In 2018 , he helped locate a youth soccer team in the Tham Luang cave rescue ; he and Stanton were the first to make contact with them . Poor visibility , cave and rescue debris , and low temperatures were all obstacles to cave diving in search of the team . Volanthen was placing guidelines in the cave to assist others in navigation . He ran out of line , which led him to swim to the surface — there he found the missing team and the adult coach . Volanthen 's voice is that heard on a widely broadcast video of the first contact with the soccer team , saying " How many of you ? " When he learned that all the missing people were accounted for , he replied , " Brilliant . " He and Stanton did not have any food to offer the team when they encountered them , but they gave them a light . When they left the team , Volanthen promised them that he would come back , doing so by assisting in delivering food
Tham Luang cave rescue
Tham Luang cave rescue
John Volanthen