Extreme adventurer Ash Dykes goes missing for nearly a day during Congo expedition

(Gray News) - Extreme adventurer and TikTok star Ash Dykes went missing for more than 16 hours during an expedition in the Congo Basin.

Dykes has embarked on a six-part mission called “Project 6,” in which he will go on an expedition in six of “the most extreme environments on Earth” over a year.

The first part of the mission was an expedition in the Congo Basin, in which Dykes is attempting a world first by traveling 700 km down the Sangha River in an inflatable kayak.

Dykes has been on the river for more than two weeks and reported that he had passed the halfway mark of his journey on Monday. According to People, he is also accompanied by a local guide and a videographer.

Wednesday morning, the crew gave followers a scare after it was reported that they hadn’t been heard from for more than 16 hours.

“Please bear with us, It’s been more than 16 hours since we last heard from Ash and the team which is concerning,” a post on Dykes’s Facebook page said.

A few hours later, it was reported that Dykes had finally made contact and everyone was safe. According to a Facebook post, the team’s Starlink was out and their power bank had died, so the only way they could make contact was through Dykes’s Garmin.

“There’s no way for them to send videos or updates, they can only send short messages whenever they get signal on the Garmin,” the post said.

This is not the first obstacle Dykes has encountered on this trip.

The first happened as soon as he and his team touched down in Cameroon. He told his followers on TikTok that they discovered the bag containing the pumps for the kayaks was missing and most likely was stuck in Paris. They were able to get the bag, but it did set them back a day or two.

Dykes also reported that their visas had been denied and they needed to find “different way round to enter overland from Cameroon to the Central African Republic.”

While on the trip, Dykes has encountered several risks, including a near run-in with a swarm of Africanized honey bees (also known as killer bees) and a “nasty little sting” from a mysterious insect. Dykes said that he felt something moving inside his shirt on his back and was stung while going to grab it. Although he suspected it was a bee, he wasn’t sure what kind of insect stung him.

Dykes holds five world records, including four world firsts, and has more than 15 million followers on TikTok.

The remaining five expeditions in his Project 6 mission have not been disclosed.