In an adrenaline-pumping rescue along California’s breathtaking Big Sur coastline, two climbers were left stranded Saturday, their only salvation being a helicopter crew from the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The stranded duo found themselves perched precariously 600 feet below the highway, trapped on a daunting cliffside.
Dramatic footage released by the CHP captures the intensity of the situation. The video reveals an H-70 helicopter hovering unflinchingly over a rugged ravine near Hurricane Point as a rescue technician, suspended by a cable, bravely descends to reach the isolated climbers.
The rescue operation was initiated when Big Sur Fire, recognizing the severity of the situation, called upon the CHP’s Paso Robles Air Unit at approximately 6:24 p.m., according to official reports. The prompt response underscored the coordinated efforts between local emergency services and state resources.
A photo from the scene showcases a CHP helicopter rescue technician intensely preparing for a perilous hoist maneuver during the rescue mission that took place along the scenic, yet treacherous, California coast. The image, provided by the CHP – Coastal Division Air Operations, highlights the rigorous nature of the rescue.
When the rescue technician reached the first climber, the steep terrain posed significant challenges, preventing him from safely detaching from the hoist hook. Undeterred, the technician adeptly secured the climber in a Pelican rescue harness. Together, they were hoisted majestically into the air, safely transported to rescue personnel stationed at a strategic staging area, marking a successful and heroic end to a nerve-racking ordeal.
The helicopter then returned to the ravine and carried out the same technical maneuver to bring the second climber to safety.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter rescue technician works to secure a stranded climber during a technical hoist operation near Hurricane Point. (CHP – Coastal Division Air Operations)
CHP did not release the climbers’ names or explain how they became stranded.
Social media users praised the CHP air crew and the rescue teams involved after video of the operation was posted online.
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“Incredible rescue!! Well done guys!!” one commenter wrote. Another called it an “amazing job by all involved,” while another added, “Just incredible, you guys, thanks for what you do!”
Both climbers survived the ordeal, authorities said.
CHP helicopter lifts a climber and rescue technician above the Big Sur coastline during a hoist rescue. (CHP – Coastal Division Air Operations)
“These high-risk, low-frequency rescues are exactly what CHP Air Operations personnel continuously train for,” the agency said. “There is no room for error when operating in steep terrain, under hoist, and in challenging environmental conditions.”
The cliffside rescue followed two separate Aug. 9 rescue missions for the same H-70 crew.
A CHP air crew hoists a stranded climber to safety during a rescue near Hurricane Point in Big Sur, Calif. (CHP – Coastal Division Air Operations)
The air unit first hoisted an injured 13-year-old hiker from Pinnacles National Park, working with a Paso Robles Fire Department helicopter rescue technician, CHP said.
Later that day, the crew pulled a person who suffered severe injuries in a fall from a waterfall in Big Sur Gorge to safety.
H-70 then responded to another call in the remote Los Padres National Forest, where a hunter suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration was brought aboard using a hover step-on maneuver and flown to waiting medics in King City.