Point is, when you are diving, ANYTHING can go wrong. Training children to get it right the first time is not something I would want to bet on. That said, I pray they make it. It’s in God’s hands now.
I probably have over 1000 or more dives under my weight belt, and have dove everything from the Lake of The Ozarks, rivers, farm pond, and the Carribean. From ZERO visibility to over 100ft vis.
The worst thing that can happen is something goes wrong and you PANIC! Bad things happen unless someone who is trained is with you. I have trained 100s of divers over the years and can spot a panicked diver in a heartbeat.
The one thing that spokes a diver Especially a new diver is claustrophobia! Trying to teach those kids to swim then to dive that distance in a CAVE with near zero visibility would probably Kill most of them.
Could they not quickly acquire a slim one person capsule that would fit through the narrowest opening along the route. That way each kid wouldn’t have to learn to swim and use scuba gear, just lay back and breathe normally. Am I on to something?