A critical decision was the order in which the boys would be brought out. The weakest boys — those whose medical condition was of greatest concern, or who might need the most urgent attention — were prioritized. Boys who appeared healthier and whose condition could sustain the additional wait were scheduled for later.
Ekkapol, the coach, was scheduled last. He knew the cave, had dived recreationally, and was considered capable of tolerating the physical demands of the extraction better than some of the younger, smaller boys. He also, by his own account in later interviews, felt that his responsibility was to stay with his boys until every one of them was out.
The extraction was planned to begin on July 8.
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## Day One: July 8
The first extraction day began in the pre-dawn hours of July 8, with divers assembling at their positions through the cave system. The operation had been given a specific window: it needed to begin before the daily rains typically arrived in the afternoon, and the divers needed to complete their work before water levels inside rose in response to the day’s precipitation.
The first four boys were brought out through the system over the course of the day. The process was not witnessed by outside observers; the flooded passages of Tham Luang were accessible only to the divers and the support personnel at their specific positions. The public, the boys’ families, and the world’s media waited at the cave entrance and at the hospitals where the boys would be brought.