Australian Rescue Diver
Dr. Craig Challen: Biography at a Glance
- Australian hero who played a pivotal role in the daring rescue of 12 boys trapped in a Thailand cave.
- He braved treacherous conditions to extract the boys from the flooded Tham Luang cave system and the courageous rescue that captivated the world was depicted in the Ron Howard-directed film, Thirteen Lives.
- One of Australia's leading technical divers, he is a member of the Wet Mules, a diving group that takes on some of the world's deepest caves.
- He has explored caves throughout Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Vanuatu, and the Cook Islands.
- A veterinary surgeon by profession, now retired, he is also a helicopter and airplane pilot.
Biography
Dr. Craig Challen is an Australian cave explorer, notable for his efforts in saving a soccer team of 12 boys and their coach in the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand.
One of Australia's leading technical divers, he is a member of the Wet Mules, a diving group that takes on some of the world's deepest caves. After commencing cave diving in the 1990s he was an early adopter of closed-circuit mixed gas rebreathers.
Notable explorations include the extension of Cocklebiddy Cave on the Nullarbor Plain of Australia in 2008 and the Pearse Resurgence in New Zealand over the last 10 years. He has additionally explored caves throughout Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands.
Craig also has an avid interest in shipwreck diving and has explored sites over the last 15 years in the South China Sea, Solomon Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
A veterinary surgeon by profession, now retired, Craig is also an enthusiastic helicopter and airplane pilot.
