![](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/NPewKyqdS8LxVtGXECX4-bI26Ww=/750x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fcf-images.ap-southeast-2.prod.boltdns.net%2Fv1%2Fstatic%2F664969388001%2Fd480fbc5-ab2e-49aa-8f79-da76152edd93%2F7de58c9e-e324-4cdb-b8c9-f35a08838211%2F640x360%2Fmatch%2Fimage.jpg)
The Wild Boars soccer team rescued from a flooded Thai cave have revealed how they survived the terrifying ordeal and described the moment they were found.
The boys, their coach, an army doctor, hospital staff and three Thai Navy SEALs took questions from reporters at a specially arranged media conference in Chiang Rai overnight.
One boy, Adul, said the team heard the divers before they saw them and were surprised the rescuer was not Thai.
![The boys sat on stage alongside medical personnel and some of their rescuers. Picture: EPA/AAP](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/AcMvOXvp32SWBGukh8P34DFhUUk=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F07%2F18%2F1817_thaicavepresser.jpg)
![Some of the 12 members of the Wild Boars soccer team greet the media. Picture: EPA/AAP](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/0npeIupaLhcslWf9yVVVjPaJOZs=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2FNetwork%2F2018%2F07%2F18%2F21%2F48%2F180718_thai_env2_a.jpg)
"Someone was raising their head above the water and said 'hello'," Adul said.
"I went in there and he asked 'is anyone there?'
"When they came out of the water I was surprised.
"I didn't know what to talk to them (about). I said 'hello' or something like that.
"When they said 'hello' to me, I said 'hello' back.
"It was so magnificent."
Adul said the boys were shocked to find out it had been 10 days since they first entered the cave.
![The Wild Boars leave a hospital in Chiang Rai. Picture: EPA/AAP](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/C5UfL-3v9I7SZ8JK6xw4LOAEVDs=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F07%2F18%2F1807_thaiboys_hospital.jpg)
![The boys spent a week at the hospital before their release. Picture: AP](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/laYHpKjZeP0L465F5nl42K_qCKg=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F07%2F18%2FHOSPITAL_AP2.jpg)
It was revealed the team had no food in the caves and relied on water dripping from the walls to survive until they were found.
"I had no strength. I tried not to think about food so I didn't get more hungry," the team's youngest member Titun said.
The team's coach Ekkapol Chantawong - also known as Ake - said morale stayed high because they thought they would be rescued.
Ake said the boys tried to dig their way out to find a safe space from the rising waters.
The boys presented a special drawn tribute to be given to the family of retired Navy SEAL Saman Kunan, 38, who died during the rescue.
Ake said the team felt guilty after learning of the diver's death.
"Everyone was very sad," he said.
"They felt like they were the reason he had to die and his family had to suffer."
One message on the portrait read: "Thank you from the depth of my heart."
![](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/9v-0dekF73Msrg2M-zhSbnr9ze8=/750x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fcf-images.ap-southeast-2.prod.boltdns.net%2Fv1%2Fstatic%2F664969388001%2F95af5c0a-08be-47d5-85ec-cf0b93adaea3%2Fd12cb25c-b7f6-48a3-bd92-ae3df2bbad23%2F640x360%2Fmatch%2Fimage.jpg)
![The boys arrived at the media conference to cheers from onlookers. Picture: Getty](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/mEeIjJHGgmbbuWtOgUWUVRz7CzI=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F07%2F18%2F1807_thaicave_g.jpg)
In a touching moment, the boys said sorry to their parents for the trouble they had caused.
One boy admitted he was most worried about not doing his homework while he was trapped underground.
The team was asked what they had learned from the ordeal and what their dreams for the future were.
At least five said they wanted to become Navy SEALs, which drew applause from the audience, and another said his goal was to play soccer for Thailand.
Ake said the world's kindness was appreciated and that he would be more cautious in the future.
A health official said the boys' mental health was "quite good" and their physical strength was returning to normal.
Doctors said the boys had gained around three kilograms on average since they were rescued from the cave last week.
Each lost an average of four kilograms during the more than two weeks spent underground.
The boys appeared in high spirits as they enjoyed their first moments of freedom, kicking a soccer ball around in front of the world's media.
The team, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach left the hospital in Chiang Rai about 5pm yesterday (8pm AEST) before being whisked away in silver vans to a nearby administration centre for the event.
Many of the team wore shirts bearing the Wild Boars logo as they walked from the hospital.
![The boys and coach were freed after a dramatic three-day rescue. Picture: AP](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/_3TPXJdHhy1NJK9pNwWvCc7_rGQ=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F07%2F09%2F00%2F49%2Fthaiweather4.jpg)
![The boys sketched a tribute to the Thai diver who died during the mission. Picture: Supplied](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/VYoynwmOjkOFoE9CVHgKDz0yw2s=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F07%2F15%2Fthailandboyshospital5.jpg)
![The team was quarantined while in hospital. Picture: Supplied](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/29WI1Gev8W3X0VkVPf4yzwAsgCQ=/500x0/https%3A%2F%2F1.800.gay%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F07%2F15%2Fthailandboyshospital2.jpg)
International and local media were asked to provide a list of questions to authorities so they could be screened by psychologists.
"We don't know what wounds the kids are carrying in their hearts," Thai justice ministry official Tawatchai Thaikaew told reporters.
"The media know the children are in a difficult situation, they have overcome peril and if you ask risky questions then it could break the law."
The hall where the event will take place was decorated as a soccer field and the news conference was broadcast on Thai state-run television.
The boys then returned home to be with their families, ending a 25-day ordeal that began on June 23 when the team entered the Tham Luang caves.
It took divers 10 days to find the boys after the cave system flooded and it was another week before the last two of the boys and their coach were plucked to safety.
Authorities meticulously planned the three-day rescue, bringing the group out in three separate stages, sedating each boy and pairing them with two experienced divers each.
The dramatic mission captured the world's attention, with heads of state, celebrities and even soccer stars at the World Cup in Russia sending good wishes and messages of hope to the boys and the team of divers and rescue experts.
With AP, CNN