Nat Geo’s ‘Drain the Oceans’ Takes Viewers Inside the Thai Cave Rescue

A special episode of the National Geographic series, Drain the Oceans, gives the most accurate rendering ever made of the escape route of the boys soccer team trapped in Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand in July 2018.

Continuing Season 2,  Drain the Oceans: Thai Cave Rescue airs Monday, September 2 on National Geographic Channel.

Using using advanced mapping and LiDAR technology, the water is digitally drained from the flooded cave system. The special shows exactly how the group of 12 boys and their soccer coach were trapped, and why it took rescuers three weeks to free them from the extensive underground network.

Cave surveyor Joe Daniels climbs up towards a trap that caused diver Chris Jewel to lose the line and become lost during the rescue. (National Geographic/Mark Burkey)

In addition to this harrowing mission that captivated the world, Drain the Oceans features 15 new episodes that dredge long-buried secrets from beneath the waves and reveal them in a stunning new light.

Cave surveyors Joe Daniels & Richard Walters operate a scanner whilst conducting the first 3D survey. (National Geographic/Mark Burkey)

Each episode reveals ghostly shapes beneath the waves in all their stunning glory, as the water is removed from the picture to tell stories that explain maritime mysteries, both ancient and modern.

Cave data helped generate a new map of the rescue plan. Showing the underwater sumps the divers had to navigate. (National Geographic)

Combining the latest scientific data from underwater scanning systems with state-of-the-art digital re-creations, the series crisscrosses the globe, visiting territorial and international waters off the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Norway, Italy, Australia, the U.K. and Thailand in its quest for answers.

Drain the Oceans: Thai Cave Rescue, Monday, September 2, 9/8c, National Geographic Channel