Thai cave rescuer: Elon Musk's submarine was a 'PR stunt'
What's the story
Confirming what many suspected, British national and veteran cave diver Vern Unsworth, who is credited with kick-starting the rescue of the youth soccer team trapped in Thailand's Tham Luang cave, has called Elon Musk's attempts to aid the rescue a publicity stunt. In an interview with CNN, Unsworth called Musk's submarine a "PR stunt", saying that it had "absolutely no chance of working".
Impractical plan
Unsworth: Musk's sub was unfit to navigate the cave
Reportedly, Unsworth was the first to react to the situation, and urged Thai authorities to contact some of the world's best cave divers - Rick Stanton, John Volanthen, and Robert Harper - from the Derbyshire Cave Rescue Operations (DCRO). When asked about Musk's submarine, Unsworth appeared exasperated, and explained that Musk's mini-sub was too big and inflexible to survive the cave's narrow passageways.
Twitter Post
"Stick it [the submarine] where it hurts", Unsworth tells Musk
Cave rescuer on Musk: “It was a PR stunt. It had no chance of working.” pic.twitter.com/uPgRMQLkRx
— Quoth the Raven (@QTRResearch) July 13, 2018
Vern Unsworth
Why Vern Unsworth's opinion matters
Unsworth's expertise and knowledge of the treacherous Tham Luang cave system was instrumental in rescuing the members of the Wild Boars youth soccer team. A resident of Chiang Rai in Thailand, Unsworth spent six years exploring the cave system, and even went on to call it his "second home". Considering his level of expertise, Unsworth's opinion shouldn't be taken lightly.
Musk's offer
Musk had stolen the headlines while rescue efforts were on
While rescue efforts were on, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had stolen the headlines by committing SpaceX and Boring Company engineers to the rescue effort. SpaceX engineers, in turn, had come up with a mini-sub, which Musk claimed would be able to navigate the cave's narrow passageways and extract the team safely. When rescuers called the sub "not practical", Musk ranted on Twitter.
Twitter Post
Musk rants on Twitter following the rescue chief's comments
Moreover, based on extensive cave video review discussion with several divers who know journey, SpaceX engineering is absolutely certain that mini-sub can do entire journey demonstrate at any time.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 10, 2018