Aquanaut: A Life Beneath The Surface – The Inside Story of the Thai Cave Rescue

by Rick Stanton

THE ENTHRALLING INSIDE STORY OF THE THAI CAVE RESCUE NOW CHRONICLED IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HIT DOCUMENTARY THE RESCUE WRITTEN BY THE MAN AT THE HEART OF THE MISSION 'The British divers are all heroes' Clive Cussler 'A case study in courage' Ron Howard, Oscar-winning director of Apollo 13 ________ Thailand, July 2018. Twelve boys and their football coach vanish into Tham Luang caves just as the monsoon rains hit. A mile from the surface they are trapped by rising flood waters. All attempts to reach them fail. As hope for their survival fades a retired British firefighter tinkering with homemade cave-diving kit gets a call. Rick Stanton and his dive partner race to the other side of the world.The boys have been missing for days.Each hour, their chance of escape shrinks . . .Rick must swim, crawl and squeeze through treacherously tight submerged tunnels hunting for them. But that is not the impossible part. Because if by some miracle they're alive then somehow he must bring the boys back out again . . . He doesn't know it yet but all his life he's been training for this very moment . . . ________ 'Diver Rick Stanton relives the rescue of the century' SUNDAY TIMES 'This is their riveting, behind-the-scenes story. Captivating' SUNDAY POST THE RESCUE WATCHED BY THE WORLD 'The Thai cave rescue was phenomenally dangerous, and the work of true heroes' iNews '[The rescue] was fantastic, it really was . . .' HRH Prince William 'If it was me stuck anywhere, the one person I would want to come and rescue me is Rick Stanton' Alex Daw, Watch Commander, West Midlands Fire Service 'One of the great stories of our time' Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Oscar-winning co-director of Free Solo 'Rick Stanton is not the most domesticated of men' Sunday Telegraph

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Adventure, Audiobook, History, Survival

423 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 10, 2021

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

HATED this book. A very colonial, white way of looking at the world. He's certainly quite accomplished in his adventures, but I really hate the way he keeps talking about how he or his friends "discovered" this or that cave. How does he know he/they were the first to find it? I'm sure Columbus felt the same way. Hmph! Only reason I kept reading was to find out what happened to the poor children. But I hated every word getting there.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I spent 10 years exploring, mapping, and rappeling/climbing in caves in 4 states and also did both open water and cavern diving so my review is biased. Having said so, this book is one of the best pure adventure narratives I have read. Not only does the author, a British cave diver with 40+ years experience, narrate his leadership in the 2018 underwater rescue of 13 young men in a flooded Thailand cave, he describes dozens of extreme cave diving exploration trips into caves across the globe while progressively innovating his equipment and skills.

[yel ᰔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

This book is so engaging and I was absolutely invested the whole time. Even though the whole book was not only exclusively about the Thai cave rescue but also some of the Rick Stanton's journey throughout his career as a cave diver, each of his journey mentioned was a bit of a reflection that can be compared to the whole process of the Thai cave rescue. I was captivated by his caving expeditions that I can vividly picture them in my mind. I seriously enjoyed reading this gripping book so much.

Rick Stanton's personality and perspective also added to the charm of this book. He's like a pessimistic, grumpy old man without much empathy (as he said so himself) who doesn't particularly liked children, but ended up saving thirteen of them and actually one of the people who sincerely did his best to rescue them. Reading the inside story is just so refreshing. I've seen John Volanthen, Craig Challen and Richard Harris' books about the rescue and I might read them in the future. I rarely pick up nonfictions but I'm glad I enjoyed it more than I expected!

[Lauren Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addressing a few of the most common criticisms:
1. People angry this isn’t exclusively about the Thai cave rescue. This seems to be a reading comprehension problem. “Aquanaut: A Life Beneath the Surface” is the title of the book – this is a story of Rick’s life as a cave diver. Obviously, the Thai cave rescue was a big part of that, but only a part.
2. People upset that Rick is an arrogant ass – Rick freely admits he’s not too great at interacting with other human beings. I looked for arrogance throughout the book, but I rarely saw it. Instead, what I saw was a complete intolerance for anything short of perfection, and he applies this standard to himself, people around him, and gear equally. I suspect that’s how he’s survived 40-odd years of pushing the envelope cave diving. So yes, he does point out throughout the book where people around him do less-than-perfect things in an extremely critical and judgmental way, but it isn’t to raise himself up, it’s to point out how things should be done in his mind. You probably know someone like this in your life, I know I do. They’re hard to work with, but typically (and frustratingly) really good at what they do.
I enjoyed this book and it taught me all I know about cave diving. It weaves his lifetime of experience as a cave diver in with the Thai rescue in a clever way. I appreciate the difficulty of the Thai rescue more having learned about the numerous other cave rescues and recoveries Rick led prior to it.

[Andrew Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly well written and captivating.

Not just a gripping story of the most famous cave rescue ever but also an incredibly interesting and detailed account of a life spent exploring underwater caves.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audible version, narrated by Rick Stanton + Don Gilet

I only made it 3/4 of the way through and gave up. (Which normally would make this a 1-star book, but the portions about the Thai cave rescue were enthralling.)

I really wanted to love this book, but I think it’s mis-titled. It’s more of a biography of Rick Stanton mixed throughout with the Thai cave rescue. The back and forth was a little confusing, especially since the biography parts were a little boring and my mind kept wandering.

Also, I know it’s possible for Rick Stanton to tell a story without using bad language, because he did so in “The Rescue” documentary and in the “Out Alive by Backpacker” podcast episode on the Thai cave rescue, but there’s quite a bit of cursing in the book.
If you’re interested in reading a biography, this might be for you, but if you’re mainly interested in the Thai Cave story, the film “the Rescue” is incredible.

[Franziska (tintenklexxe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I could get this invested in a biography. Originally, I started the book because I saw a documentary on the cave rescue in Thailand, but I found the biographical parts equally - if not more - engrossing.
It is incredibly interesting and had more suspense than some works of fiction I've read. I'm truly fascinated by Stanton's stories and his decision to become a cave diver. The book alternates between biographical anecdotes of Stanton's life (especially his cave dives) and an account of the Thai Cave rescue in 2018. It was riveting to get a more 'behind the scenes' look of the rescue than in the documentary; it was much more personal in the book and the decision-making process was more detailed and transparent.

[Beth N · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the great things about book clubs is that they introduce you to books you would never otherwise have become acquainted with. I vaguely remember being aware of the news story behind this book, but I have no specific interest in cave diving and would not have gone out of my way to read further about the rescue.

I am glad, though, that my book club selected this as our next book to read. I am always a fan of learning new things, and if you want to know about cave diving it seems Rick Stanton is your man. He appears to have an encyclopaedic memory for the tens (if not hundreds) of caves he has explored around the world and exactly how each exploration went down, and the more technical terminology is neatly explained in a non-condescending way with neat little analogies where needed. Each dive is taken in a blunt, straightforward narrative that makes it incredibly easy to read and the choice to intersperse stages of the rescue with snippets from Stanton's earlier life ensures that both are kept interesting.

Stanton is not a natural author. Though his writing is by no means bad, it is unpolished and occasionally emotionally tone-deaf. There were passages that perhaps would have been better unpublished. On the whole, though, the account we are given feels open, honest, and familiar. We build up a good picture of the man behind the diver, his proclivities and foibles and his thoroughly British sense of humour.

Would I recommend this book to many people? Probably not. But did I enjoy it? Certainly.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taken from the book. "In July 2018, twelve boys and their football coach disappeared into Tham Luang Cave in Thailand. Trapped miles beneath the surface, not even the Thai Navy SEALS had the skills to bring them to safety. With the floodwater rising rapidly, time was running out..."
The book is about leading up to the rescue, during the rescue, and a little about after the rescue. Also has a few stories about other cave diving explorations and people he has met during those and other adventures. The story is good and gives a lot of background information on what all had to be done to even start the rescue and during the rescue. Rick Stanton comes across as arrogant at times and does a little bashing here and there.
I wish more acknowledgment would have been given to Petty Officer Saman Gunan who lost consciousness and passed away on his way out of the Tham Luang cave complex, where he had been delivering air tanks.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting detail about the technicalities and emotional experience of cave diving, and his story of how he came to this passion. He tells his story well and shares a perspective into a niche sport.

But it reads as if he’s the biggest hero amongst a bumbling, antagonistic Thai govt and military organization. While he may be in his own story, there’s missing voices in the story of this rescue effort that I’d love to hear of one day from all the other divers from around the world and from the Thai navy seal.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author is kind of a d***. Or at least comes off that way. I only really enjoyed the parts directly discussing the rescue but did appreciate some of the side stories (of previous dives) that gave context to some characters in the Thai mission. Overall just OK, almost didn’t finish and wish I had skipped more of the first half of the book.

[Kathelijne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Stanton did such a good job of telling this story with so much details factually laid out, and yet it shared the emotional impact of this event and his life, so well. It was incredibly interesting, even though I didn't really know anything about the Thai Cave Rescue or cave diving in advance.

[Andrew Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this after watching thirteen lives with morbid curiosity for something I'd never find myself doing. Well written account of the Thai cave rescue, with some interesting/funny/sad stories about what is a niche and dangerous hobby.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Reading this was like entering an interesting and also terrifying new world. The claustrophobia was real just reading about some of the caves they were exploring. Rick Stanton is a really likeable and hilarious narrator. I appreciated his frankness and his honesty. I liked his thought process and approach to solving problems. I strongly suspect he is somewhere on the Autism spectrum based on how he described himself and his interactions with and responses to other people. I would love to meet him, he seems like a fascinating person. He clearly is impressively intelligent and I really respected the fact that he did what he loved vs checking off all of the traditional life milestones. I was upset by the section where he was reflecting negatively on his life and am happy that the Thai cave rescue changed his perspective. I also was intrigued by his strange reunion with the Thai boys and would’ve loved more details on the dramatic change in their response towards him.

I found the details of the Thai rescue captivating and it brought about much food for thought in the realms of ethics, politics, medicine, human nature etc - so much complexity at play.

[Marcos Carvalho · Rating 2 out of 5]

All right, we all know that the Thai Cave rescue is an amazing story, but what you may not know is what a cunt of a human being Rick Stanton is. I cannot believe that they let him write such an unflattering book. I guess he didn't have any friends to read the manuscript and advise him to soften some of his words, tone down his intense narcissism, or disguise his apparent psychopathic nature.

Be warned that more than half of this book is about Rick and his life story, most of which I skipped, because there's only so much self-aggrandizing that I can put up with.

Also, the Notes in the back. What in the fuckety fuck? Most of those notes should have just been in the text of the book. It was truly annoying to go back and forth to read sometimes absolutely relevant information and at times utterly unimportant tidbits.

I give Rick 0 stars as a human being. Fine, half a star for all the rescues he's done. 2 stars overall for the story, even though it's told in the most self-serving, condescending manner possible.

[Cindy._.Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/3.5 I’ve watched the documentary and the film about this event as well so I might be a bit too interested? I liked having Ricks perspective and the other stories of rescues he’s been involved in go a long way to helping you understand his actions and thoughts while in Thailand. Definitely recommend the documentary if you are interested as nothing compares to the visuals when telling such a claustrophobic story.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was pretty interesting. While reading the book I get some insight into the character and personality of Rick Stanton. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like him but if I needed rescue from a cave I would trust him completely. I couldn’t imagine being his boss at the fire department.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and generally well written account of various dives and rescues, including the Thai rescue. Rick is a bit hard to like sometimes (calling women 'females' at one point was particularly cringeworthy and Ferengi-ish). Probably more enjoyable if you're an old man.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note to self: Stay out of caves.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The details of the rescue are fascinating and I enjoyed the stories of the extreme diving Stanton has done in the past. As a reading experience I felt the book was too long and the narrator is not likeable.

[Liv Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

indisputable banger; 6/5. Jon Krakauer should be quivering in his icicle boots

I am now reviewing all fiction against this book. The questions are: (a) is what is happening as interesting as cave diving, and (b) are there any characters as deeply strange and charming as rick stanton?

[Caitlin Ford]

DNF @ 18%

This just wasn’t hooking me, unfortunately.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at cave diving and the true experience of a rescue that is mismanaged.

[Caitlin PC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down. Truly a fascinating account of the against-all-odds rescue of the Thai football team. However, the narrator is arrogant and rude, and his text is full of subtle and not-so-subtle racism towards member of the Thai community that he was helping which made the book infuriating to read at times.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really engaging and absolutely fascinating. Enjoyed the retelling of Rick’s previous adventures that led him up to the point of the Thai cave rescue. One of a smaller number of books that I literally couldn’t put down.

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read about the Thai cave rescue. I also read Thirteen Lessons that Saved Thirteen Lives: The Thai Cave Rescue by Rick’s partner John Volathan. Whatever way you think about this rescue it just blows the mind. John and Rick were likely the only 2 men in the world who could find these boys in time and then come up with a plan to get them out. Their love of speleology and their previous rescue experiences and their creativeness all combined to work a miracle. My late brother discovered caving and potholing in his 20s and loved it so much he went on to set up and run a caving club for youngsters which transformed his life. I always struggled to understand his passion and the fact that he was 10 years older than me and we lived very different lives meant I never had the chance to really talk about it with him. Rick’s book, however, in which he talks about how he discovered potholing, and how his passion grew, really helped me understand so much more.
These men should be greatly honoured by all and enter the annals of the history of great men.

[Erin]

I didn't follow the Thai cave rescue events as they happened, but I have been watching cave diving accident videos and they spurred my interest in this book. I really enjoyed it, both Stanton's stories of getting into cave diving and body recoveries as well as the Thai rescue narrative. Super interesting and terrifying stuff. Watching videos about cave diving accidents never helped me understand why people do this insane sport, but Stanton's story helped me get it, a bit. Let it be said you will NEVER get me into an underwater cave.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Alison Farnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did take a bit of getting used to, accepting it as a sort of autobiography too. I also thought Rick came across as quite arrogant until I read the notes, which made him seem much more human. Really fascinating book though, I will definitely seek out more content, as I didn't particularly follow the rescue as it was happening. Easy to understand as a non diving, non caving person.

[Izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is written in a disjointed fashion, both as a biography of sorts of Rick Stanton, his favorite spelunks and rescues, and simultaneously an increasingly ‘riveting’ account ot the planning and executionof the rescue of the 13 boys and thehir coach plus the 4 Thai Navy Seals from the Three rocks Mountain flooded cave. The decision to use an anesthetic gas under those circumstances was bold, and is explained to my satisfaction. The execution was amazingly lucky, but the planning certainly helped to take advantage of the luck. The issue to be expected with the Thais did not occur as one might have expected from the somewhat parallel saga of the rescue of the British Army cavers in Mexico. Not for its writing, but for its content, as the WSJ Review also points out, the book is a worthwhile read.