A drone was used by teams of professionals and volunteers from Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) were called to assist two hikers after they became stranded while descending Porcupine Ravine on Thursday afternoon.
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The young hikers, both new to the activity, started their hike from Constantia Neck at 7:30am on Thursday morning and followed the trail past the dams on the back of Table Mountain. They continued their hike into the Valley of the Red Gods and following a vague trail, started their descent down Porcupine Ravine, down towards Camp’s Bay.
Porcupine Ravine is a shallow ravine on the Twelve Apostles in Cape Town alongside the Porcupine Buttress and in generally considered to be a challenging hiking route.
After struggling to follow the unfamiliar trail, the two friends decided to call for help and teams from Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) were dispatched to the start of the trail shortly after 2pm.
A drone from the Western Cape Government – Health Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Drone Unit was quickly able to locate the pair.
‘While the drone was hovering above the patients, we were able to monitor the pair in real-time,’ said on-scene rescue coordinator, Hugo Vaughan. ‘We called the hikers on their cellphone and were able to safely guide them away from the cliff and onto the path, before the rescue team met up with them.’
‘This is the first time that we’ve used a drone to guide hikers back to a trail and out of harm’s way.
‘This again demonstrates how diverse and valuable this technology is.’
The pair were safely guided down the rest of the trail by a WSAR rescue team.
‘It’s exciting to see younger hikers exploring our amazing wilderness spaces, and we applaud the two for calling for help when they felt unsafe,’ said spokesperson for Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR), David Nel.
‘We really want to encourage more people to get out and take advantage of these beautiful spaces; but with the knowledge that a group of dedicated individuals are always willing to rush to their aid if they need help.
‘To anyone venturing out for the first time, please consider joining a hiking group. There are numerous groups and online communities to consider, and new member will absolutely benefit from the valuable information sharing.’
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Pictures: Carlo Garth Adonis, Fabian Higgins, Tim Lundy and Travis Talmarkes / WSAR