Edd Sorenson said it took him 45 minutes to reach Josh Bratchley inside a tight underwater cave in Tennessee.
After descending into a tight underwater cave in Tennessee to rescue a diver who helped save the Thai soccer team, Edd Sorenson recalls not immediately realizing if the man was still alive.
Sorenson is a veteran cave diver who has rescued dozens of people over the years. He was flown in from Florida to help bring back Josh Bratchley when he became trapped in the cave.
The cave was tight and the water was murky as Sorenson navigated the winding passageways. Bratchley was covered in mud and perched on a rock in an air pocket, waiting to be found after his guideline broke and he became lost inside the cave.
"My main concern going in was if I find him alive — and I really though that was a pretty big "if" — if I find him alive and he's too hypothermic to aid in his rescue, it's gonna make it very difficult for me," Sorenson told Inside Edition.
When Sorenson finally reached Bratchley 45 minutes into the dive, he had to take a second to realize what was in front of him.
"He looked very still, so it took me a second to realize that he was alive," Sorenson said.
But Sorenson then quickly realized that this would not turn into a recovery mission.
"He was answering questions very quickly. You could tell his mental state was good. ... Three or four questions in, he said, 'I'm not used to being on this side of the rescue,'" Sorenson recalled.
Sorenson and Bratchley then made their way back outside. And once they reached the surface, they were greeted with joyous applause.
"I was very emotional that I thought I was doing a body recovery and I actually got him out alive. It was really a joyful moment," Sorenson said.
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