Tourists Rescued After Being Stranded While Hunting for Blue Crabs

[Anchor]

With blue crab hunting recently gaining popularity on social media, two tourists who went out to catch the crabs in the middle of the night were stranded by the rising tide. Despite the urgent situation with high tide only two hours away, both were rescued by the Coast Guard, who arrived on the scene quickly.

JIBS reporter Kwon Min-ji has the story.

[Reporter]

The Coast Guard rushes to the scene in the dead of night.

Two tourists in their 20s are seen standing precariously on a rock.

They had ventured into the sea to catch blue crabs but were forced to take refuge on the rock as the tide came in.

They were not wearing life jackets.

[Coast Guard: I will get you to safety. You aren't hurt, are you? (Yes.)]

At the time, the situation was critical as the high tide was only about two hours away, and the water was already rising rapidly.

The Coast Guard rescued them safely about 20 minutes after receiving the report.

During the rescue operation, one Coast Guard officer suffered an ankle injury.

[Baek Ji-min / Seogwipo Coast Guard, Seongsan Substation: As blue crab hunting has become a trend in Jeju, they went out for coastal foraging, and it was a critical situation where a major accident could have easily occurred as the rocky shore became submerged and the water rose rapidly.]

Over the past three years, the number of drowning accidents along the coast of Jeju has been on the rise, nearing a total of 200 cases.

It has been confirmed that the tidal range at the location where the accident occurred reaches up to 3.4 meters.

The Coast Guard advised that those engaging in nighttime coastal foraging should carry lanterns and whistles, and travel in groups of two or more.

[Yang Hyeok-in / Seogwipo Coast Guard, Seongsan Substation: Even in shallow water, the terrain can suddenly become deep or you can be swept away by waves, so you must check the tide times in advance, set an alarm, and leave the water at least one hour before the tide rises to prevent being stranded.]

With blue crab foraging recently gaining popularity through social media, the Coast Guard is urging the public to follow safety protocols, such as wearing life jackets.

(Video by Kang Myeong-cheol, JIBS)

Reported by Kwon Min-ji, JIBS
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.