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[nevertoolate]

I was fishing today at the O Bryne Road site.   North side of the River.   Two young guys maybe 19 or 20 came in on the South side and proceded to climb up the Sand clff to an overhang.   They were 20 feet above a deep part of the water, fast rapids.   The overhang was simply grass on top of an edge of pure sand on the cliff.   All it would take would be a misstep or some part of the overhang crumbling and they would be in the water and likely join the group of dead young anglers we have seen over the last few years.

I was at least 200 ft away from them but felt I had to do something.   I didnt want to go home and read about it later knowing that I did nothing.  I debated whether to try to engage them in a civil conversation about what they were doing, but since I was so far away I just decided to yell at them to get out of there. Told them if the bank collapsed they would be dead.   I told them several young guys had died.

They shouted back at me that I should mind my own business.   I went back to my car and 45 minutes later they were still up there.   Even if they caught a fish up there I dont know what the hell they would have done.   Lift it through the air 20 feet?  They would have gone over for sure if they caught one.
 
Another angler came by and I asked him to tell them too.   He totally agreed with me.

  I once had a sand bank collapse under me, but I was just on a trail beside the river and I wasnt close.  Still felt like it was a close call.   

And I WAS minding my own business.  It is all our business when a 20 yr old angler dies in the river.

[Fish Assassin]

You did the right thing of warning them of the potential danger. Up to them to either heed or ignore your advice.

[clarki]

Or like those snowshoers that died on Mount Harvey, near Lions Bay, in 2017 when the cornice they were on collapsed.

Sometimes it just takes a different perspective to realize the risks, and you had the perspective that they didn't.

Sounds like they mis-took the urgency in your yelling, and telling them to get out of there,  as something other than your genuine concern for their safety.           

[RalphH]

I was fishing today at the O Bryne Road site.   North side of the River.   Two young guys maybe 19 or 20 came in on the South side and proceded to climb up the Sand clff to an overhang.   They were 20 feet above a deep part of the water, fast rapids.   The overhang was simply grass on top of an edge of pure sand on the cliff.   All it would take would be a misstep or some part of the overhang crumbling and they would be in the water and likely join the group of dead young anglers we have seen over the last few years.

I was at least 200 ft away from them but felt I had to do something.   I didnt want to go home and read about it later knowing that I did nothing.  I debated whether to try to engage them in a civil conversation about what they were doing, but since I was so far away I just decided to yell at them to get out of there. Told them if the bank collapsed they would be dead.   I told them several young guys had died.

They shouted back at me that I should mind my own business.   I went back to my car and 45 minutes later they were still up there.   Even if they caught a fish up there I dont know what the hell they would have done.   Lift it through the air 20 feet?  They would have gone over for sure if they caught one.
 
Another angler came by and I asked him to tell them too.   He totally agreed with me.

  I once had a sand bank collapse under me, but I was just on a trail beside the river and I wasnt close.  Still felt like it was a close call.   

And I WAS minding my own business.  It is all our business when a 20 yr old angler dies in the river.

Darwin award candidates!

Following their response all you can do is wish them the best and apologize for bothering them.

[wildmanyeah]

Better to say something then not and see their bodies recovered on the 5 O'clock news.

[stsfisher]

I too was young once and can remember not listening to the warnings until one day it happened.

many years ago when the Prison was operating you could only access the north side by hiking down from the ranger run, or from above on the bench rd. We would always hike from the ranger as it offered a lot of good water before getting to the prison.
Back then backside had developed its slide which was always a threat to slide more. People always warned about not accessing that stretch as it was sonly a matter of time. Yes you always had it in the back of your mind that it could go, but it would never happen while you were there.......
One day back there I ignored the warnings and was standing the rock ledge that allowed access to the best drift at that time. I remember feeling a tick off the tip of my rod, then another. At the same time my wool box fell out of my vest so I had to get into the water in front of the rock ledge when all of a sudden I could hear rumbling. I tucked myself under that rock ledge and watch huge boulders fall into the water around me. Luckily it didn't last long and was not a complete slide.

I very easily could have died that day if my wool box hadn't fell in the water, and I thanked everyone above for it. I never did return and told that story to all that I saw in the general area.

Good on you for trying Nevertoolate, but most youth will learn by mistakes. hopefully they are not mistakes that you can't learn from.

[Dave]

Great story!