Teens Feared for Lives in Barron Gorge Flood Ordeal, Dramatic Rescue Captured on Video
Three teenagers feared they might not survive after becoming stranded on a rock as floodwaters surged through a popular hiking spot during a dramatic wet-season emergency in North Queensland. Police confirmed the group called Triple-0 around 7.30pm on February 14 after rapidly rising water trapped them on a rock in the middle of Barron Falls near Kuranda.
Adventure Turns to Peril in Rainforest Trek
Reon Namba (16), Amber Kukulies (14), and Jacob Tait (16) had set out to explore abandoned tracks of a historic path and old hydro infrastructure deep in the rainforest near the gorge. A YouTube video recorded by the teens documented their trek, showing just how quickly their adventure spiraled into a frightening ordeal. At the start of the video, they could already hear a storm approaching, with Reon noting, "Alright, so we're currently hearing thunder all around us and we've been seeing lightning strikes. But I think we'll be good."
They continued down the steep, slippery track, navigating moss-covered concrete steps and rocky slopes as rain moved through the area. One of the boys said, "There's thunder, rain and it's super wet," while showing the steep drop beside them, adding, "So we're gonna see how we go with this."
Rapidly Rising Waters Trigger Panic
The tone of the video soon changed dramatically. While attempting to cross a river near the abandoned hydro station site, the group suddenly noticed the water level rising. Reon exclaimed, "The dam's opening. Come on, we gotta be quick." Seconds later, the situation worsened, with him saying, "Holy s**t! Wait, the other side's gonna start flooding, we gotta move. That's way more water than there was before. That's obviously flooding."
The footage shows them scrambling across slick rocks as the waters grew stronger, with one noting, "It's been like 10 seconds and the f***ing dam's much worse." As the torrent built, panic began to creep in, with warnings like, "Hey guys, we might want to start moving. That's about to turn into a river. You can see it. It's speeding up — oh my God there's no way ... we need to get back off we need to get off this island..."
Near-Disaster and Stranded on a Rock Island
The teens attempted to cross the rising waters but quickly realized the current was becoming too dangerous. Jacob slipped into the water, dragged away by the strong forming river. Reon jumped after him, and both held on to nearby rocks, pulling themselves back to safety. Jacob later recalled, "We had to hold on for our lives."
Within minutes, the teens were stranded on a small rock island in the middle of the gorge, with raging waters surging all around them. The water kept rising rapidly after a dam was released, catching the group by surprise. They moved to higher ground, trying to stay calm and working out if there was any way back or when they would have to call for help.
One explained in the video, "We were looking at a line in the rock over there. We said we'll see how long it takes for the water to fully hit that." The result was alarming: "In five minutes it's going up 50 centimetres. It's not good. If it doesn't start slowing down within two metres, we're going to have to call for help because it's not worth it. So what we're trying to look at is that spot right there. If the water hits this spot here, then we're calling Triple-0 for help because this is f***ed."
Desperate Call for Help as Darkness Approached
With darkness approaching, the seriousness of their situation sank in. One said, "It's looking pretty grim, I can't lie," as they were cut off on both sides by water. Reon recalled how quickly they came close to disaster when trying to reach higher ground and Jacob slipped into the water, saying, "I'm just so grateful that me and Jacob are alive right now. She (Amber) slipped and nearly went down as well, but me and JP fully got swept down for a bit."
Amber was heard saying on the video, "I'm not sure if I'm actually going to survive. If I don't... yeah, thanks guys." The video then captured the moment they contacted emergency services, with Reon telling the Triple-0 operator, "There's three of us and we're stranded currently at the Barron Gorge. Well, I'm not sure what's happened, but basically we're going across the gorge and as we're in the middle... we couldn't get across. Me and my friend almost got pulled over a waterfall. We managed to get safely back in the middle, but the water's picked up and now there's tons of water flowing around us, rising fairly rapidly."
Dramatic Helicopter Rescue Operation
Police rushed to the scene, with several officers and two helicopters responding as the stranded group signaled their location with flashlights. The Queensland Government's Rescue 510 helicopter lifted the three teens safely from the rock island. This week, the teenagers reunited with the crew who rescued them.
Senior Base Pilot Ben Lawler said the crew had been conducting winch training near Fitzroy Island when they were redirected to the emergency. He noted, "Every time we get a wet season there's going to be a number of these throughout Queensland, this is reasonably common. If there's creeks and it's raining, odds are these situations can increase very quickly."
Aircrew officer Liam Carruthers said the outcome could easily have been far worse, while the group were keen to express their gratitude. Amber said, "I can't even put it into words [how] grateful [we are] that they put themselves at risk just to rescue us. We owe them everything honestly."
Warning for Wet Season Safety
As Queensland braces for further flooding this week, emergency services are urging locals and visitors to take extreme caution when visiting waterfalls and gorges during the wet season, warning conditions can change within minutes. The three teenagers reunited with the Rescue 510 crew who saved them, reflecting on the night they were trapped in the gorge, a stark reminder of the dangers posed by rapidly changing weather in natural environments.
