Welsh extreme explorer Ash Dykes and his crew have been out of contact with their support team for more than 16 hours while kayaking through the Congo Basin, raising concerns about their safety during a 700 kilometer expedition.
A statement published on Dykes’ official Instagram account on Wednesday, October 21, said his support team had not received any communication from the adventurer or his companions.
The statement reads: “Please bear with us, it’s been more than 16 hours since we last heard from Ash and the team, which is concerning. We will endeavour to keep you posted and let you all know as soon as we hear more.”
The message was signed by Matt, a member of Dykes’ support team managing communications during the journey. The statement didn’t specify where the expedition members were last contacted or explain what might have caused the communication gap, and there has been no confirmation that Dykes or his companions have been injured or are in immediate danger.
The 35-year-old adventurer started his most recent adventure at the beginning of October, planning to kayak a stretch of 700 kilometers on the Sangha River, from Nola in the Central African Republic to Mossaka in the Republic of the Congo. Travelling in inflatable kayaks, Dykes is joined by filmmaker Will Pérez and Obed Temba, who is their guide.
Project 6, which is the name of the adventure that will consist of six extreme adventures in 12 months in various terrains, starts with this expedition through the Congo Basin region, where the team will face many dangers such as gorillas, hippos, crocodiles, heat, challenging river flow, lack of drinkable water, and limited medical support.
The project was announced after Dykes published a video of the 14th day of his kayaking trip and explained some of the challenges they were facing. “We have had plenty of challenges, and we have even had doubters since the first day, but I’m sure that we’ll make it to the end,” he wrote.
