UPDATE: It has been reported that all 12 boys and their coach have been rescued from cave in Thailand. .

Imagine a high-flow cave as a sandstorm, where you can't see where you are going and could at any minute be thrown up against a wall you didn't know was there, at 30 to 40 feet per minute. Now think of that happening in a confined space, and instead of sand, it's rushing water and you are swimming against it.

That’s a real-life account of what it’s like to dive in a high-flow cave system in northern Florida, according to Edd Sorenson, who was profiled in 2016 as one of Scuba Diving magazine's “Heroes of Diving” for his expertise in cave rescue and recovery. Sorenson, who is also the Safety Director of The National Speleological Society-Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS) and a regional coordinator for the International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery (IUCRR), is arguably one of the world’s most successful cave rescue divers.

Scubadiving.com spoke with Sorenson by phone to discuss the ongoing Thai cave rescue.

Although Sorenson wouldn’t speculate on the specific Thai cave rescue operation, he did speak to overall challenges one might encounter in a cave rescue. And he's seen his fair share of challenges— "four of the cave rescue missions I was a part of were no-viz dives, where I couldn't see past my fingertips — you can really only check the cave by feel only," he shared.

Sorensen said even for experienced cave divers, an operation like this has its risks.

"First of all, cave diving is about a 90-percent mental sport," Sorenson said. He also added that he cannot personally speak to the boys' current mental state.

Based on his real-life account mentioned above, and Sorenson's experience as a rescue and recovery diver, he pointed out three hazards that would make any cave rescue risky:  

1 ) Presence of an overhead environment
2 ) Little to no visibility
3 ) High-flow or underwater current

Each one of these hazards experienced separately would make any cave rescue a risky one. But put all three together, he says, "and you have a recipe for an extremely high-risk dive."

The reality is that the Thai Navy SEAL team is facing all three hazards outlined above. Not to mention the rescue involves that of non-divers who, based on earlier reports, have no prior scuba diving knowledge.

It’s now been four days since the Thai soccer team and their coach were located by British rescue divers on July 2, and 14 days since the team entered the caves at Tham Luang Cave network in northern Thailand. The rescue efforts are at the center of media attention worldwide, receiving around-the-clock coverage while Thai Navy SEAL members, rescuers and volunteers determine how to bring the boys out of the cave in the safest manner possible.

This is no easy task given their location within the cave — more than 2 miles from the closest entrance.

It seems rescuers closest to the operation are keeping quiet as they face what could be a very difficult and dangerous extraction.

The team is trapped due to heavy rains that initially caused flooding in the cave system. Now, with rains predicted to pick up again during the weekend, it’s unclear how and when the team will be able to leave the cave.

Since initially reporting that the team had been located, we've learned that two players and the coach are suffering from malnourishment and may not be strong enough to survive a rescue attempt at this time. People from around the globe are weighing in with their theories on how to help, including most recently, Elon Musk who tweeted that maybe it was possible to drill vertically down or insert nylon tubing to create an air-tunnel at the roof of the cave.

Tragically, the death of volunteer diver Saman Gunan,  a retired Thai Navy SEAL who lost his life July 6 after losing consciousness on his way back from placing extra air tanks along the possible escape route, has brought into question a whole new set of concerns, the current oxygen levels in the cave system.

Scubadiving.com will continue to follow this developing story.