Two hikers were separated from their group when a current in the Bloukrans River mouth pulled them out to sea; the NSRI helped them get back on track.
Oyster Bay, South Africa (06 May 2024) – Early on Friday morning, the 3rd of May at 07:40 am, the NSRI Storms River duty crew and SA National Parks Tsitsikamma Park rangers were activated following reports of 2 hikers stranded on rocks. The biggest worry was that high tide was close and that would make the rescue efforts much more dangerous.
Charles Hutchins the NSRI Oyster Bay shore controller shared how the rescue of the two hikers took place. The pair had been walking in a gulley along the shoreline of the Otter trail where they were swept out to sea at the Bloukrans River mouth.
Hutchins shared that one of the hikers had climbed a cliff and used an ‘escape route’ trail to reach a cellphone signal to call SANParks to raise the alarm. It was then that the NSRI dispatched rescue swimmers and the SA National Parks, Storms River Tsitsikamma National Parks rangers responded. The NSRI Oyster Bay duty crew were also alerted and prepared to launch an NSRI rescue craft.
“It appears that the group of hikers, hiking on the Otter trail, were crossing through the Bloukrans River when the 2 ladies, in the hiking group, were caught in the outgoing current and were both swept out of the Bloukrans River Mouth, but apparently not able to swim they had used their backpacks to stay afloat.
They were able to both reach the rocks in a gulley along the shoreline where they were then trapped on the rocks, unable to climb the steep cliff and unable to reach the trail path through the water.”
The tides were turning and high tide was starting to swell. The NSRI team came up with a plan which they could reassess once at the rescue site.
“The initial consideration, to affect a successful rescue, was deemed safest for NSRI rescue swimmers to swim both of them out to sea to an NSRI rescue craft, rather than to try to bring them ashore on the rocky coastline, but this would be evaluated on the rescue teams arriving on site.
On the barely accessible terrain all wheel drive vehicles were used to get as close to the location as possible – the NSRI rescue swimmers and SANPark rangers then hiked to the location finding both ladies trapped on rocks in a gulley with the gradually increasing risk of the incoming tide.”
The four rescue swimmers made their way to the stranded hikers.
“On reaching the 2 hikers the 4 NSRI Storms River rescue swimmers evaluated conditions and it was decided that it would be best to swim them through the gulley to the shore side.
The NSRI rescue swimmers secured the 2 ladies into PFD’s (Personal Floatation Devices) and in relays of one at a time they were swum to shore, to the other side of the gulley, assisted by the NSRI rescue swimmers and by the SANPark rangers.”
Thankfully, nobody was injured during the initial ordeal and rescue. Once the ladies were reunited with their hiking group, they opted to continue with the Otter Trail hike.
“They had sufficient dry gear and support from their fellow hikers and it was deemed safe for them to continue on their hike.
About 25 minutes after NSRI crew and the SANParks rangers got them safely off the rocks to the other side of the gulley, through the water, and to the trail path, the rocks that they had earlier been trapped on were engulfed in waves at the high tide.
The couple, as well as the group of hikers, were wished well on their way and they continued on their hike.”
by 