LAKELAND, Fla. -- As the world watches the rescue effort for the 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a cove, one local diver describes his similar harrowing experience.
- Eight boys have been rescued from an underground cave in Thailand
- Four more boys and their coach are still underground as rescuers continue to work to get them out
- One local diver trapped in a cave before and says boys are remarkable for surviving as long as they have
Lakeland resident Matt Vinzant has been diving since he was a teenager and got cave certified at 18-years-old.
"You get to go places no one has ever been which is awesome. In caves there's a certain mystery about them," Vinzant explained.
He was diving in Mexico in April of this year, through a series of sumps, which is like what the divers in Thailand have to navigate. They were planning to be down there for a few days and had a camp set up.
But he said heavy rain caused the area to flood trapping him and five other divers underground for three days unable to get to their camp.
"I had four granola bars with me so we ate four granola bars between the six of us and ended up snuggling under a five foot by seven foot space blanket for 72 hours until the water level dropped enough that we were able to dive out on our own," Vinzant said. "You have a lot of time to think about what's important in life. Really it was mostly focusing on family for me."
He said after that experience, he is impressed that the boys in Thailand have been able to hold on for so long.
"Being wet and cold and dark for extended periods of time it's hard on the body. You're not getting enough food you're trying to stay warm trying to stay dry, they're some tough kids," Vinzant explained.
"These guys they have the best rescuers in the world working with them. If I was the one down there these would be the guys I would call for,” he added.
Vinzant did say his experience in Mexico isn't going to stop him from diving. He's been on several other trips since April.