richard Harris and Dr. Craig Challen – won recognition as the Australian(s) of the Year.

Dr. Harris, an anaesthetist, and Dr. Challen, a retired vet, were presented with trophies by Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a ceremony on Australia Day – 26 January. 

The two divers won the prestigious award for showing “unwavering and selfless bravery”. A statement by the Australian of the Year Awards organisation stated: “The pair have remained humble about their role in the rescue, but have been embraced proudly by Australians as quiet heroes whose efforts are admired and applauded.”

They also received the Star of Courage, a bravery decoration awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril.

Accepting the Awards they stressed that they are “enormously humbled by the awards” and that they were only part of a team who worked hard in the rescue effort. 

Cave diving had been a hobby of the long-term friends who had been together for 22 years. “Exploration is an addiction for us and it had been most thrilling,” they said.

Dr. Harris was quite keen to see that kids are encouraged to explore areas they like and urged the parents to give them an opportunity.

The duo hail from different states in Australia and were nominated for the Award from their respective states – Dr. Harris from South Australia and Dr. Challen from Western Australia.

Dr. Harris is a diver with 30 years’ experience and a specialist in aeromedical retrieval. He has previously participated in complex diving recoveries, appeared in National Geographic documentaries and, in 2015, was recognised for his outstanding contribution to cave exploration. In 2017 he was awarded The Australasian Technical Diver of the Year.

Dr. Challen has dived some of Australia’s deepest wrecks and has set depth records in diving, including diving to 194m in the Pearse Resurgence, New Zealand in 2011. He was awarded Technical Diver of the Year 2009 at the Australian technical diving conference Oztek.

The incident

The boys along with their coach went into the Tham Luang cave hoping to come back in an hour but got trapped when sudden rain blocked their exit. When they were found missing, Thai authorities lost no time in rallying round their divers to rescue them. Calls for help from other countries were answered swiftly by Britain and Australia.  

Nine days passed before the boys were found by two British rescue divers. On the first day the cave divers were inside the cave they went to the end where the boys were, checked on everyone and spoke to them. After telling the plan to rescue them, the boys were asked to pick who was going first. 

Though they had spent none days without food, the Thai divers who had first got there had given them food, spent time with them keeping their spirits up and looking after them. When the rescue operations began, each boy was accompanied by a diver who also carried his air supply. The boys were heavily sedated ahead of the rescue to prevent them panicking.

The boys and the coach were rescued in three stages over three days. All 13 were transferred to hospital where they received medical and psychological assistance.

The coach and the boys