Food and medical supplies were delivered through the flooded passages beginning after the discovery. Thai Navy SEALs and medical personnel undertook the dives to bring supplies to the team, an operation requiring the same level of technical commitment as the searches that had preceded the discovery. The supplies that arrived included high-calorie food to begin rebuilding the team’s nutritional reserves, medical assessments of their condition, and communication materials.
Coach Ekkapol’s role during the waiting period was described by team members, medical staff, and later accounts as central to the group’s survival. His experience as a novice monk, particularly his training in meditation, provided a framework for managing the psychological demands of the situation. He had the boys meditate, conserving oxygen through reduced breathing rates and providing a mental discipline that helped contain panic and preserve energy. He had them focus on staying calm and staying still.
Ekkapol himself reportedly ate very little during the entire 18-day ordeal, giving most available food to the boys in his care. Medical assessments conducted after the rescue indicated that the boys were malnourished and had lost weight, but their general physical condition was described as better than the medical team had feared.
The four Thai Navy SEALs and a medical doctor who had been sent in to stay with the team during the planning and preparation phase — diving in through the flooded passages with the specific intention of remaining with the boys until they were brought out — provided additional medical monitoring, psychological support, and direct care in the days between discovery and extraction.