A family of seven visiting New South Wales, Australia, barely escaped with their lives after a harrowing, hours-long rescue from a "bad situation," the New York Post reported.
Good Morning America shared dramatic video footage showing the group clinging to the rocky cliff edge as they awaited help.
The group, described as "tourists," spent the morning hiking the cliffs near North Head lookout in Durras.
At around 9 a.m., the family realized they'd inadvertently become stuck as the tide abruptly rushed in, trapping all seven people on the cliff face.
They contacted the police, who, in turn, summoned the New South Wales State Emergency Service to handle the high-stakes rescue. NSW SES documented the incident on its Facebook page.
Eurobodalla SES commander Peter Collins spoke with news.com.au, explaining that calls from seemingly stranded hikers were extremely commonplace.
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When Collins arrived on the scene, however, he immediately "knew this was not going to be an ordinary rescue."
"This was a very, very dangerous situation," he began. "They were so close to the waves breaking at the bottom, and I thought, gosh, if a huge wave comes in, it's going to wash them straight off and they'd be gone."
Ultimately, after "three nerve-racking hours" of active rescue efforts, the family of seven was evacuated from the cliff face "one by one," miraculously avoiding any serious injury.
Collins offered advice to others unfamiliar with the local tides: "Basically the rule is, if the rock is wet, don't go there."
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Tourists getting in over their heads when visiting natural sites is unfortunately not uncommon, particularly during the warmer months.
A lack of awareness regarding local landscapes and wildlife can be dangerous — not just to people and wildlife, but to the first responders tasked with carrying out risky rescue missions.
Many commenters on Good Morning America's post said as much.
"And how many signs did they pass telling them not to do [that]?" one wrote.
"Everyday people have way too much access to the world they cannot handle," another lamented.
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