Craig Challen
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Craig Challen, is an Australian technical diver and cave explorer. He was the recipient of the Oztek 2009 Diver of the Year award for his services to caving, and was joint winner of the 2019
Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...
. He grew up in the Perth suburb of Thornlie and later on a farming property in Gidgegannup; he attended
Eastern Hills Senior High School Eastern Hills Senior High School is an Independent Public secondary school in Mount Helena, in the Perth Hills, east of Perth, Western Australia. It serves approximately 950 students from year 7 to year 12. Overview The school was opened ori ...
in Mount Helena, near Gidgegannup. A veterinary surgeon by profession, Challen has made notable dives in Cocklebiddy Cave and Pearse Resurgence. In 2010 he made a record-setting dive while caving in New Zealand. In 2020 he made a second record-setting return visit to the Pearse Resurgence (New Zealand) and extended the Australasian depth record to with his dive partner Richard Harris.


Career

In 2018 Challen, along with his dive partner Richard Harris, was involved in a cave rescue operation in Thailand to evacuate 12 children and an adult from the flooded Tham Luang Cave system. On 24 July 2018, Challen was awarded the Star of Courage (SC) and Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) by the
Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia. On 7 September 2018 the King of Thailand appointed Challen as a Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn.


Awards

He is the joint-winner of the 2019 Australian of the Year award with fellow diver Richard Harris, and 2019 Western Australian of the Year.


See also

*, on Challen's line in Cocklebiddy Cave


References


External links

* ''
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
''
"Record Cave Dive Leaves Mystery"
published 3 May 2011.
Wet Mules homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Challen, Craig Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian underwater divers Australian cavers Australian veterinarians Male veterinarians Cave diving explorers Place of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Star of Courage (Australia) Australian of the Year Award winners Craig Challen Tham Luang cave rescue