If you've not spent much time in caves it's hard to understand quite how otherworldly it can feel.

Last week, the BBC's Nick Beake went a short distance into a cave in the same area as the Tham Luang cave. He described how damp, dark and claustrophobic it was.

Richard Harris is the Australian doctor who went in to assess the boys' health before the rescue operation started.

With decades of diving experience he's also a specialist on expedition medicine and retrieval operations. It's thought he was specifically requested by the British divers who first found the boys and their coach.

Mikko Paasi from Finland and Dane Ivan Karadzic run a dive centre together on the small Thai island of Koh Tao, specialising in technical diving - and that includes cave diving.

Those promo shots from their dive school are a far cry from the murky darkness that they and the boys are up against in the flooded cave.

Image source, kohtaotecdivers.com

The rescue operation has been enormous - more than 1,000 people have taken part, in muddy and rainy conditions.

The BBC's Mohamed Mahdi has been uncovering the stories of some of the people who put their lives on hold to do what they could to help.

Image source, AFP

Here's a brief recap of what we now know about the boys' health from the health ministry's presser:

• All eight are in "good health" and a "good mental state"
• They will remain in hospital under observation for a week
• They all showed some signs of infection but have been treated accordingly
• Further test results are expected in 1-2 days and if all signs of infection have cleared, families will be allowed to visit
• The boys have been given rabies vaccines but said they did not encounter any animals inside the cave
• They have begun eating soft, easy-to-digest foods
• The group have been wearing sunglasses after being in relative darkness for more than two weeks.

This post from the Thai Navy Seals' Facebook page is a running tally of how many of the Wild Boars football team have made it out.

• Wild Boar Number One
• Wild Boar Number Two
• Wild Boar Number Three
• Wild Boar Number Four
• Wild Boar Number Five
• Wild Boar Number Six
• Wild Boar Number Seven
• Wild Boar Number Eight

"Two days, eight boars

Hooyah!"

Image source, AFP

Despite the good news from the past two days, the operation to free the four remaining boys and their coach remains a race against time and the unstoppable monsoon.

Here's a picture from inside the wide entrance to the cave. If water levels rise, the situation deep inside, where the remaining people are trapped, could get a lot more dangerous.

Investor, engineer and inventor Elon Musk has gone a step further than offering to help with the rescue and has been to the cave in person.

He shared this evocative video from inside the cave a few hours ago.

He says he visited cave 3 - that's the cavern not too far inside the cave which divers have been using as a forward base.

Locals and volunteers are following the rescue as closely as they can.

As the ambulances drove off carrying the boys to the local hospital on Monday night, they were accompanied by cheers along the road.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

Image source, Getty

Spotted making their rounds on Twitter are these moving illustrations of navy diver Saman Gunan, who lost his life while delivering air tanks to the cave, and the young team coach, Ekapol 'Ek' Chantawong.

Danish national Claus Rasmussen is thought to be another one of the divers who's down in the cave right now. He works with Mr Reymenants at the same diving school in Phuket.

Here's a promotional picture of him from the dive school - so that's NOT the cave where the boys are trapped.

Image source, Blue Label Diving

We've written a lot about how dangerous cave diving is and how you have to be an experienced specialist to pull off a rescue like this.

So who are those specialists that make up the international team that's getting the boys out one by one?

One of them is Ben Reymenants, a Belgian national who runs a dive shop in Phuket. Here he is, pictured alongside lead rescue official Narongsak Osotthanakorn.

Image source, facebook.com/ben.reymenants

Back in the cave, here are a few more pictures from the Facebook feed of one of the rescue divers, Mikko Paasi from Finland.

Our colleague in Thailand, Nick Beake, has a very reasonable suggestion:

Lots of people have been asking if there would have been animals in the cave. We know there were some bats and monkeys at the entrance, but the minister says they "did not encounter any animals" where they were.

Doctors say they want the boys to stay in hospital for a week.

The boys may not know this, but Fifa had offered to get them to the World Cup final on Sunday if they were out in time. It looks like they won't be able to take up that offer.

At least the Wild Boars will get to watch it on TV. Hopefully all of them together. With their favourite meals.

Dr Jetsada Chokedamrongsuk, public health permanent secretary, says the boys are all well and able to get about by themselves.

They are clearly extraordinarily resilient kids.

The BBC spoke to health experts last week who said recovering from the lack of light for two weeks could be one of the biggest challenges they'll face.

Health officials giving a briefing in Chiang Rai say some of the boys have seen their parents now - but only through glass.

Officials appear to be taking extreme precautions until they get lab results back clearing the lads of infectious diseases.

Once they get the all clear, parents will be able to see their kids, but only in protective clothing and from 2m away.

So no longed for hugs just yet.