Rescuers in northern Thailand on Tuesday raced against time and an ominous monsoon season to rescue a youth soccer team trapped in a partially flooded cave in advance of heavy rains forecast later this week.

Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said at least some of the players can’t swim, further complicating the arduous task of rescue. He said the 12 kids, ages 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach might need to don scuba gear for parts of their escape.

The Thai rainy season is peaking, and long periods of persistent downpours can be expected into November. Water levels in the cave complex are expected to rise.

“The evacuation must speed up,” Anupong told the Bangkok Post. “Diving gear will be used. If the water rises, the task will be difficult. We must bring the kids out before then.”  The team would have to move through narrow parts of the cave by themselves. Massive pumps are flushing some of the water out of the cave, reducing the amount of time the dive equipment would be necessary.

“Diving is not easy. Those who have never done it will find it difficult, because there are narrow passages in the cave,” Anupong said. “They must be able to use diving gear. If the gear is lost at any moment, it can be dangerous to life.”

The team ventured into the cave after soccer practice on June 23. A team of British and Thai divers, backed by an international rescue group found the children and their coach Monday.

Video released early Tuesday showed the boys in their soccer uniforms sitting on a dry area inside the cave above the water, their faces illuminated by a spotlight. The video, along with pictures taken by rescuers, buoyed the spirits of families awaiting reunions at the cave’s main entrance.