NSRI Storms River duty crew and SA National Parks Tsitsikamma Park rangers were dispatched on Friday in response to reports of two hikers stranded on rocks in a gulley along the Otter trail’s shoreline after being swept out to sea at the Bloukrans River mouth.
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A hiker, one of a group of hikers on the Otter trail, climbed a cliff and used a ‘escape route’ trail to reach a mobile signal and call SANParks to report the incident.
NSRI Storms River dispatched NSRI rescue swimmers, and SA National Parks, Storms River Tsitsikamma National Parks rangers assisted.
NSRI Oyster Bay’s duty crew was notified and prepared to launch an NSRI rescue craft.
It appears that the group of hikers, hiking on the Otter trail, were crossing the Bloukrans River when the two ladies in the hiking group were caught in the outgoing current and were both swept out of the Bloukrans River Mouth, but apparently unable to swim, they used their backpacks to keep afloat.
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They were both able to reach rocks in a gulley along the shoreline, but they became trapped on the rocks, unable to climb the steep cliff or reach the trail path through the water.
At that point, the tide was low but rising.
‘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,’ explained NSRI Oyster Bay shore controller, Charles Hutchins.
‘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.’
Four NSRI rescue swimmers swam to the two hikers.
‘On reaching the hikers the 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 two 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.’
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Once safely ashore, and found to be not injured from the incident, they elected to carry on their hike.
‘They had sufficient dry gear and support from their fellow hikers, and it was deemed safe for them to continue on their hike,’ added Hutchins.
About 25 minutes after the NSRI crew and SANParks rangers safely transported them from the rocks to the other side of the gulley, through the water, and to the trail path, the rocks on which they had been trapped were engulfed by waves at high tide.
The couple and the group of hikers were wished well on their way, and they continued their journey.
During the rescue operation, wind speeds increased to around 30 knots.
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Picture: NSRI