Warren Page, NSRI Wilderness deputy station commander, said: At 19h23, Saturday, 15 August, NSRI Wilderness duty crew were activated following reports from a local caravan park and resort of a couple, guests at the caravan park, overdue from a day hike, between Platbank, Sedgefield, and Buffels Bay.
The couple, a male, from Pretoria, and a female, from North West Province, had departed the caravan park for a day hike at 08h30 but failing to return there were concerns for their safety.
NSRI Wilderness crew and NSRI crew, from our NSRI Sedgefield satellite station, Sedgefield community medics, Sedgefield COP (Community Orientated Policing), and a WC Government Health EMS rescue squad (George EMS), mobilised immediately to gather to begin a search from the Sedgefield side of the trail, heading East, while NSRI Knysna, Knysna COP, and WC Government Health EMS rescue squad (Knysna EMS), mobilised immediately to gather to begin a search on the Buffels Bay side of the trail, heading West.
The SA Police Service were alerted and Knysna Police were responding to join the search party at the Buffels Bay side of the trail.
During a search, at 21h11, the couple were found safe on the trail, they were with 3 local fishermen, waiting together for the new moon Spring high tide to subside.
They were guided to the Platbank car park where once safely at the car park no further assistance was required. The 3 fishermen returned home and the couple were transported back to the caravan park/resort.
It appears that while hiking the couple had come across the 3 fishermen. Together they had been cut off from continuing to hike on the trail by the new moon Spring high tide in an area where there is no cellphone signal. Together they investigated alternative routes to safety but as light faded they had opted to huddle together in a safe area, making a fire to stay warm, and they had planned to walk together to safety later when the high tide subsided when they were all found safe and guided to safety by the rescue team.
The swift response of NSRI Wilderness, NSRI Knysna, NSRI satellite station Sedgefield, the community medics, COP, SAPS and EMS Metro Rescue, is commended.
The successful search operation completed at 21h50.
Digital Goddess
Diary of an Englishman after he moves to South Africa….
**August 1**: Just got transferred with work from London, UK to our new home in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, South Africa. Now this is a town that knows how to live! Beautiful, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings. I watched the sunset from a deckchair by our pool yesterday. It was beautiful. I’ve finally found my new home. I love it here.
**September 1:** Really heating up now. It got to 31 today. No problem though. Living in air-conditioned home, driving air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this. I’m turning into a sun-worshipper – no blasted rain like back in London! Had the back yard landscaped with tropical plants today. Lots of palms and rocks. No more mowing lawns for me! Another scorcher today, but I love it here. It’s Paradise !
**October 1:** The temperature hasn’t been below 35 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least today it’s windy though. Keeps the flies off a bit. Acclimatizing is taking longer than we expected. Fell asleep by the pool yesterday. Got third degree burns over 60% of my body. Missed three days off work. What a dumb thing to do. Got to respect the old sun in a climate like this!
**October 25:** This wind is a bastard. It feels like a giant fucking blow dryer. And it’s hot as hell! The home air conditioner is on the blink and the repair man charged R200 just to drive over and tell me he needs to order parts from @#$# Johannesburg. The wife & the kids are complaining.
**October 30:** The temperature’s up around 40 and the parts still haven’t arrived for the fucking air conditioner. House is an oven so we’ve all been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. Bleeding R4 million house and we can’t even go inside. Why the hell did I ever come here?
**November 4:** Finally got the fucking air-conditioner fixed. It cost R1,500 and gets the temperature down to around 35 degrees. Stupid repairman. Fucking thief. If one more smart bastard says ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I’m going to fucking throttle him. Fucking heat! By the time I get to work, the car radiator is boiling over, my fucking clothes are soaking fucking wet and I smell like baked cat. Fucking place is the end of the Earth.
**November 9:** Tried to run some errands after work, wore shorts, and sat on the black leather upholstery in my car. I thought my fucking backside was on fire. I lost 2 layers of flesh, all the hair on the backs of my legs and off my fucking behind. Now the car smells like burnt hair, fried bum and baked cat. The Weather report might as well be a fucking recording – hot and sunny. Hot and sunny, Hot and fucking sunny. It’s been too hot to do anything for 2 bleeding months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Fuck!!
**November 15:** Doesn’t it ever rain in this darn place? Water restrictions will be next, so my R5,000 worth of palms might just dry up and blow into the fucking pool. The only things that thrive in this hell-hole are the fucking flies. You don’t dare open your mouth for fear of swallowing half a dozen of the little buzzards!
**November 20:** Welcome to HELL! It got to 45 degrees today. Now the air conditioner is gone in my car. The repair man came to fix it and said, ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I wanted to shove the car up his backside. Anyway, had to spend the R2,500 of the mortgage payment to bail me out of jail for assaulting the stupid fool. Fucking PHALABORWA! What kind of sick, demented idiot would want to live here!
**December 1:** WHAT!!!! The FIRST day of Summer!!!!
You are fucking kidding me, right?
Arsenic Coo
Fun South African Fact: South Africa is part of BRICS.