German hiker and partner rescued after night stranded in Cape Town coastline

A 38-year-old German visitor and his partner were rescued after spending the night stranded near the Boss 400 shipwreck along the Cape Town coastline following an ankle injury and difficult trail conditions.

The pair had been hiking from Llandudno towards Hout Bay when the German visitor began struggling to walk shortly after passing the Boss 400 wreck.

According to Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) spokesperson David Nel, the hikers had been using an online navigation application which did not accurately reflect the current condition of the trail.

The route included overgrown, difficult-to-navigate and hazardous sections, leaving the pair with little indication of the challenges they would face.

Hikers call for help as conditions deteriorate

Nel said after injuring his ankle, the exhausted hikers decided to turn back towards Llandudno.

However, while making their way back, they reached a particularly challenging section of the trail and called for assistance late on Sunday afternoon.

WSAR teams, including Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS paramedics and SANParks Table Mountain National Park SEAM team and rangers, were deployed to the scene.

With the terrain proving difficult and treacherous, combined with strong winds and fading daylight, Nel said rescuers decided it was safer to remain with the hikers overnight rather than attempt a descent in deteriorating conditions.

Specialist WSAR trail runners were also tasked with carrying tents, sleeping bags and other essential equipment up the trail to the stranded hikers.

Helicopter extraction abandoned

Shortly after 8am on Monday, Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS and Air Mercy Service attempted to extract the hikers by helicopter.

However, strong winds made the operation unsafe, and the planned helicopter extraction had to be abandoned.

Rescuers then changed their approach and deployed additional WSAR team members to assist with a technical descent.

The injured hiker was carefully lowered approximately 60 metres down granite slabs towards the coastline, where National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) teams were waiting with rescue boats.

Hikers taken to safety by boat

NSRI rescuers then used a small inflatable canoe to transport the two hikers, one at a time, to the waiting rescue boats.

The hikers were subsequently taken safely ashore in Hout Bay.

The rescue operation was completed shortly after noon on Monday, with all rescuers safely off the trail.

Nel said the operation demonstrated the importance of cooperation between emergency services and rescue organisations.

“This rescue was a great example of what collaboration looks like. It was an overnight operation in difficult terrain and conditions, and when the strong winds prevented the planned helicopter extraction, our teams adapted and found another way to safely get the hikers off the mountain,” Nel added.

“From the teams who remained with the hikers overnight, to the trail runners who carried essential equipment to the scene, the additional rescuers who assisted with the technical lowering, and our colleagues from NSRI who completed the final water extraction, every person played an important part.”

Warning over dangerous trail

Nel also warned hikers about the condition of the trail in the area.

“The trail along this stretch of coastline is in particularly treacherous condition, with areas that are overgrown and virtually impassable, making it extremely challenging for both hikers and rescuers,” he said.

“There have also been several reported incidents of crime in the area, and we strongly advise hikers to avoid this route,” said Nel.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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