PUBLISHED ONOctober 02, 2026 12:52 PMBYSean LerCanadian diver Erik Brown, who helped rescue 12 young footballers trapped in Thailand's Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in Chiang Rai in a dramatic operation that gripped the world in 2018, has died at the age of 44.
Brown's death was announced by family and friends on Sept 26, but the exact date and cause of his death have not been revealed.
Originally from British Columbia, Brown was based on the Thai island of Koh Tao in Surat Thani province, where he founded Hydronauts Diving Resort.
During the cave rescue, he was part of an international team of divers involved in the rescue of the Wild Boars football team, after the 12 boys and their coach became trapped inside the cave on June 23, 2018.
That day, heavy monsoon rain caused floodwaters to rise inside the cave, cutting off the group's exit path.
All 13 were found alive nine days later, with the rescue operation carried out over a three-day period from July 8 to 10.
Brown is said to have helped transport air cylinders and other equipment through the flooded cave, while laying and maintaining guide ropes. He reportedly logged 63 hours inside the cave across nine days and seven missions.
His courage earned him Canada's Medal of Bravery, with the governor-general saying that he had repeatedly put his life at risk while fighting against rushing currents and low-hanging obstructions, squeezing through dangerously narrow passages.
Brown was also awarded The Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn, First Class, by Thailand's King Vajiralongkorn.
News of Brown's passing has prompted an outpouring of tributes on social media.
On a Facebook group set up to remember the diver, a friend wrote: "The world has lost a truly beautiful soul. I hope we can all remember the best parts of Erik: his incredible smile, his unforgettable laugh that lit up any room, the way he could find a little bit of hilarity in almost every moment, and, most of all, his incredibly kind heart."
Another friend wrote: "Erik was just an incredible human, and to us as he was a second son. We cherished all the visits and looked forward to the next. His easy laughter and always twinkling eyes are what I will remember. I got to give him a last hug a few days before he left us and for that I am grateful."
Brown is not the first rescuer linked to the Tham Luang operation to have died.
Thai navy seal, Petty Officer Beirut Bureerak, who took part in the rescue, died in December 2019 from a blood infection reportedly contracted during the operation.
Another rescuer, former navy diver Sergeant Saman Kuman, died during the rescue operation.
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