The cumulative physical cost on the divers was significant. Each passage dive consumed physical energy and breathing gas; the divers returning from deep inside the cave needed rest, nourishment, and time before they could safely dive again. The logistical management of diver availability — ensuring that the right people were rested and in position for each extraction — was one of the ongoing operational challenges of the two active extraction days.
By the end of July 9, eight boys had been brought to the surface. Five people remained inside Nern Nom Sao: four boys and Coach Ekkapol. The four Thai Navy SEALs and the military doctor who had been staying with the team were also still inside.
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## Day Three: July 10
The final extraction day, July 10, was to bring out the remaining five from Nern Nom Sao, plus the four Navy SEALs and the military doctor. The total number of people to be moved to safety on July 10 was therefore ten.
The extraction of the remaining boys proceeded through the morning and afternoon. Richard Harris and Chris Jewell were among the divers handling the final passages. In one documented incident, one of the boys — described in subsequent accounts as Boy 12, though the identity was not publicly specified — briefly lost contact with the guideline during the flooded section. Harris and Jewell located him and completed the extraction. The incident illustrated the specific nature of the risk that had been present throughout the operation: the guideline was the navigational lifeline in zero-visibility water, and losing it even briefly represented a potentially fatal disorientation.