Betty’s Bay outside Cape Town

On Sunday the 23rd of December 2018 just after 18h00 the Overberg Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) was activated by the Western Cape Emergency Medical Services (EMS) after a call for assistance was received.

It was learnt that two young men in their late teens had managed to find themselves stuck on a ledge after attempting to scramble up a section of the mountain near the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens. These teens who are on holiday in the area, chose to tackle a steep, dangerous and inaccessible stretch of the mountain where there are no known paths or trails to be found.

As the sun was setting, the youths realised that there was no way up or down for them to go, and that is when they made the call for help. The fact that they were stuck above a waterfall made the situation even more dangerous as they were close to the edge of a sharp dropoff. Our responders were dispatched to the base of the mountain which is managed by Cape Nature, in order to plan the rescue. WSAR members, Fire and Rescue Overberg, SAPS as well as our Logistical Support teams formed an Incident Command post near the road, from where the operation would be led.

One Rescue Mountaineer and three Metro EMS Advanced Life Support Medical Rescue Technicians set off on foot at about 20h00 in order to reach the stricken youths. These youths were not only scrambling in a very dangerous and unused section of the mountain, but they were completely unprepared as well. The warm clothes, food and drink that were being carried up by the rescuers, could not be handed over to the party as they had proven to be unreachable due to the dangerous terrain. The closest that the responding team could get to these patients was at a point about 100 meters away from them. Voice contact was maintained between the groups throughout the night, as hypothermia was a real concern for our medics. It was agreed that the best option was to stay put and wait for a helicopter airlift in the morning.

The Air Mercy Service (AMS) which is contracted to the Western Cape Department of Health had prepared their Medical Rescue Helicopter overnight, for an early response on the morning of Monday the 24th of December 2018. On arrival in the area, the helicopter touched down at a temporary Landing Zone (LZ) in order to receive a briefing. The two patients and four rescuers were safely hoisted off the mountain in multiple airlifts after which they were delivered to the LZ.

The arrow points to the spot where the rescued party was moved to for the air lift.

After a debrief at the Incident Command post, the youths were transferred to the care of family members.

We would like to thank our members who had responded to this call. We also commend the four rescuers who scrambled for four hours in the dark attempting to reach and secure the patients.

WSAR urges the public to please:-

  • use dedicated paths only
  • familiarise yourself and members of your party with your intended route prior to your excursion
  • pack in basic safety kit such as warm clothes, food and water
  • learn the difference between walking, hiking, mountaineering, scrambling, bouldering, climbing and kloofing

Please call 021 937 0300 or 112 for any Wilderness or Mountain rescue response.