Welsh adventurer and TikTok star Ash Dykes is safe. His support team confirmed the news late on October 21, 2026, after roughly 20 hours without contact during his inflatable-kayak expedition through the Congo Basin.
The 35-year-old explorer from North Wales, a five-time Guinness World Record holder, is paddling about 700 kilometers (434 miles) down the Sangha River. The route runs from Nola in the Central African Republic toward Mossaka in the Republic of the Congo. This is Mission 01 of Project Six, his planned year of six back-to-back extreme expeditions across different environments.
On the morning of October 21, team member Matt posted a public update:
“Please bear with us, It’s been more than 16 hours since we last heard from Ash and the team which is concerning. We will endeavour to keep you posted and let you all know as soon as we hear more. Thank you – Matt.”
Hours later the team shared the relief:
“UPDATE: we JUST received a message from Ash’s sat-phone/Garmin! EVERYONE IS SAFE! The Starlink is out and their powerbank has died, there’s no way for them to send videos or updates, they can only send short messages whenever they get signal on the Garmin. That’s all we know right now. We will update you when we know more. Thank you for your prayers!!”
The blackout was caused by equipment failure in one of the world’s most isolated regions. Daily video uploads and detailed reports stopped completely. Only brief Garmin satellite texts are possible when a signal is spotted.
Dykes meticulously documents everything for his millions of followers. They had seen daily videos of sweltering heat, mosquitoes, long days of paddling (one day he covered 83 km) and wildlife. This sudden silence is disturbing in a region where medical care can be several days away and the river holds dangers such as hippos, Nile crocodiles, snakes, dense jungle and tropical diseases.
This is not Dykes’ first extreme challenge. He has completed a solo unsupported crossing of Mongolia, walked the full length of China’s Yangtze River, and paddled source-to-sea in Suriname. Project Six aims to keep the momentum going with short recovery windows between missions. The next leg, he has teased, will involve temperatures around –15 to –20°C.
The expedition continues under limited communications. Followers will get short Garmin texts when possible until power and Starlink return. In remote rainforest travel, gear failure is a known hazard not a cliffhanger ending. Dykes and his small crew (videographer Will Pérez and local guide Obed Temba) remain on the water, still aiming for Mossaka.
