> Simon and I are crossing back over these tidal flats to join Rhett and his family at Lorella
Springs homestead, 6 hours away from this remote spot near the Gulf.
[Simon laughs] > Simon's in fine spirits.
> We've crossed here several times today without incident, so I'm confident as I follow him.
Right about now, though, I'm wondering why the cameraman is madly waving at me from the
sideline as I drive over. Turns out he wasn't rolling his camera. And
he's not happy. CAMERAMAN: It wasn't recording. Who said go?
> I'm gonna have to go back, so he can get the shot. But on the way over... this happens.
> I've broken through the sand crust, into the mud. We're in trouble, but we don't realize
just how much. We back up Simon's truck, and dig it into
the sand to anchor it, so he can winch me out.
JASE: I only just made that one, aye? Oh ****.
JASE: When's the tide coming in?
> Now here's where the bad luck starts to pile up. Simon's truck has compromised brakes,
so the winch is just dragging him towards me, instead of pulling me free of the mud.
JASE: Yeah, no drama but um... > Simon can't just hold himself in place with
reverse gear in low range, because he needs the engine to power the winch, otherwise he'll
run the battery flat in minutes. We need another plan, and quick.
JASE: I've gotta get out of those tracks. > So I grab the snatch straps and double them
up so Simon can stay well clear of the mud as he pulls me free. It's the fastest option,
and time is of the essence. SIMON: So you start your wheels spinnin' and you
say 'ok I'm spinnin' and then I'm gonna go. > This place is treacherous. Once you break
through the top 10 cm of sand, it's bottomless mud beneath. And that salt water is starting
to come up to the bottom of my doors. SIMON: Start spinnin'.
JASE: Go again.
SIMON: All right, you ready? JASE: Ready to go.
> So here's where things start to really go pear shaped.
SIMON: Oh, now we're ****ed.
JASE: You stuck too? SIMON: Yep.
Yeah, we're gettin' out, it's not good havin' the other car bogged but...
> We start the recovery on Simon's truck, but it's worse than we realize.
JASE: The tide just turned. Holy ****.
> We've only got 10-15 minutes, tops, until I'm underwater.
SIMON: We're getting there. JASE: Yeah, I know.
> OK, so first we have to winch out Simon.
JASE: Just hold it there. You want to unhook the winch? I'll keep digging this.
> Now back to the original recovery. We add another strap, to get Simon well away from
the mud, right up here on the grass where the ground is harder. We've lost valuable time,
but we're confident this approach will get my truck out, as long as Simon can maintain traction.
The tide is really cranking in now. Check out what my dash camera was recording while we were getting Simon's truck out.
It's a race against time. JASE: I'm ready to go.
> It's working. JASE: Come on, baby. Come on. Come on baby, come on.
> But then... it happens.
JASE: Holy ****! Holy ****. > My heart is racing. I just want to know if Simon is alright.
I just hope Simon isn't injured.
SIMON: That wasn't good, was it? JASE: Oh my god, man. Oh my god.
SIMON: Yeah, we're ****ed now. Now we're ****ed. JASE: Nah, winch. Come on, man. Winch.
SIMON: Can you get it out? This is messed up right here. All for adventure, my ass.
> This little tree out by itself is our only hope at the moment.
SIMON: I put it back in gear. JASE: No, it's not in.
SIMON: This is messed up ****. JASE: Is my car all right?
SIMON: Is it in gear? JASE: My car's out. Half out.
SIMON: Your car is the least of the worries. Because how do these go on their side with the engine oil?
JASE: Try and level it out, I guess. We've gotta get it over first. SIMON: Have you got it in gear?
JASE: Sorry? SIMON: Have you got it in gear?
JASE: Yeah, yeah go. Go! SIMON: Okay, push.
JASE: Oh, go, go! All right, back the winch off. There's not a mark on it! The scrub bars and
the side steps saved you! SIMON: No sh*t?
JASE: I kid you not. SIMON: Gotta be happy with that.
JASE: Come back off the winch, I'll get it off. SIMON: Don't worry about the winch now, the winch
is all buggered up. JASE: Has it, what's?
SIMON: Oh it's all snarled up. We'll just put... JASE: All snarled up?
SIMON: I'll chuck it in the car. JASE: All right.
SIMON: Go around this side of the tree, this side. Over it here.
JASE: Flick it in. Busted my watch. Oh my god, this is just madness. Oi!
So, we know what happened, don't we? SIMON: Yeah I came across on the angle too much.
JASE: Yeah. SIMON: Yeah, I've gotta go straight.
JASE: So you go...
How does she sound?
SIMON: Ok, you good to give it another go? JASE: I'm good to go mate, but you keep that straight.
> At least nothing else can go wrong now... or can it?
SIMON: I'm bogged again. JASE: Go the winch.
SIMON: That winch is all ****ed up. Seriously. > We've got to untangle the winch rope. We can't
give up now. JASE: Good? Just hold on.
> Simon's almost out, but with this incoming tide, even the hard packed sand here is giving
away. We have to get his truck right up onto the grass.
SIMON: Strap! JASE: What?
SIMON: Get your other strap and I'll get up on there. JASE: Another strap?
SIMON: Get your snatch strap and I'll get up on there. JASE: Get up on top?
> This is it. If we don't get my truck out on this next go, it's gone. There's no room for
error, and we both know it. I have never been so determined in all my life. It is crunch time.
JASE: This tides comin' in way further than this. SIMON: Ready?
JASE: I'm good to go. Come on man, come on.
JASE: We're nearly out of the water.
JASE: One more.
JASE: Yes!
SIMON: Are you out? JASE: I'm out, I'm out, stop stop, I'm out, I'm out.
SIMON: Thank god for that. JASE: Is that the craziest thing you've ever seen?
Because that, that just blew my mind.
JASE: That there would have to be stupidest thing that I've ever done.
To go back the 2nd time to get the camera shot, because that's what it was.
I'd gone back, because the cameraman told me that he didn't get the shot. And so
I've gone back thinking, we've been running across this that many times, it's that easy.
And what happened? It wasn't. We busted through the surface, and that was it. The second we
do that, the tide turns. And that is how quickly a serene, fun day can turn into an absolute
nightmare for somebody. For us. > From one simple mistake we almost lost two
cars. At least we'll have one hell of a story to tell back at the station.