Only the last 2 commentators have an idea of what was involved.
There is zero chance - say again, ZERO - that those boys could have been taken out successfully if they were conscious.
ZERO.
Adult divers, in clear, warm water - surrounded by colleagues - are known to panic and rip off their masks.
It was a miracle of epic proportions that those boys were rescued.
Being unconscious was the ONLY way to prevent them from panicking and tearing off their full face masks. (As it was dark, the accompanying rescuer would not even know that the mask was removed.
Nor would it be possible to reposition it.