‘9 days, 7 missions and 63 hours inside’: B.C. diver part of daring Thai cave rescue

A diver with ties to B.C. was part of a daring rescue mission to extricate 12 boys and their soccer coach from the treacherous confines of a flooded cave in Thailand.

Erik Brown, who grew up in Langley B.C., was part of the rescue mission that captivated the world’s imagination.

Globlanews.ca coverage of the Thai rescue

1:36 Last divers leave Thai cave after rescue of soccer team concludes

• Last divers leave Thai cave after rescue of soccer team concludes
• Officials say ‘Team Thailand’ made cave rescue of Thai soccer team happen
• Volunteers celebrate Thailand cave rescue
• Rock climber involved in Thai cave boys rescue hails mission ‘success’
• Thai PM denies rescued boys tranquilized before rescue, but took anti-anxiety drug
• All 12 boys, their coach rescued from Thai cave
• Thai boys quarantined after their escape from the cave
• 4 more rescued from Thailand cave; 5 await help

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His mother Dorothy confirmed Brown was part of an international team to save 12 Thai boys and their coach.

She said she hasn’t slept much in recent days.

WATCH: Family of B.C. diver involved in Thai cave rescue share their joy

5:32 Family of B.C. diver involved in Thai cave rescue share their joy

“We were just like the rest of the world, we were glued to the TV,” she said.

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On Tuesday, a photo showing him alongside two other divers was posted to Brown’s Facebook page. The caption to the photo reads: “9 days, 7 missions and 63 hours inside. Success.”

Brown, 35, fell in love with diving a decade ago, which led him to set up in a business in Thailand two years ago.

WATCH: Thailand rescue diver has B.C. connection

2:55 Thailand rescue diver has B.C. connection

When news broke of a soccer team trapped in a cave, Brown flew north to pitch in.

He shared few details about the dive with his family, but did mention the challenging circumstances he was facing.

“He said, ‘It’s just like swimming in coffee, there’s no visibility,'” Dorothy said.

The plight of the boys and their coach captivated much of the world — from the heart-sinking news that they were missing, to the first flickering video of the huddle of anxious yet smiling boys when they were found by a pair of British divers 10 days later.

They were trapped in the sprawling Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand on June 23, when it became flooded by monsoon rains as they were exploring it after soccer practice.

LISTEN: One of the divers who assisted in the Thailand rescue operation was Eric Brown, originally from the Langley area

Each of the boys, ages 11 to 16 and with no diving experience, was guided out by a pair of divers in the three-day high-stakes operation. The route, in some places just a crawl space, had oxygen canisters positioned at regular intervals to refresh each team’s air supply.

His family told Global News they weren’t nervous about Brown’s role in the rescue mission, saying he is a skilled and experienced diver who is extremely good at what he does.

According to family, he is currently getting some much-needed rest after the rescue effort.

— With files from Emily Lazatin and the Associated Press