Richard Stanton, renowned cave diver, to speak at graduation
Richard Stanton, lead cave diver of the rescue of the Wild Boars Soccer Team in Thailand in 2018, spoke at The Masters School graduation ceremony on June 10, 2023. The Class of 2023 had 129 graduates, and among them was one boy whose life was saved by Stanton, Adul Samon. Zara Suvanto sits down with Stanton to learn more about his life-long path of cave-dive explorations.
March 11, 2023
Richard Stanton, an established cave-diver best known for his heroic feat on the daunting 2018 cave mission in Thailand, has been announced as the Commencement speaker for the class of 2023. He has been doing this work for over 40 years, pushing boundaries, and exploring what is unknown to the rest of us. Stanton and his team are best known as the rescuers who saved the lives of 13 boys from a youth soccer team. One being Masters senior Adul Samon, who was trapped along with his friends, by a rising tide in a cave for 18 days.
Stanton’s niche interest in cave diving is credited to the element of surprise, which suits his personality of constantly being on the look-out for his next adventure. Unlike most people, he likes to explore and not know what’s on the other side waiting for him. As an unmarried 62-year-old man, who lives in a house full of diving equipment in England, he fully immerses himself in the art of cave-diving. In an interview with Don Riddell from CNN, he said doesn’t consider his passion dangerous, but rather believes that the problem is approaching it in a careless manner.
In 2018, Stanton and his diving partner, John Volanthen, pulled off a widely publicized rescue of 13 soccer players in a four hour dive from the Tham Luang cave in Thailand. They navigated rough terrain, while not being able to see ahead of them, as the boys were two miles deep into the cave. Stanton and Volanthen weren’t able to get the boys out at first, but they both approached the situation calmly as they had been in many dangerous situations before.
The headlines went international, as people from all around the world waited to see if the boys and their coach who went exploring in a cave, would make it to see another day. Some of the boys couldn’t swim, so it was left to Stanton to come up with a solution to get the boys home safely. He decided to sedate them, in order to bring out the boys in a scuba mask, so they didn’t have to try and navigate the narrow passages. Even though he received pushback from an anesthesiologist on his team, he was determined to push forward, and the team brough all 13 out safely. Samon, who is currently in Thailand, was unavailable to comment at publishing deadline.
Danforth, along with Head of School Peter Newcomb, were the administrators who decided upon Stanton. Danforth commented on how Stanton fulfills the Masters’ mission: to strive, to dare, to do, to be a power for good in the world.
“Students should leave feeling inspired from their graduation,” Danforth said. “They will hear from someone who is a power for good in the world and see that we can make courageous decisions under seemingly impossible conditions. A message to seniors about trusting your training, your gut, and your instinct when you’re in a difficult situation, is inspiring and empowering.”
Danforth noted that Samon still keeps in touch with Stanton and is excited about him speaking to the community at graduation. “I would never have approached Mr. Stanton about speaking without first discussing it with Adul. He and I have talked about it several times and he has repeatedly said he would love to have Mr. Stanton address the class of 2023,” she said.
Josh Barshay, a senior, commented on the unique perspective he believes Stanton will bring to the community, and what lessons he will teach. “I think he’ll send a message of hope and excitement. I want to hear what he’s learned in his past, and what we can learn from it as well. I think that’s probably the most important thing that any speaker can give you,” he said.
In 2004, Stanton and another diver also rescued six British soldiers in the Azpazat Caverns in Mexico. He has won several awards for his success as a hero from Coventry University and the University of Bristol. Stanton hails from Essex in England. He wrote a bestselling book titled “Aquanaut”, which goes into detail about his beginnings and how he became so accomplished, along with the Thailand cave rescue.
“He was the mastermind behind saving 13 lives, so I just think his character and the way he lives his life is in keeping with Masters and our mission,”Danforth said. “And I felt because we have a senior whose life he saved, it would be particularly powerful to have Mr. Stanton speak to us.”
