Edited by Bev Mortimer – A hiker on the Storms River hiking trail lost this life on Tuesday this week apparently after trying to cross the swollen Bloukrans River.
After an extensive search by NSRI and other rescue teams, the body of the deceased hiker, a 32 year-old man from Johannesburg, was found just offshore of the river mouth through a drone search.
Lodewyk van Rensburg, NSRI Oyster Bay station commander, said on 9 July NSRI Storms River, NSRI Oyster Bay and SA National Parks Tsitsikamma rangers were activated following reports from NSRI Plettenberg Bay of a hiker reportedly missing on the Otter hiking trail at the Bloukrans River Mouth crossing.
A hiking party of 11 hikers reported one of their team members was missing . He had gone ahead of the the rest of the team and was last seen about 1 pm on Tuesday.
When the main hiking team reached the Otter Trail Bloukrans River Mouth crossing they found it swollen from heavy rains but could not find the other hiker. The team was not comfortable to try to cross the river and initiated a search for the missing hiker.
During their search they noticed the missing man’s backpack on the river caught among the rocky shoreline in the direction of the river mouth. The believed the hiker may have tried to cross the river and and that he had possibly been swept down river or out of the river mouth. They raised the alarm, reporting the man to be missing.
NSRI Storms River and NSRI Oyster Bay search teams joined SANParks Tsitsikamma rangers in an extensive search. The backpack was located near the river mouth plus additional items believed to be from the same backpack belonging to the missing man.
The SAPS and Police Search and Rescue were alerted. NSRI Plettenberg Bay was placed on alert.
Despite an extensive search hampered by unfavourable weather by the swollen river and barely accessible terrain,no signs of the missing man were found by nightfall.
The 10 hikers were accommodated at a cabin and were believed to have discontinued the hike.
The SAPS Police Search and Rescue and SANParks Tsitsikamma rangers, assisted by NSRI Storms River, NSRI Oyster Bay, and NSRI Plettenberg Bay, continued an ongoing sea and shoreline search from first light on Wednesday. Air support was investigated dependent on weather.
, volunteered his EC120 helicopter to assist in the search at the request of NSRI Plettenberg Bay. An LZ (landing zone) was prepared at the a gravel road near to the Bloukrans River Mouth.
On arrival an aerial search along the shoreline and out to sea was conducted by the helicopter. Not finding the man Duran then launched a drone from the gravel road and during the drone search the body of the man was located offshore of the Bloukrans River Mouth.
Duran and an NSRI rescue swimmer joined SANParks rangers at the river mouth where Duran waded into the water and brought the body to the shoreline where he was declared deceased.
His body was taken into the care of SA Police Services and Police Search and Rescue divers, and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services. Police opened an Inquest docket.
The NSRI commended everyone who offered their services including Duran’s aerial support to find the man. The family of the deceased man are in the care of Police and SANParks. Condolences have been conveyed to the family.
