Australian cave diver Josh Richards joins Laos cave rescue

A soldier turned comedian turned prospective astronaut is the Australian face in a team hoping to find two people still missing in a cave in Laos.

South Australian Josh Richards was called into the rescue operation late last week, when seven people were still in the cave.

A member of the Soggy Wombats cave diving team, Mr Richards has played a key role in discovering extensions to multiple caves on SA's Limestone Coast.

In 2022, Mr Richards made headlines after he and dive companion Matthew Aisbett found 400 metres of passage extending from Mount Gambier's famous Engelbrecht Cave.

Then, just last year, the Soggy Wombats announced they had found another cave extension, a 100m tunnel at Pines Cave near Tantanoola.

Despite all this, Mr Richards told 891 ABC Adelaide he was actually claustrophobic.

"I love cave exploration, and I force myself through drive caves to get to the water," he said.

"I don't experience claustrophobia underwater, interestingly enough, and I think that's related to being weightless."

Soggy Wombats teammate Will Passos has been Mr Richards's friend since the two took part in basic training in 2019.

The pair had just got back to Australia after spending time exploring caves in Japan.

"His small frame helps to get through a few tight spots and he's not afraid of that.

"He's very comfortable on the water, he's very competent on the water and as a dive team, we trust in each other."

A life of adventure

While his caving exploits have taken the limelight in recent years, it was Mr Richards's intergalactic ambitions that first made news.

After a physics degree, and time spent in the army, navy and British Royal Marine Commandos, Mr Richards then found himself in the world of stand-up comedy.

Performing internationally as a ukulele-playing koala, he eventually gave up his comedy exploits in 2016.

During that time he applied for a one-way ticket to Mars, as part of the eventually doomed Mars One project.

By 2021, he was one of the final 100 candidates being considered, from an initial 200,000 applicants.

The experience of applying, and writing two books about it, actually led Mr Richards back to diving after years away from it.

"I actually have the opportunity to explore here, go and dive these caves, learn more about the geology, how they connect to each other, why they form," he said back in 2021.

Despite this though, what Mr Richards is facing in Laos is a different sort of adventure.

Mr Passos said he was not surprised when Mr Richards told him he was heading over.

"From all the news that I've seen, the situation, the environment, the skill set that they require, it's kind of very suitable for Josh,"

"Not just because he has a small frame, but because of the skill set he has.

"I'm also not surprised that he just put his hand up and volunteered straight away

SA's diving training ground

Mr Richards is not the first Australian diver who learned his trade on SA's Limestone Coast to take part in a cave rescue.

In 2018, Richard Harris and Craig Challen were called in as part of efforts to retrieve a boys' soccer team from a cave in Thailand.

The duo were jointly named Australian of the Year for their efforts.

Diving instructor Darren Mitchell owns The Habitat cave diving accommodation in Mount Gambier, which he purchased from Mr Richards.

Mr Mitchell said Australian divers had strong reputations internationally.

"The nucleus of that is here [in Mount Gambier]."

Mr Mitchell said the regional city was a hub for the best divers from around Australia and the world.

"If anyone wants to ascend up and be a good scuba diver, they must come to the Mount sooner or later,"

"It's very rare that you'd be at a really high level of scuba diving and not want to come to Mount Gambier.

"It's a big drawcard that brings people to this little city of ours."